Hello everyone, I'm new

[Crawley, Jeffrey]

And very welcome you are too.

Pilgrimage means . . . exactly what you wish it to.

A search inside yourself, closure on the death of a loved one, a chance to make changes, reclaiming of lost faith - the list could be endless.

Also it will probably mean something different to you at the end than it did at the beginning.

Why not plan on doing the whole thing, say starting out from Roncesvalles or Pamplona and then tailor the trip in accordance with time/health/fitness?

Even with today's thin, sun screening clothing and sun blocks I wouldn't recommend a summertime trip, even in northern Spain, to you - there's precious little shade and shelter on the Meseta especially. Spring in Spain is delightful but (certainly in Galicia) can be cold and wet.  Leaving fall, which as E.O.Pederson (sorry if I mis-spelt that EO) says can be even better.  I was a couple of weeks ahead of him in 2001 and, fortunately, the worst rain fell the day AFTER I got to Santiago.

Others will have differing views but the last 100Km from Brie (except Santiago) isn't the most scintillating of walks unless you are VERY fond of eucalyptus trees.  On the other hand you're not compelled to do all 800Km either - you can cut out slices by bus or train and still enjoy the companionship and spiritual uplift of a whole range of fellow pilgrims in a variety of situations.

Spend a happy hour or two in the archives, become as obsessive as the rest of us with boots, pack weight, blisters, what to eat, whether there'll be a bed available and if you aren't set on getting on the trail then I'll eat my hat - hopefully not as it's a Tilley and quite pricy :o)!

Be warned it can become a consuming passion, so much so that I'm very tempted to junk my job and do it all over again this September.

Ask and you'll find (a lot of the) answers here.

Kind regards

Jeffrey



-----Original Message-----
From: Sally Haden [mailto:hadense1948aHOTMAIL.COM]
Sent: 04 June 2003 09:57
To: GOCAMINOaPETE.URI.EDU
Subject: Hello everyone, I'm new


Hello everyone
I joined this message board a couple of days ago and I am reading your
messages. Not sure if I am ready to join in but I thought I might try to
describe myself and what I hope to learn - at least initially!
I have been vaguely interested in going to the shrine of Santiago for some
years since my brother began to make it his annual 'pilgrimage' after the
accidental death of his son. He always says how beautiful it is to go there
(though he doesn't do the Camino).
But about eighteen months ago when I was unwell, I got interested in
learning Spanish, just for fun, and this brought the idea into greater
focus. Recently I decided I needed to get fit (I am 55, not terribly unfit
but not exactly aspiring to be a "power walker"! and also I was not at all
well last year) then suddenly it all fell into place, that I should actually
go to Santiago via the Camino! So I have added reading books on the Camino
to my physical training and my Spanish. Maybe, I am thinking, by the autumn
I might be in shape to do the required 100km for that certificate...
Maybe....! My questions for the moment are around anything about a single,
(English), not very strong, woman of 55 doing her first bit of the Camino.
In time I would like to build up to the whole thing from the French border,
but that is definitely not on the agenda yet.
My worries are about heat because that really weakens my stomach, and sun
because I am prone to mild skin cancer. Also, not finding enough quiet time
on the Camino - I have read how expotentially the numbers are increasing,
especially next year I suppose.
Today I read Kathy and Antonio's mail with interest because I wonder what
pilgrimage means.  I have often created my own personal journeys and
experiences as spiritual quests, inner and outer, but I have never put them
into the formula of putting one foot in front of the other for several
miles. I suspect/hope it will be a very good thing to do. And like Kathy and
Antonio I have experienced different belief systems close-up, TM,
Catholicism, various forms of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam, but in
conclusion I feel that spirituality or faith is USUALLY like looking into a
mirror that you KNOW is there in front of you yet you can see nothing in it.
  USUALLY it is a horrible blank, even though ocassionally you can find
flashes of great truth.
Okay, so any positive comments, encouragement or inspiration of any sort
will be welcome!
Yasmin1691

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