leaving stones along the way

[fkjaer]

Sue,

Thanks a lot for your moving description of your miracle.
It is hard to explain what the camino is all about, but your posting is among the very best.

David asked about the particular place where pilgrims lave stones from their homes.
Well, you can do it everywhere, but the most famous place is Cruz de Ferro after Rabanal where there is a hill of millions of stones brought by pilgrims. It is at 1504 mtrs above sea level and traditionally believed to be the highest point on the Camino (Actually the highest point - at 1517 mtrs - is a couple of kilometres further on, soon after Manjarin.)
On one of the lists someone wrote that she had invited people in her parish to write a prayer and then the papers with the prayers were wrapped around the stone she had planned to bring with her on the camino and set on fire.

When I walked the camino last summer I also brought a little stone from my home. One morning when I packed my rucksack in the refugio of San Nicholás I found another stone of a local type among my stuff. The stone had obviously been placed among my things. I took the stone with me, and 8 days and about 200 kms later I placed it by the Cruz de Ferro together with my own.
Who had put it among my stuff? A local who for some reason couldn't make the pilgrimage himself? Or a pilgrim who had had to give up? I do not know and shall probably never know. But carrying that extra stone ment something to me.

Frans.

[ 56° 11' 38.6'' N - 10° 14' 5.36'' E ]