Addiction?

[Felipe Sanchez]

Esteemed Senor Spenger:  Your note has inspired and enthused me and I offer my humble gratitude for it.  I certainly believe that you have found one of the secrets of a fulfilled and happy life.  "Addiction" seems to be a buzz-word of the age and an offshoot of our recent awareness of the maleficence of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs.  May I suggest that the application of "addiction" to an activity that promotes mental, emotional and physical salubrity might be termed "inopportune"  More than likely, the term was supplied by your friends who deemed you daft while they, in turn, lead passive lives devoid of the wonders of solitude, close association with the earth, the marvels of companionship, and the satisfaction of accomplishment.  If I could I would trade you my good knees for your recalcitrant ones.  So please press on with your plans and enjoy your Birthday "en media res."  With your permission I would make a suggestion about the first etapa or stage.  On day one walk five kilometers from St. Jean to a guest house on the paved road--Camino--and stay the night.  You can dine there that evening and in the morning, although breakfast may be a bit late for an early start.  The walk over the Pirineos is demanding and that five kilometers saved will bode you well in regard to rebellious joints.  I am ten years your junior and had trained intensely in my gym not only with a step machine and treadmill but also with weights.  My preparation was advantageous but not sufficient and I was weary upon arriving in Roncevalles and most happy I had reduced the pull by five k's.
 From Ronce, then, the rest of the way was a walk in the park but I tailored my stops to my physical condition.  One advantage of the Camino Frances is the great number of towns and villages along the route and I availed myself of them as I saw fit.  Some days I walked a mere ten or fifteen kilometers. Other days I did upwards of thirty.  I practiced what I teach in the gym:  "Listen to your body."  As a result I spent some extra days recuperating:  one day in Estella while recovering from heat exhaustion and another, later, letting an incipient case of tendonitis diminish. There were other examples, other delays, all pleasant, necessary and not regretted.  In addition I spent several days in disparate urban areas where I wrote a series of articles for the home-town newspaper.  No, I did not finish in record time nor did my performance reflect the schedule in the guide-book.  I refused to become a part of the anxiety associated with goal orientation, e.g., we must leave early so as to be in Dondesea by such a time.  But I arrived in Santiago physical well, emotionally euphoric, and mentally fit.  My personal motto, repeated often to all that would listen, is "El Camino no es una carrera sino una experiencia."  The Camino is not a race but an experience.  So, I encourage you to go for those of us who will not be able this year.  I have herniated a lumbar disc in the same gym that provided succor last year so I postpone plans to traverse La Via de la Plata from Sevilla to Santiago.  Let us live through you and carry the memory of your spirit and feat into our coming years to inspire and remind us of the difference between that which is vital and important and that which garners approval of the masses.  Ultreya! Don Roberto.  Buen Camino...Felipe Sanchez
  From: Robert Spenger 


  Is it an addiction? My friends considered me crazy when I did a thousand mile pilgrimage in the year 2000. But I wasn't satisfied with that. I had to try another in 2001. It was much shorter, only about 400 miles, but my knees insisted that I take public transportation for about one third of that. Now I find myself dreaming about going again this Fall, this time taking the Saint Jean route that I have been reading so much about. I think that it would be a real hoot to celebrate my 78th birthday on the Camino. Did I say addiction? Perhaps madness woud be a better word. If my knees had heads, I am sure that they would be nodding them in agreement. This route would mean almost double the walking that I managed to do last year. However, there would be one big plus in starting from Saint Jean. There would be fellow pilgrims along the way to give encouragement. The Caminho Portugués was quite lonely last year. regards, Robert 
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