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<font size=3>Not to make anyone apprehensive but I had the really
delightful experience of crossing paths with a wolf on the Camino.
It was when we were biking from Paris to Santiago in June, 1998 and I was
alone for the moment, Tom having fallen behind a couple of kilometers to
take some photos of the Galician countryside just beyond Ligonde and
heading north toward Vilar de Donas. When it emerged from the
underbrush and trotted across the road ahead of me, I thought it was just
another of the large dogs the local farmers keep, but as I kept staring
at the muzzle, lack of collar and lean look I was sure it was a
wolf. Looking pretty lean and dry myself from weeks of biking, it
hardly gave me a sidelong glance before vanishing into a field of tall
scrub.<br>
<br>
I had pretty much talked myself out of having seen a real <i>lupus
ibericus</i> until we visited a museum of natural history in Santiago and
I unexpectedly crossed paths with a stuffed relative of my lone wolf,
this time in a glass case.<br>
<br>
That said, the native Galician wolf, the only species you'll ever run
into on pilgrimage, is a very small wolf and as with most wild animals
more scared of us that we are of them. Wolves, bears, wild boars
and even lions flourished along the Camino in medieval times but domestic
dogs are the only thing to worry about now. If your water bottle
has a nozzle, squirt it into a barking dog's mouth; it will choke on the
water but be otherwise unharmed and back off.<br>
<br>
george<br>
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At 02:45 PM 09/16/2001 -0400, you wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite cite>Ida - Definitely go. I would not
worry about terrorists in France or Spain and the rail lines are
safe.<br>
Rae - This is the first I heard of bears on the Camino. I never saw a
wild dog, snake or mosquito in the month I walked from SJPDP to Santiago.
I was worried about "wild dogs" after reading stories and
hearing rumors.<br>
My advice is to put all your usual apprehensions about travel aside and
enjoy the experience spiritually and otherwise. Yes, there are some
pretty wild, uninhabited areas along the way, but usually you are fairly
close to populated places and other pilgrims if you need help.
Howard Mendes</font></blockquote><br>
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<div>George D. Greenia, Editor, La corónica</div>
<div>Director, Program in Medieval & Renaissance Studies</div>
<div>Dept. of Modern Languages</div>
<div>College of William & Mary, PO Box 8795</div>
<div>Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795</div>
<div>gxgreeawm.edu</div>
<div>tel<x-tab> </x-tab>757-2213676</div>
fax<x-tab> </x-tab>757-221-3637
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