Been a bit of a crazy week over here, and unfortunately, that means my Camino writing has been swept aside in the busyness of it all. But it’s still on my mind, and I still want to share. The details may just have to wait until I really get things sorted out with what this Camino’s story really is–if it has one. Until then, on we go.

As much as I’d hate to jump over some beautiful stories, I can’t dive too deeply into six days of hiking without writing for the next three hours. So instead, I will give you a glimpse into a portion of my journal where I wrote single words or phrases about each day so I’d remember the gist of what went down for later writing. I’ll explain some things and leave room for your imagination to do the rest…

Day 8: Viana to Navarette: “Pottery festival, church, unwelcomed meat ravioli, lonely sunset, loud French people.”

Day 9: Navarette to Azofra: “Heat, good walking, sore feet, cooked dinner, a celebration of 19 years, CNN reporter.” 

(Quick explanation: this was the 19th anniversary of moving out of my awful childhood town, a day I celebrate every year. Christina and I drank wine in a plaza and then ran through the town at 10pm on a hunt for popsicles. As for the “CNN reporter,” it was just a mysterious looking man in a desert-chic outfit that we decided to name from afar.)

Day 10: Azofra to Grañon: “Great hostel, staying alone, saying goodbye, hungry.”

(We parted ways with some amazing Camino family here, hence the goodbyes. Also, we had long stretches between food, hence the hungry.”

Day 11: Grañon to Villafranca Montes de Oca: “Heat. Many towns–most closed, strange group that gave us high fives, good muscles, pain when I lie down, smiling, staying at fancy hotel, great dinner, mountains tomorrow.”

Day 12: Villafranca Montes de Oca to Ages: “Mountains, short day, wooden bunk beds, good conversation, butterflies everywhere, {last two phrases illegible]”

(This was our half-rest day. We stopped in Ages to take some time to reset our bodies and minds. I went into a tiny church on my own and felt like I’d been there before, even though I’d never had. With the help of an intimidating Mary statue, I decided to try and stop being so angry at myself. I watched a thunderstorm crest the horizon next to a woman with whom I shared no mutual language. I watched a hummingbird bush alive with happy little creatures for nearly an hour without anything else to do but sit. I had a beautiful outdoor dinner. I did not sleep because it was nearly 80 degrees all night and I was on the top bunk in a breezeless attic).

Day 13: Ages to Burgos “Revelations, goals, religious discussion, smoothies, long walk into the city, missing Ben, no wi-fi, Burgos energy, longing for solitude, know it is still the same sky.”

I have quite a story for tomorrow…perhaps my favorite of the whole trip.