THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY OF THE CAMINO (from 6/3/14)

This was a LONG day.  Izabela and I walked for 12 hours to get in the 20 miles to San Nicolas.  We are now over half way to Santiago!  We are at 254 miles. Hooray!!  The agony is the grinding miles, sore feet, legs and hips. I think even the hairs in my ears hurt.  There was no food for 12 miles.  Now THAT  opened Pandora's box of my fears.  Then low and behold, when we came upon a picnic area, there was an ice cream truck!  I thought it was a mirage.  But it was real... Izabela and I indulged.

(Ice cream truck on the Camino). 

So, there are the countless discomforts of the Camino.  Then there are the wonderful people we meet along the way.  Allan Todd is an inspiration.  He is from England and was doing the Camino for a beautiful reason.  Watch his video below.

He lost his wife to ovarian cancer.  And he is honoring his wife with his walk for that Charity.  The extraordinary thing is how he is doing it.  Allan does about 17 kilometers.  Why so few miles?  A few years ago Allan was riding his bike back from his teaching job.  A tractor accidentally sprayed him with weed killer.  It got in his eyes, chest, down his throat and all over his skin.  This was poison and his body reacted severely to it.  He had to stop teaching, his muscles hurt him relentlessly.  Doctors couldn't diagnose it for 3 years and 3 months.  Because the lack of diagnosis exceeded 3 years, he could not get compensation.  In spite of the pain, he has found his way to do the El Camino Trail.  He can then support the two charities that are close to his heart.  Allan has become one of my Camino heroes.  You can Google Allan Todd and see that he writes books.