Monday, May 19, 2014

Trail Tales of the El Camino Edition 2 (from 5/10/14)

Dear Friends and Loved Ones:

Well, here we are 5 days before departure and things are getting dicey.  Below is what Izabela, my walking Buddy sent to her contacts and to avoid reinventing the wheel, I am sending 
it to you as well.  Then the "rest of the story...."  Izabela is a world competitive, professional dancer just to orient you to her opening comments.

Izabela says:
While some of my friends are packing for Blackpool, the most glamorous dance competition in the world, I am packing for the humblest hike of my life! Up to now, I only knew how to pack suitcases filled with evening gowns, but now, I am puzzling over the weight of my backpack. Everything adds up quickly and even the thought of giving up my beloved Chanel mascara is tough!
 
As I worry about that, let me tell you about our route on the Camino de Santiago. Our journey starts Wednesday, May 14, with a Delta flight to Paris. Then, it's off to southern France by train. In St. Jean Pied de Port, we will receive our pilgrim passports.  On Friday, my friend Sidney Bonvallet and I will start our hike on the French part of the trail called the Camino Francés. Our 500-mile hike will lead us through four different regions of Spain.
 
·      First is the most grueling trek, over the Pyrenees Mountainand into Navarra. 
·      Next is La Rioja, region of rich vineyards that produce the area's famous wine. 
·      The most challenging segment is called the Meseta. This never-ending landscape of wheat crops is said to remove all external distraction and to leave     pilgrims with nothing but their own thoughts.
·      The last region, Galicia, will provide a glorious sight of rolling hills and lush forests – a nice welcome into Santiago de Compostela, our goal!
 
All along the Camino de Santiago are special hostels called Albergues, where Sidney and I will have our Pilgrim passports stamped and make stops for the nights, sometimes with 100 other pilgrims in one room! Our journey will end on June 24, at the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.

To do something that I have never done is scary but also exhilarating. I am ready for the challenge and happy to share our experiences with you. Check our Facebook page, “Walk for Hope of Children,” for more stories and pictures.

 Now, it's time to finish my packing! Hmmm, that mascara is only 22 grams…
 
Adios mis amigos!
Izabela

"NOW, FOR THE REST OF THE STORY...."
Wayne weighed and weighed my backpack, but the dial stubbornly would not move!  It is 4 pounds overweight and it is somebody's fault.
Guess if I want that scale to change, something will have to go.  Understand, everything we will need for 40 days is on our back.  What could
I possibly live without.  Well... per my new friend Pat, I must empty out the whole backpack and pick up each item one by one, and say out
loud, "Is this absolutely essential, or is it my FEAR?"  Since in that moment I felt "fearless," I figured this would be a piece of cake.  So, I picked
up my socks - definitely Essential right?  Yeah, but 6 pairs?  3 pairs had to go.  Pants... 3 pairs went down to 2 pairs... 3 shirts instead of 5.  Now
I'm really panicking.  But I had not counted on putting back in my tiny (little, very small) camera and charger, so all that loss was 
swallowed up right before my very eyes.  But let's keep going... I finally connected with the genius of the exercise, and thought only SURVIVAL.
Under Wayne's watchful and sympathetic eye I agonizingly discorded one thing after another until I had unloaded 2 1/2 pounds of FEAR.  Yes,
fear... Fear that if I didn't have a BIG tube of toothpaste, I would lose my teeth... Fear that without cologne, I couldn't be a girl... Fear that if
I didn't have the super duper Swiss Army Knife complete with corkscrew, toothpick and fingernail file on it, my life would be over... It was quite
an exercise and I finally ALMOST met my goal.  I COULD NOT AND WOULD NOT give up the 12 Moon Pies that Jack's Cosmic Dog gave me
for the trail.  That was asking too much.  Don't worry, I won't carry that box of Moon Pies until I personally eat them all one by one.  I will sit
down on that trail at my first rest stop, wait for other Pilgrims to show up, and we will have the best "Moon Pie Party" you ever heard of. (Thank 
you Dave and Jack)!
THEN, my pack will be perfect and my greatest fears will subside (that I am never going to get to eat again).
Oh, I must make one other very small confession.  I bought this really "cool," high tech, almost weightless hat.  
My trademark on any of my far out adventures is my hat with 12 "worry dolls" around the band.  There is one for each month, they do all the 
worrying so you I don't have to worry about anything.  I had these beautiful worry dolls the Venda people made out of metal and beads.  
And, I sewed 12 on my high tech, used to be weightless hat.  Well, I'm wearing it on my head, right?  So that doesn't count.




In starting this magnificent adventure, I have thought about WHY? for some time.  Why am I doing this?  For me, it will be a personally enlightening 
spiritual pilgrimage, and to help our precious children in the Venda Villages with all the funds raised.  So many of you were so generous and gave from 
your heart.  I am still touched by the response to my little card asking for your help.  Because of you, a significant transformation will occur for so 
many in the villages.  For now, this seems to be my WHY?  But, I will remain open in case my God has plans I hadn't thought of yet.  
Walking 15 - 17 miles a day for 36 days just might bring out something that had not been revealed to me yet.  I am exhilarated by the possibilities.  
Please keep Izabela and I in your prayers for safety, protection and courage.  I will try to publish one more edition before we leave Wednesday.

Love,  Sidney

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