The metaphor may not be obvious to all, in fact until I saw this sign, it hadn’t occurred to me either.

The place on the Manistee River Trail where this sign is located is at the top of a long and quite difficult, uphill over tree roots, rocks and sand, climb. It tested my mettle and that of my hiking companion Val. It was very much like a long forgotten logging road in Maine but with much more sand and terribly narrow. Sand makes each step a bit interesting. Again, another metaphor for life. Target heart rate achieved in record time.

This “camino” isn’t the one I hoped to be on, but it has proven to be an adventure nonetheless. I have kept my mind and heart open to all the possibilities. I have put aside the disappointment and embraced what has been put in front of me.

I have learned sleeping in a tent (again) is good for the soul and not so much for the hips. I have learned roasting my dinner over an open fire tastes “5 star” and the cook has a much better sense of humor than an uptight chef. I have learned at just what angle among the trees affords the best place to answer nature’s call, even in the bright light of day (beware the stinging nettle if at all possible!) I have learned (or have been reminded) most people are inherently good. I have learned I am able to overcome physical adversity, despite my “advanced” age, when I compete against myself. I have learned the beauty of the world is (still) there; I only have to slow my step, open my eyes and listen. I have learned my pack still contains too much stuff and can be significantly pared down and I wouldn’t miss it.

I had no doubt that I would be able to complete the Camino de Santiago, after all, it is just a walk, one foot in front of the other. What I wasn’t completely sure of was how I would handle the difficulties which I knew would occur. I wasn’t sure I had the stamina and yet, here was this sign at the top of yet another hill (who know Michigan was so hilly) while I waited for my heart to slow and my breathing to calm to gently remind me that what lies beneath my “surface” is a force to be reckoned with. I am my own geologic forces. What is revealed is simply beautiful.

Buen Camino Americano

“Holy” Sneakers 500

After a good hike, it is always prudent to sit a while, take off your boots and socks, let your feet breath a bit and have a snack. Now for anyone who knows me, I never take my food at face value even when the label says “organic” or “natural”. I ALWAYS read labels. It was no different when I was handed a “Cliff Bar” at the scenic turnout swing at Cedar Lake, Carriage Hills Metro Park.

In reading the ingredients I noticed the infamous words “natural flavors” and had to comment to my sister that those two words can mean a plethora of things. In this case, I am pretty sure these “natural flavors” were used in place of good old fashioned, and yes expensive, vanilla. I asked her if she was aware that, in this particular snack item, the “natural flavors” were probably from a beaver’s anal glands. (Yes, this is a true statement and you can look it up on Google if you don’t believe me). Castoreum is the anal secretion beavers used to mark their territory which also happens to smell like vanilla. With a little scientific tweeking, voila! A cheap alternative to vanilla.

Now my question is: Did anyone ask the beaver if it was okay to use their glands and were they compensated for their contribution?

Buen Camino (Americano)

“Holy” Sneakers 500

Sometimes, as they say, “the best laid plans of mice and men” play out. Such was our day when the hiking gods chose to keep us off the trail. So we took the chance to spend precious time with the grandkids, a detour from our regular way back to the “albergue” and icy frozen concoction to dispel the heat.

It was also a gentle reminder to look beyond what you may have been planning and open your eyes, your heart, your soul to what is in the periphery. There are treasures to be found.

Remember, there is ALWAYS time to stop and smell the flowers.

Buen Camino (Americano)

“Holy” Sneakers 500

Looking at the sunrise this morning, I could almost imagine I was just waking from a trans-Atlantic overnight flight, lifting the little plastic cover on the window next to my seat and feeling butterflies about the soon to be landing in Spain to begin the Three Sister’s Camino.

My “flight” was long and boring but uneventful. There wasn’t much to listen to on the radio and the CD player no longer works. The old girl has seen better days. I just enjoyed the quiet for a time.

Once I finally arrived at the “albergue”, I was greeted with great fanfare by the proprietor of the establishment. I wasn’t sure if she was happy to see me or if it was the large cooler of seafood that brought the smile to her face.

After a most delectable meal with good company and even better homemade wine, it was actually time to begin the walk. I wasn’t sure I was going to be much good after a 20 hour “flight”, a couple of lobsters and a rather large glass of blackberry wine. This wasn’t going to be a 20 miler hike, maybe just one hundred feet to the swimming pool!

So for tonight, I’m going to lay out my silk bed liner, (one can never be too careful about bedbugs no matter where you lay your head), brush my teeth and sleep for about 12 hours.

Buen Camino (Americano)

“Holy” Sneakers 500

According to my calendar, the day is finally here. The long awaited and hard-trained for day. The beginning of the challenge I had set for myself. The Three Sisters Camino 2020 adventure!

As we are all aware, sometime in March, the world as we knew it and were comfortable with, ceased to exist. Stopped dead in its tracks by a microscopic virus that changed how we all move about on this tiny blue dot in the Universe. The paradigm shift from complete freedom of movement to sheltering in place left most of us scratching our heads and figuring out ways to cope with our new reality. Who knew how important a roll of toilet paper would become!

In March I was cautiously optimistic, in April I was hopeful, by May I was coming to terms with the truth ~ this well planned trip of a lifetime wasn’t going to happen. No Camino de Santiago, no albergues, no wine fountains!

I have now booked a flight on “Esmeralda” my 13 year old, red transport vehicle parked in my driveway. She is 300K miles into her journey and we are going to add a few more to the odometer in the next month or so.

I’m packed, the car is loaded with a small fridge and enough food and water to get me to Ohio without worrying about where to stop safely for food, a small mattress comfortable enough to catch a few Zees without worrying about which motels might be open and a considerable amount of fresh Maine seafood for the folks who await my arrival.

I’m doing an American “Camino” despite the virus and shut down of the country. I am making no plans, taking no maps, worrying not about “what might happen”. I will find adventure and amazement where ever I might find myself. I will keep my eyes open to the endless possibilities out there. If there is one thing this Covid business has taught me over the last few month is it is good to look at things from a different perspective outside your normal “box”!

I’m out of the box so get out of my way!

Buen Camino (Americano)

“Holy Sneakers” 500

In exactly 30 days from today, I was planning on being at the Hilton Hotel at Logan International Airport, eating lobster rolls, drinking Moxie and shuffling the contents of my pack to be sure I had exactly what I would need for a 500 mile walk across Spain.

There is, of course, a fine line with what you really need and what you think you need! There’s also the weight consideration. Everything presently in my pack, with the exception of a full water bottle and my iPad, weighs 18.2 pounds. My goal was to keep it at 20 pounds or less. When I first put it on after filling it with the contents of the tote, which has been the receptacle for every thing Camino over the last year and a half, I was a bit surprised by its heft. For some reason the tote didn’t seem that heavy when I would pick it up and move it from time to time. I will use the analogy of the waterbed and refrigerator. They are both very heavy but the fridge exerts much more force per square inch on the floor than does the waterbed. That’s how my pack became so heavy: it has a much smaller footprint than the tote and I’m sticking to my theory.

The official email came today saying what we have all been dreading: The Camino is cancelled for this year. I am disappointed that it isn’t going to happen but I am especially sad for my sister whose idea and copious amounts hard work will come to naught, at least for the time being.

So, we are taking this opportunity to turn the lemons we have been given into lemonade. We are going to “Camino” our way west. I’m pretty certain there are some hiking trails available in this country that will challenge us. Covid be damned.

Buen Camino

“Holy” Sneakers 500

When Irish pubs close their doors on St. Patrick’s Day, it’s probably a good indication this business with the Covid-19 virus is much more serious than our government has stated.

I am trying to remain optimistic that all of the planning, almost 2 years in the making, is going to play out just as we’ve envisioned.  Three, gray haired, 60 somethings are going to take an epic journey and make forever memories. 

For me, this wasn’t about religion in any formal sense.  I’ve, long ago, tossed away the rigid and controlling influence of the Catholic church and embraced the idea that “God” is whatever you want her/him to be in your heart.  I found the messages of the faith of my youth tested time and again,  contradictory would be putting it mildly.  The dark underbelly of the formal church has finally come to light and I am glad.  This does not mean that I don’t pray.  I do, regularly.  I say words to the blue sky or star filled night, the faces of my grandchildren maybe even the giant snowbank in front of my window. I ask for simple things, love and peace, a sense of belonging, kindness from and to those around me, for wisdom. 

So I have been praying.  Praying to the Universe, at large, to grant those of us who need this Camino challenge to re-align our chakras or mindsets or even our souls. To allow it to take place, challenge our mental and physical abilities so it may bring us to a place of peace, contentment and sense of accomplishment.  Another great addition to our resumes.

Buen Camino

“Holy” Sneakers 500

100 days or 2400 hours, or 144,000 minutes, or 8,640,00 seconds from now, I will officially be a senior citizen.  I will also be boarding a flight to cross the Atlantic Ocean to Madrid, Spain as I begin the first leg of my “Camino” journey.

On these snowy, gray, miserable, driving days of winter, it helps to re-examine the contents of my (at present) pristine pack and imagine how it will look once I’ve completed this walk.  I conjure up images of warm days, stunning vistas and meeting people from all over the world, who also carry packs which contain the entire contents of our lives for the moment, but whose “Camino” may have a very different connotation for them than mine does for me.  Either way, our journeys are an exploration of the human condition,  testing our mettle, if you will. 

I will be very glad when the boots I am wearing carry me across the soils of Spain and not the snows of Maine.

Buen Camino

“Holy” Sneakers 500

There’s a penumbra on the moon this morning at 5:00 when I go out to start my car and warm it up a bit before my commute to work.   Although it doesn’t feel that cold, the dome light takes a full 2 seconds to come to full brightness.  Not a good sign.  There is a slight delay in the engine turning over and when it finally starts, the dash thermometer says it 13 degrees below zero.  I am grateful that the wind isn’t blowing.

In 124 days, I am very much hoping that minus temperatures will be a distant memory.  Those intrepid souls who walk the Camino in winter have my undying admiration.  I have hiked the woods of Maine and New Hampshire in the winter, always a delight for all the senses, there is always the knowledge there is a finite length to each trip with a warm house and good food at the end.  I suspect the same is not true for winter Camino adventures.  I am very sure I would not be walking “The Way” in cold weather.

It is difficult to continue to train for this up coming hike in the winter.  The sidewalks have disappeared, snow banks make it difficult for drivers to see walkers and for walkers to see the vehicles, surfaces are covered with ice and sand and ruts and bumps of solid, frozen once upon a time water.  So I walk inside at work when the time allows.  Rural Maine doesn’t support large malls where there is ample space to walk during off hours, so many short walks up and down hallways, up stairwells and sometimes, weather permitting, around the parking lot a couple of time during my lunch break.  I’m not really worried about the actual walk.  It isn’t a race and there will be plenty of time to complete it at my own pace.  

I am planning to pace myself, as I would if it were  winter where one is forced to slow down, so I have time to take in the scenery, meet new people and thoroughly enjoy the act of getting from point A to point B.  This challenge is me against myself.  Let’s see who makes it there first.

Buen Camino

“Holy” Sneakers 500

The new year and decade has arrived.

It was a quiet one here in the little town of Athens, Maine. No parties, no alcohol, no noise. Just me, a large pan of popcorn and “Jumanji, Welcome to the Jungle”.

My list for items that I need for the Camino has shortened by one. My silk sleeping sack arrived and it’s pretty sweet. Of all the things that could possibly cause me angst walking the 500 miles, bed bugs are at the top of the list. I can handle the mountains, the people, the heat, the rain, the lack of privacy for extended periods of time but bed bugs are a memento of this upcoming trip I do not want to bring home with me. Silk, I have been told, deters the little critters. We’ll have to see.

Next on the list: backpack. I have searched the internet for several months and I think I have found the one I want and might be best suited for me. I’m going to have to find time to actually get in my car and drive to the store to try it on. With any luck, I won’t have to search further than the nearest Patagonia store. As a side note, a bit of history about Yves Chouinard. He was born and raised in Lisbon, Maine, my hometown and if the stories are true, my mother babysat for him and changed his diapers! I also like his philosophy about what corporations owe to the world. He leads by example and knows the planet needs everyone’s help. Patagonia is known for its environmental focus.

So as this new year begins, it brings me closer each day to my Camino. This is going to be a year of big changes and challenges for me. I think this “walk” is going to prepare me for what is to come.

Buen Camino

“Holy” Sneakers 500