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Glimpses of the Journey Before the Journey
Tuesday, February 15 7:35PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: My colleagues think this is a crazy idea
Helen,
I started training Sunday afternoon. It was cold, of course. Probably in the 40s. But the sun was out and I went out to the Potomac River Refuge. I liked how good I felt at the end of my 4 miles.
But then today the Task Force met in Alexandria. I hadn’t seen all of them in person since I agreed to be part of this folly of yours. You should have seen their faces. They really think I have lost my mind.
“Aren’t you the guy with the bad heart who’s been in rehab for a year?” “Why would you walk 500 miles across Spain?” “I’m pretty sure they have trains and cars there, Bert!” On and on they went, affirming all my concerns and reservations when you brought it up.
Tell me again: Why aren’t we just going to a beach somewhere for those 6 weeks?
Bert
Tuesday, February 15 8:10PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Phooey on the Task Force
Anybody can lie around on vacation, Bert. They would all have yawned if you’d said you were going to make like a beach towel for a month. Borrrrring!
Unlike your Task Force colleagues, my dogs think this is a fantastic idea. We had a great Sunday hike. We did the 5-mile trail at the Hammock…also in sunshine, although we had temps in the 50s. The dogwood looks like it might almost be thinking of blooming, although I know it’s too early.
Buck up, ole friend. My Lenny and Beau are smarter than those nuclear physicists you work with.
Helen
Saturday, February 19 1:34 PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: the tickets
Bert,
Despite our having 3 months to get ready, my so-called friends around town are driving me nuts acting as if time is short. I wish they would all get their own lives and stop butting into mine. But of course as the refuge manager it’s almost part of my job to be cordial and put up with the nosiness. So, I smile while they rattle on and ask me all kinds of questions. I can’t answer most of them, and that seems to make them rattle even louder.
I decided I had to do something to get them off my back, so I looked at ticket schedules and prices. We can leave Dulles May 13 about 5:30 PM and arrive in Madrid about 6:30 AM with our return flight at 10 AM on June 29. It will cost just under $900 for yours and just over $1,000 for mine with the extra leg. Sounds good to me. Shall I book them?
The train tickets to Pamplona are about 40 euros each and they are e-tickets. So I’ll order those as well, if you agree. We can get an express train at about 10:30 AM which gives us plenty of time to get from the airport to the train station. We arrive just after 2:00 and can get to Roncesvalles by taxi in an hour from there for ca. another 40 euros.
More later, Helen
Saturday, February 19 3:42 PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: the tickets
Dear Helen,
I guess that’s all right, and if you waited to buy the tickets, the price would go up for sure. I can’t imagine how you talked me into this, but since you did, let’s buy the tickets and get it over with. Actually, I think those prices seem quite good and the times are great…direct flights both ways from Dulles. I’ll send you a check right away. Not sure I’m ready for this adventure, but fate seems to have taken charge.
Bert
Wednesday, February 23 10:30PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Walking tonight
Bert,
I almost always take the dogs out for a walk after I get home from work, but it’s somehow different now that I think of the walk as a training session. I like the feeling. Tonight, as we walked, I was thinking of how happy I am that we are going to do this. I can’t imagine what the magic is of this Camino that makes me want so much to walk it. And I am really grateful that you are willing to come along.
The dogs and I now have a training route around town. It is quite a bit longer than our old, after-work-walk route. I measured it with the truck at 3.3 miles. It took an hour and a half tonight. We couldn’t get started until about 6 so it was dark for the last half hour. But that was fine. We are in familiar territory and we sort of enjoyed that added quiet that the darkness brings. They loved the coolness. It was in the 40s, so a tad cool for me, but nice for walking at a training pace with my jacket.
It is fun to use the training walk to think about Camino prep. Did I tell you about “pilgrim passports”? Jeanne told me that everyone carries a pilgrim passport. You can get them stateside from the American Pilgrims on the Camino. They are a multi-folding, index card weight, booklet that has your name and country. The rest is a series of blank boxes. Each albergue where you stay stamps one of the boxes and hand writes in the date. You can also get a stamp at places you visit, like a church or museum. The completed passport is your proof that you walked the Camino and did not arrive in Santiago on the day-trip bus from a cruise ship or something. You take the passport to the Pilgrim Office and after checking the dates, you received a certificate of completion. Ha! Not that either of us needs something else to frame for our office walls, still I think I want one anyway!
Jeanne said that the stamps are unique to each establishment. They design one and send the drawing to the Pilgrim Office to be approved. That makes the completed passport and quite nice souvenir, which is a good thing because no one wants to collect trinkets along the way and add them to your backpack weight.
Shall I order passports for both of us?
Helen
Wednesday, February 23 11:05 PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Walking Tonight
Pilgrim passports? I wonder who thought that up. Since you ordered the tickets, I’ll volunteer to order these. I admit to having more than once wished you’d never bumped into Jeanne at that workshop. But now that we’re really doing this, it is quite helpful to have someone to turn to with questions, and who thinks to tell you about Camino lore you might miss otherwise.
B
********** March **********
Tuesday, March 2 9:12PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: cold and wet walk
Bert,
Tonight the dogs think I have lost my mind. When I got home at 5:30, the wind was blowing, the temperature was only in the high 30s, and sea mist was pretty heavy. They didn't expect me to grab the leashes. But being dogs, they’re always ready for wet adventure.
I put my windbreaker over my warm jacket and grabbed my seldom used warm stocking cap. I can’t stand to have my ears be cold. Off we went. The mist was more like rain before we were halfway along the route. They seemed to love it. Maybe the smells are enhanced by the cold? At first, they sniffed every patch of liriopes and then started just prancing along like being in the rain and wind gave them more energy. Good thing I found them so entertaining because the weather was not all that great for this old Camino-trainer. I hope we don’t get weather like this in Spain.
My windbreaker is not as water-proof as I had thought. I probably never really went out on purpose and walk 3 miles in it in the rain before. I wonder if I need a new one that is better or if there is another solution. I’m sure I do not want to be soaked through while on the trail.
The wet and cold have me thinking about backpacks. I want to get a backpack pretty soon so I can wear it when I train next month. I guess I’ll just go online and see what I can learn and then order one. Since your personal trainer does some backpacking, ask him if he has any advice. Okay?
Helen
Wednesday, March 3 7:02PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Training
Helen,
How can you sound so cheery talking about being cold and wet? I’ll bet it is colder in Spain in May than in Florida in March. Probably wetter too.
But back to your point. I guess I was being overly mindful of your tender sensitivities and didn’t want to disclose any potentially troubling information. But you brought up the subject of my personal trainer, and I suppose it's time to come clean. My trainer is not a “he,” but instead is a “she.” Young, beautiful, intelligent, charming—all things I wish she were—in real life she is athletic, single minded, and a tough task master. I had talked with the cardio rehab people about training for the Camino. They essentially said they were through with me, and they would have no inkling of how to get somebody like me into shape for a 500-mile walk over mountainous terrain. They recommended Betsy. She is married to one of the interns who has been working with them.
What she has me doing—strengthening muscle groups and working on aerobics—will doubtless be helpful, but I may be naïve in thinking that I am getting as much or more good out of taking long walks. Perhaps a three-hour walk is the equivalent of one hour of intensive work in the gym. Of course I don’t have any hills to climb on my normal walks, so the strengthening is probably important. I know one thing; I couldn’t bear to work out on those machines and would probably quit after a few minutes if there wasn’t someone there barking at me.
I asked Betsy what she thought about me going on the Camino. I didn’t really care about what she thought. The question was a ploy to get her to give me a few minutes of break time. She talked around it a bit and didn’t really give me an answer, so I’m pretty sure she thought it was nuts. I’m sorry she didn’t say it outright, because then I could have told her how much I agree with her.
It snowed a bit here yesterday and the sidewalks got icy. The new boots are great for walking on ice, and I should have bought a pair years ago.
B.
Sunday, March 6 4:26 PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: This Week
Helen,
I forgot to ask Betsy about backpacks…probably because a month after agreeing to come with you, my head is still resisting. I’ll remember to ask her this week when I see her.
I can’t imagine how you are fitting the training walks into your schedule with working full time. I have trouble on my half time schedule. I did a 6-miler Tuesday when I had a free afternoon and it wasn’t too cold. It was discouraging. After 3 miles I had to stop and rest. How do people do this? The first few weeks of training didn’t seem this hard, but now that I am walking more my legs and feet seem less willing and more weak.
After Tuesday’s unpleasant session, I thought it might change the dynamic and make the walking easier somehow if I tried it with a backpack. I know I’ll have to buy a new one before going out into the wilds, but I remembered I had an old one in the attic left over from years ago. So I dug it out, stuffed it with pillows, and wore it around the neighborhood.
Result of the experiment? Physically the backpack does NOT make it easier. Mentally, well, it was more amusing.
This being a bedroom community and far from a close-knit neighborhood, I don’t know most of my neighbors, and most of them don’t know me. I guess it shouldn’t have surprised me that I got funny looks from passers-by. At some point I realized that they were almost certainly mistaking me for a homeless person. That gave me a chuckle, and I entertained myself watching them watch me.
After folks saw me going by for the second or third time they seemed to notice that I didn’t really look like a vagrant. Maybe, if I keep this up, all my neighbors will think they know me. Instead of being a nameless, faceless resident of the development, I may acquire an identity—they’ll probably call me “the Backpacker.”
Other than the fact that I’ve been pounding the pavement, doubting that I will ever be ready for the Camino, and giving the neighbors something to talk about, there’s not much else to report.
I hope you’re making progress apace.
Bert
Sunday, March 6 7:40 PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: RE: This Week
Keep a stiff upper lip, Bert.
Not much is happening here either. The days are lengthening noticeably, and our walks after work now have more daylight. You mentioned that your boots were working well for you. That reminds me to say I’m very glad that Jeanne told me we should buy them a half size bigger than normal. I am liking these thick hiking socks I got but they’d never have fit in my boots if I’d bought my regular size.
Unlike your anonymous neighborhood, when I walk around town, I have nothing but knowing neighbors! Everyone in Sandpine Key seems to be monitoring my training. Far from being nameless and faceless, in SK everybody knows, or wants to know, everything about everybody else. I feel their eyes, and judgment, on my back everywhere I go.
When I first arrived in town, I was considered an odd duck, no doubt because I was a middle-aged woman who happens to be manager of a wildlife refuge. Also it strikes me there was probably another reason. I was a divorcee, and I think some women fanatasized that I would be running off with their husbands. Maybe if they had taken good looks at their husbands recently, they would have realized how preposterous that was! I guess I’m being unkind, and it is true that over time the community has warmed up to me. Even so, the chuckle I get when I think about those silly women and their fantasies isn’t nearly as fun as your saga of “the Bowie Meadows Backpacker.”
I don’t know where I was going with the above. I had a fine week. Sorry yours was hard. I know the Camino will do you a world of good. It’s almost guaranteed to boost the spirits.
Helen
P.S Maybe if you had a decent-looking backpack you wouldn’t look so homeless. Did the remainder of your attire contribute to that impression? Did the clothes you were wearing also come from the attic?
Thursday, March 10 8:12 PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Gear Research
Helen,
I never would have guessed that preparing to walk across a whole country would give me the opportunity to exercise my research skills.
I finally remembered to ask Betsy about backpacks and all she did was scare me into doing a bunch of online searching for data. She started telling me about torso length and cubic capacity, about their own absolute weight versus their ability to comfortably carry the weight you put into them, and (would you believe it?) about how some backpacks have brains and others don’t.
She also told me that on “longer” hikes (I cannot believe she used the word longer, as if long were not the right word for a 500-mile trek) many use two walking poles to take stress from their legs and spread it to their upper bodies. Oh great, thought I, my whole body is going to be miserable, not just my legs.
I am still summarizing and integrating all the information I learned. I’ll send a report soon. I finally have found something about the Camino that I am enjoying. This part is well within my comfort zone. It is actually fun.
Bert
Friday, March 11 6:03AM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Gear Research
I knew there was a reason we are still friends. You are very handy to have around when it comes time to analyze data. I look forward with enthusiasm to reading your research report. In the spirit of doing my part, I’ll email Jeanne and ask about what else we should be buying.
H
Wednesday, March 16 9:52PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Gear Research
Bert,
Despite my teasing last week, I am really grateful for all the information about the poles and packs. And many thanks for ordering my poles when you ordered yours. I am eager to try them out and see if I can walk like a four-legged critter. I wonder how I will hold the dogs’ leashes while imitating their stride?
Your experience at REI made me jealous. There aren’t any in Florida, but if there were, they would not be here in SK, for sure. But learning how they measured you for your pack helped me figure out how to order one for me and I placed my order tonight. I decided I want one with a brain. I traded extra interior space for that option because I think I might like to use it for a belly pack sometimes in the afternoons. We’ll see. And, I found one that unzips like a duffel bag. I’ll bet that will be handier than just a top loading style.
Helen
Thursday, March 17 8:47PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Gear Research
Glad to be of service, Friend Helen. When your pack arrives and you need to learn how to adjust all the straps, you will again envy my having had the help of a friendly clerk. But I trust in your ability to struggle through with a smile.
Buying gear is much better than the walking part of preparing. That is too much like rehab. When will the walks get easy? Before May, please.
BTW, you have mentioned how curious all the SK folks and your staff are about this trip. I have been meaning to ask you…Did headquarters give you grief when you asked for so much time off? Who’s going to run the show at the refuge in your absence?
Bert
Saturday, March 19 12:12 PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Refuge planning and more gear advice
I knew I had plenty of leave time saved up. I have taken almost no time off since the refuge opened. So, I had the time and when I asked for it, especially on the heels of the announcement that I got the Refuge Manager award, they really did not resist at all. Before I put in for the time off, I asked Dan, my deputy refuge manager, if he was willing to be the acting manager for this long. He jumped at the chance. I think it will be a good addition to his resume and he is super competent.
I know you’ll remember Trent who helped us solve the problems of those first few weeks before the refuge opened. Believe it or not, he graduates in May and plans to go to grad school in the fall. He called to ask if a summer job were any possibility. Our admin person retired last month and I couldn’t replace her because of the hiring freeze. Without her, I was worried that Dan would be too short staffed. But I could use the salary savings from the retirement to bring Trent on as a temp to pick up the slack while I’m away. Voila, all problems solved, except for the training, that is.
When I talked to Jeanne about what clothes to buy, I caught a bit of the adrenalin surge you got while researching packs. Her advice is “buy synthetic.” You want everything to be able to dry overnight even if it has to dry in your room. I have almost nothing like that.
I went online and found things like anti-microbial panties. Not only will they dry fast but they beat back germs along the trail. Who would have guessed? I ordered three pairs of those and two backpacking bras. I got a tee-shirt and long-sleeved button up shirt in breathable quick-dry materials, and a breathable thermal long sleeved shirt that looks like I can wear it for layering over the tee and under the collared long sleeved shirt and even my wind breaker if I need extra warmth. Pants were hard. They don’t give a choice of lengths as often in women’s as they do in men’s. Of the ones where I thought they would not be too long for me, were breathable and quick-dry and in my size, I ended up with only two choices I could find. Thank goodness there were two. I ordered one pair of the zip-off leg style and one with regular legs. I hadn’t thought about a second pair of shoes but Jeanne said we need them because we won’t want to wear our boots all day after we finish walking. Maybe my sandals will do. And I can wear them to the shower if I want to in the albergues. But I’ll do some research and see if I find anything equally light but with a bit more support in case something happened that I wanted to wear them on the trail for part of a day.
It is a good thing that weight is an issue. If I weren’t limited to bare essentials, I would have needed to take out a bank loan.
Now that I have all this cool stuff ordered, I am even more excited about the trip. I’m also excited about the trip to Portland for the award ceremony next week. I wish this year were the “east-coast” year so it would be in DC and you could come. All these good things happening at once. And I feel like the Camino will be the best thing yet.
Less than two months to blast off. Gotta go, even though I still feel like talking about gear and packing.
Helen
Saturday, March 19 3:59 PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: More Gear
Helen,
I too wish the meeting were on this side of the continent this year. I would like to be there in person. I will have a spy in the crowd. One of my Task Force colleagues is going to be there. So don’t spill your water glass or anything because I’ll hear about it and never let you live it down.
Having been to buy my backpack, I’d seen all the intriguing attire and started thinking maybe I wouldn't be able just go to the closet and pick out some things to pack. Jeanne’s advice is welcome because it frees me to feel that researching and buying all new stuff is a necessity, not an extravagance. I’m off to shop the internet. But please, no more talk of anti-microbial panties!
Bert
Friday, March 25 5:12PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Congratulations
Dear Helen,
Apparently you handled all those plaudits pretty darn well, for a girl. The Friends of Refuges Society sure thinks you walk on water. Really, congratulations.
My colleague Kim reported that you were professional, graceful, and witty in accepting the award last night. Now I really wish I’d been there to see that. Honestly, it has been a long hard hill you have pushed the Refuge up and you deserved all their accolades. Bravo!
Bert
Monday, March 28 6:58 PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: I have a backpack
Bert,
I got back last night about 8:00. Thanks for your email. The trip was easy, as travel goes, and getting the award reminded me of why I wanted such a special way to celebrate. I feel very good about where I am and what I’ve been able to accomplish.
To top it off, my pack arrived today. It is the color of Rioja. Definitely a good omen. I am stuffing it with towels and adjusting the gazillion straps. Luckily there are illustrated instructions. It has more straps than a sailboat has lines. Where is the store clerk when you need one?
Helen
Tuesday, March 29 7:41 PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: RE: I have a backpack
Helen,
Now all you need to do is learn to carry 16 or so pounds in it for 10 miles a day. Day, after day, after day, after day…
Bert
********** April **********
Sunday, April 17 6:22 PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Will I ever be ready?
Dear Helen,
It is an unusually warm evening and I am sitting on the deck with a glass of wine trying to imagine that I can somehow be ready for this trip by a month from now. I bought Rioja in hopes its Spanish-ness would speed my readiness. So far, I think it is not working but surely it will boost my spirits, if not my fitness.
I am quite discouraged about my training. After all the walking I've been doing, and my work in the gym with Betsy, it seems to me that it should be getting easier. I still get really exhausted. The balls of my feet still burn. My toes still go numb sometimes. Maybe the wine will be a distraction from the pain.
I know I'm in better shape than I was when we started training. But I'm not ready enough, and I can't imagine what will change in the next month. Do people ever start and discover they really can’t do this? What will we do if that happens? We really ought to consider alternative plans.
Bert
Monday, April 18 7:05 AM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Will I ever be ready?
Bert Ole Chum,
I am not as discouraged as you sound. But I too have been wondering if there's a wall you hit in Camino training like I’ve heard there is in marathon training. I haven't wanted to admit to you how sick I am of the training. I have a bit of the feeling you describe that it ought to be easier, but more…I am just sick of it.
It takes so much time to do all this walking. And, then I still have all my regular stuff that needs to get done…shopping, gardening, housekeeping, playing with the dogs…stuff. The walking fills up too much of my time these days. Only the dogs never get tired of it. I know every inch of my regular routes. I notice when people get a new plant in their gardens…that’s how dull it is!
I’m sure the Camino won’t be boring, but I don't really see why and how it will be different.
I’ve been thinking that I won't walk the week before we leave. That will assure I don’t get an injury at the last minute, and will let my body rest a bit. But, in the meantime, I feel like I have to keep piling on the miles. I don’t want to be the first to have to quit the trail because I gave up too early on my training.
I am thinking back to the first time I tried to do 8 miles and I had to rest twice along the way. This weekend I did a 10-mile with only one break mid-way. I think my goal will be to survive two walks that length, back to back on consecutive days. That seems quite realistic and I feel like I need to be able to do that at least once, since we’ll have to do it all the time once we’re there. I am not feeling like the Camino will be easy, but I think I can do it. Let’s just press on through this wall. It is only a few more weeks. In fact, soon I am going to mail you my walking poles so you will have them in plenty of time to box them up with the rest of the checked luggage items. It must be almost time to go, right?
Helen
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: My colleagues think this is a crazy idea
Helen,
I started training Sunday afternoon. It was cold, of course. Probably in the 40s. But the sun was out and I went out to the Potomac River Refuge. I liked how good I felt at the end of my 4 miles.
But then today the Task Force met in Alexandria. I hadn’t seen all of them in person since I agreed to be part of this folly of yours. You should have seen their faces. They really think I have lost my mind.
“Aren’t you the guy with the bad heart who’s been in rehab for a year?” “Why would you walk 500 miles across Spain?” “I’m pretty sure they have trains and cars there, Bert!” On and on they went, affirming all my concerns and reservations when you brought it up.
Tell me again: Why aren’t we just going to a beach somewhere for those 6 weeks?
Bert
Tuesday, February 15 8:10PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Phooey on the Task Force
Anybody can lie around on vacation, Bert. They would all have yawned if you’d said you were going to make like a beach towel for a month. Borrrrring!
Unlike your Task Force colleagues, my dogs think this is a fantastic idea. We had a great Sunday hike. We did the 5-mile trail at the Hammock…also in sunshine, although we had temps in the 50s. The dogwood looks like it might almost be thinking of blooming, although I know it’s too early.
Buck up, ole friend. My Lenny and Beau are smarter than those nuclear physicists you work with.
Helen
Saturday, February 19 1:34 PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: the tickets
Bert,
Despite our having 3 months to get ready, my so-called friends around town are driving me nuts acting as if time is short. I wish they would all get their own lives and stop butting into mine. But of course as the refuge manager it’s almost part of my job to be cordial and put up with the nosiness. So, I smile while they rattle on and ask me all kinds of questions. I can’t answer most of them, and that seems to make them rattle even louder.
I decided I had to do something to get them off my back, so I looked at ticket schedules and prices. We can leave Dulles May 13 about 5:30 PM and arrive in Madrid about 6:30 AM with our return flight at 10 AM on June 29. It will cost just under $900 for yours and just over $1,000 for mine with the extra leg. Sounds good to me. Shall I book them?
The train tickets to Pamplona are about 40 euros each and they are e-tickets. So I’ll order those as well, if you agree. We can get an express train at about 10:30 AM which gives us plenty of time to get from the airport to the train station. We arrive just after 2:00 and can get to Roncesvalles by taxi in an hour from there for ca. another 40 euros.
More later, Helen
Saturday, February 19 3:42 PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: the tickets
Dear Helen,
I guess that’s all right, and if you waited to buy the tickets, the price would go up for sure. I can’t imagine how you talked me into this, but since you did, let’s buy the tickets and get it over with. Actually, I think those prices seem quite good and the times are great…direct flights both ways from Dulles. I’ll send you a check right away. Not sure I’m ready for this adventure, but fate seems to have taken charge.
Bert
Wednesday, February 23 10:30PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Walking tonight
Bert,
I almost always take the dogs out for a walk after I get home from work, but it’s somehow different now that I think of the walk as a training session. I like the feeling. Tonight, as we walked, I was thinking of how happy I am that we are going to do this. I can’t imagine what the magic is of this Camino that makes me want so much to walk it. And I am really grateful that you are willing to come along.
The dogs and I now have a training route around town. It is quite a bit longer than our old, after-work-walk route. I measured it with the truck at 3.3 miles. It took an hour and a half tonight. We couldn’t get started until about 6 so it was dark for the last half hour. But that was fine. We are in familiar territory and we sort of enjoyed that added quiet that the darkness brings. They loved the coolness. It was in the 40s, so a tad cool for me, but nice for walking at a training pace with my jacket.
It is fun to use the training walk to think about Camino prep. Did I tell you about “pilgrim passports”? Jeanne told me that everyone carries a pilgrim passport. You can get them stateside from the American Pilgrims on the Camino. They are a multi-folding, index card weight, booklet that has your name and country. The rest is a series of blank boxes. Each albergue where you stay stamps one of the boxes and hand writes in the date. You can also get a stamp at places you visit, like a church or museum. The completed passport is your proof that you walked the Camino and did not arrive in Santiago on the day-trip bus from a cruise ship or something. You take the passport to the Pilgrim Office and after checking the dates, you received a certificate of completion. Ha! Not that either of us needs something else to frame for our office walls, still I think I want one anyway!
Jeanne said that the stamps are unique to each establishment. They design one and send the drawing to the Pilgrim Office to be approved. That makes the completed passport and quite nice souvenir, which is a good thing because no one wants to collect trinkets along the way and add them to your backpack weight.
Shall I order passports for both of us?
Helen
Wednesday, February 23 11:05 PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Walking Tonight
Pilgrim passports? I wonder who thought that up. Since you ordered the tickets, I’ll volunteer to order these. I admit to having more than once wished you’d never bumped into Jeanne at that workshop. But now that we’re really doing this, it is quite helpful to have someone to turn to with questions, and who thinks to tell you about Camino lore you might miss otherwise.
B
********** March **********
Tuesday, March 2 9:12PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: cold and wet walk
Bert,
Tonight the dogs think I have lost my mind. When I got home at 5:30, the wind was blowing, the temperature was only in the high 30s, and sea mist was pretty heavy. They didn't expect me to grab the leashes. But being dogs, they’re always ready for wet adventure.
I put my windbreaker over my warm jacket and grabbed my seldom used warm stocking cap. I can’t stand to have my ears be cold. Off we went. The mist was more like rain before we were halfway along the route. They seemed to love it. Maybe the smells are enhanced by the cold? At first, they sniffed every patch of liriopes and then started just prancing along like being in the rain and wind gave them more energy. Good thing I found them so entertaining because the weather was not all that great for this old Camino-trainer. I hope we don’t get weather like this in Spain.
My windbreaker is not as water-proof as I had thought. I probably never really went out on purpose and walk 3 miles in it in the rain before. I wonder if I need a new one that is better or if there is another solution. I’m sure I do not want to be soaked through while on the trail.
The wet and cold have me thinking about backpacks. I want to get a backpack pretty soon so I can wear it when I train next month. I guess I’ll just go online and see what I can learn and then order one. Since your personal trainer does some backpacking, ask him if he has any advice. Okay?
Helen
Wednesday, March 3 7:02PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Training
Helen,
How can you sound so cheery talking about being cold and wet? I’ll bet it is colder in Spain in May than in Florida in March. Probably wetter too.
But back to your point. I guess I was being overly mindful of your tender sensitivities and didn’t want to disclose any potentially troubling information. But you brought up the subject of my personal trainer, and I suppose it's time to come clean. My trainer is not a “he,” but instead is a “she.” Young, beautiful, intelligent, charming—all things I wish she were—in real life she is athletic, single minded, and a tough task master. I had talked with the cardio rehab people about training for the Camino. They essentially said they were through with me, and they would have no inkling of how to get somebody like me into shape for a 500-mile walk over mountainous terrain. They recommended Betsy. She is married to one of the interns who has been working with them.
What she has me doing—strengthening muscle groups and working on aerobics—will doubtless be helpful, but I may be naïve in thinking that I am getting as much or more good out of taking long walks. Perhaps a three-hour walk is the equivalent of one hour of intensive work in the gym. Of course I don’t have any hills to climb on my normal walks, so the strengthening is probably important. I know one thing; I couldn’t bear to work out on those machines and would probably quit after a few minutes if there wasn’t someone there barking at me.
I asked Betsy what she thought about me going on the Camino. I didn’t really care about what she thought. The question was a ploy to get her to give me a few minutes of break time. She talked around it a bit and didn’t really give me an answer, so I’m pretty sure she thought it was nuts. I’m sorry she didn’t say it outright, because then I could have told her how much I agree with her.
It snowed a bit here yesterday and the sidewalks got icy. The new boots are great for walking on ice, and I should have bought a pair years ago.
B.
Sunday, March 6 4:26 PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: This Week
Helen,
I forgot to ask Betsy about backpacks…probably because a month after agreeing to come with you, my head is still resisting. I’ll remember to ask her this week when I see her.
I can’t imagine how you are fitting the training walks into your schedule with working full time. I have trouble on my half time schedule. I did a 6-miler Tuesday when I had a free afternoon and it wasn’t too cold. It was discouraging. After 3 miles I had to stop and rest. How do people do this? The first few weeks of training didn’t seem this hard, but now that I am walking more my legs and feet seem less willing and more weak.
After Tuesday’s unpleasant session, I thought it might change the dynamic and make the walking easier somehow if I tried it with a backpack. I know I’ll have to buy a new one before going out into the wilds, but I remembered I had an old one in the attic left over from years ago. So I dug it out, stuffed it with pillows, and wore it around the neighborhood.
Result of the experiment? Physically the backpack does NOT make it easier. Mentally, well, it was more amusing.
This being a bedroom community and far from a close-knit neighborhood, I don’t know most of my neighbors, and most of them don’t know me. I guess it shouldn’t have surprised me that I got funny looks from passers-by. At some point I realized that they were almost certainly mistaking me for a homeless person. That gave me a chuckle, and I entertained myself watching them watch me.
After folks saw me going by for the second or third time they seemed to notice that I didn’t really look like a vagrant. Maybe, if I keep this up, all my neighbors will think they know me. Instead of being a nameless, faceless resident of the development, I may acquire an identity—they’ll probably call me “the Backpacker.”
Other than the fact that I’ve been pounding the pavement, doubting that I will ever be ready for the Camino, and giving the neighbors something to talk about, there’s not much else to report.
I hope you’re making progress apace.
Bert
Sunday, March 6 7:40 PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: RE: This Week
Keep a stiff upper lip, Bert.
Not much is happening here either. The days are lengthening noticeably, and our walks after work now have more daylight. You mentioned that your boots were working well for you. That reminds me to say I’m very glad that Jeanne told me we should buy them a half size bigger than normal. I am liking these thick hiking socks I got but they’d never have fit in my boots if I’d bought my regular size.
Unlike your anonymous neighborhood, when I walk around town, I have nothing but knowing neighbors! Everyone in Sandpine Key seems to be monitoring my training. Far from being nameless and faceless, in SK everybody knows, or wants to know, everything about everybody else. I feel their eyes, and judgment, on my back everywhere I go.
When I first arrived in town, I was considered an odd duck, no doubt because I was a middle-aged woman who happens to be manager of a wildlife refuge. Also it strikes me there was probably another reason. I was a divorcee, and I think some women fanatasized that I would be running off with their husbands. Maybe if they had taken good looks at their husbands recently, they would have realized how preposterous that was! I guess I’m being unkind, and it is true that over time the community has warmed up to me. Even so, the chuckle I get when I think about those silly women and their fantasies isn’t nearly as fun as your saga of “the Bowie Meadows Backpacker.”
I don’t know where I was going with the above. I had a fine week. Sorry yours was hard. I know the Camino will do you a world of good. It’s almost guaranteed to boost the spirits.
Helen
P.S Maybe if you had a decent-looking backpack you wouldn’t look so homeless. Did the remainder of your attire contribute to that impression? Did the clothes you were wearing also come from the attic?
Thursday, March 10 8:12 PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Gear Research
Helen,
I never would have guessed that preparing to walk across a whole country would give me the opportunity to exercise my research skills.
I finally remembered to ask Betsy about backpacks and all she did was scare me into doing a bunch of online searching for data. She started telling me about torso length and cubic capacity, about their own absolute weight versus their ability to comfortably carry the weight you put into them, and (would you believe it?) about how some backpacks have brains and others don’t.
She also told me that on “longer” hikes (I cannot believe she used the word longer, as if long were not the right word for a 500-mile trek) many use two walking poles to take stress from their legs and spread it to their upper bodies. Oh great, thought I, my whole body is going to be miserable, not just my legs.
I am still summarizing and integrating all the information I learned. I’ll send a report soon. I finally have found something about the Camino that I am enjoying. This part is well within my comfort zone. It is actually fun.
Bert
Friday, March 11 6:03AM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Gear Research
I knew there was a reason we are still friends. You are very handy to have around when it comes time to analyze data. I look forward with enthusiasm to reading your research report. In the spirit of doing my part, I’ll email Jeanne and ask about what else we should be buying.
H
Wednesday, March 16 9:52PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Gear Research
Bert,
Despite my teasing last week, I am really grateful for all the information about the poles and packs. And many thanks for ordering my poles when you ordered yours. I am eager to try them out and see if I can walk like a four-legged critter. I wonder how I will hold the dogs’ leashes while imitating their stride?
Your experience at REI made me jealous. There aren’t any in Florida, but if there were, they would not be here in SK, for sure. But learning how they measured you for your pack helped me figure out how to order one for me and I placed my order tonight. I decided I want one with a brain. I traded extra interior space for that option because I think I might like to use it for a belly pack sometimes in the afternoons. We’ll see. And, I found one that unzips like a duffel bag. I’ll bet that will be handier than just a top loading style.
Helen
Thursday, March 17 8:47PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Gear Research
Glad to be of service, Friend Helen. When your pack arrives and you need to learn how to adjust all the straps, you will again envy my having had the help of a friendly clerk. But I trust in your ability to struggle through with a smile.
Buying gear is much better than the walking part of preparing. That is too much like rehab. When will the walks get easy? Before May, please.
BTW, you have mentioned how curious all the SK folks and your staff are about this trip. I have been meaning to ask you…Did headquarters give you grief when you asked for so much time off? Who’s going to run the show at the refuge in your absence?
Bert
Saturday, March 19 12:12 PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Refuge planning and more gear advice
I knew I had plenty of leave time saved up. I have taken almost no time off since the refuge opened. So, I had the time and when I asked for it, especially on the heels of the announcement that I got the Refuge Manager award, they really did not resist at all. Before I put in for the time off, I asked Dan, my deputy refuge manager, if he was willing to be the acting manager for this long. He jumped at the chance. I think it will be a good addition to his resume and he is super competent.
I know you’ll remember Trent who helped us solve the problems of those first few weeks before the refuge opened. Believe it or not, he graduates in May and plans to go to grad school in the fall. He called to ask if a summer job were any possibility. Our admin person retired last month and I couldn’t replace her because of the hiring freeze. Without her, I was worried that Dan would be too short staffed. But I could use the salary savings from the retirement to bring Trent on as a temp to pick up the slack while I’m away. Voila, all problems solved, except for the training, that is.
When I talked to Jeanne about what clothes to buy, I caught a bit of the adrenalin surge you got while researching packs. Her advice is “buy synthetic.” You want everything to be able to dry overnight even if it has to dry in your room. I have almost nothing like that.
I went online and found things like anti-microbial panties. Not only will they dry fast but they beat back germs along the trail. Who would have guessed? I ordered three pairs of those and two backpacking bras. I got a tee-shirt and long-sleeved button up shirt in breathable quick-dry materials, and a breathable thermal long sleeved shirt that looks like I can wear it for layering over the tee and under the collared long sleeved shirt and even my wind breaker if I need extra warmth. Pants were hard. They don’t give a choice of lengths as often in women’s as they do in men’s. Of the ones where I thought they would not be too long for me, were breathable and quick-dry and in my size, I ended up with only two choices I could find. Thank goodness there were two. I ordered one pair of the zip-off leg style and one with regular legs. I hadn’t thought about a second pair of shoes but Jeanne said we need them because we won’t want to wear our boots all day after we finish walking. Maybe my sandals will do. And I can wear them to the shower if I want to in the albergues. But I’ll do some research and see if I find anything equally light but with a bit more support in case something happened that I wanted to wear them on the trail for part of a day.
It is a good thing that weight is an issue. If I weren’t limited to bare essentials, I would have needed to take out a bank loan.
Now that I have all this cool stuff ordered, I am even more excited about the trip. I’m also excited about the trip to Portland for the award ceremony next week. I wish this year were the “east-coast” year so it would be in DC and you could come. All these good things happening at once. And I feel like the Camino will be the best thing yet.
Less than two months to blast off. Gotta go, even though I still feel like talking about gear and packing.
Helen
Saturday, March 19 3:59 PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: More Gear
Helen,
I too wish the meeting were on this side of the continent this year. I would like to be there in person. I will have a spy in the crowd. One of my Task Force colleagues is going to be there. So don’t spill your water glass or anything because I’ll hear about it and never let you live it down.
Having been to buy my backpack, I’d seen all the intriguing attire and started thinking maybe I wouldn't be able just go to the closet and pick out some things to pack. Jeanne’s advice is welcome because it frees me to feel that researching and buying all new stuff is a necessity, not an extravagance. I’m off to shop the internet. But please, no more talk of anti-microbial panties!
Bert
Friday, March 25 5:12PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Congratulations
Dear Helen,
Apparently you handled all those plaudits pretty darn well, for a girl. The Friends of Refuges Society sure thinks you walk on water. Really, congratulations.
My colleague Kim reported that you were professional, graceful, and witty in accepting the award last night. Now I really wish I’d been there to see that. Honestly, it has been a long hard hill you have pushed the Refuge up and you deserved all their accolades. Bravo!
Bert
Monday, March 28 6:58 PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: I have a backpack
Bert,
I got back last night about 8:00. Thanks for your email. The trip was easy, as travel goes, and getting the award reminded me of why I wanted such a special way to celebrate. I feel very good about where I am and what I’ve been able to accomplish.
To top it off, my pack arrived today. It is the color of Rioja. Definitely a good omen. I am stuffing it with towels and adjusting the gazillion straps. Luckily there are illustrated instructions. It has more straps than a sailboat has lines. Where is the store clerk when you need one?
Helen
Tuesday, March 29 7:41 PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: RE: I have a backpack
Helen,
Now all you need to do is learn to carry 16 or so pounds in it for 10 miles a day. Day, after day, after day, after day…
Bert
********** April **********
Sunday, April 17 6:22 PM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Will I ever be ready?
Dear Helen,
It is an unusually warm evening and I am sitting on the deck with a glass of wine trying to imagine that I can somehow be ready for this trip by a month from now. I bought Rioja in hopes its Spanish-ness would speed my readiness. So far, I think it is not working but surely it will boost my spirits, if not my fitness.
I am quite discouraged about my training. After all the walking I've been doing, and my work in the gym with Betsy, it seems to me that it should be getting easier. I still get really exhausted. The balls of my feet still burn. My toes still go numb sometimes. Maybe the wine will be a distraction from the pain.
I know I'm in better shape than I was when we started training. But I'm not ready enough, and I can't imagine what will change in the next month. Do people ever start and discover they really can’t do this? What will we do if that happens? We really ought to consider alternative plans.
Bert
Monday, April 18 7:05 AM
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Will I ever be ready?
Bert Ole Chum,
I am not as discouraged as you sound. But I too have been wondering if there's a wall you hit in Camino training like I’ve heard there is in marathon training. I haven't wanted to admit to you how sick I am of the training. I have a bit of the feeling you describe that it ought to be easier, but more…I am just sick of it.
It takes so much time to do all this walking. And, then I still have all my regular stuff that needs to get done…shopping, gardening, housekeeping, playing with the dogs…stuff. The walking fills up too much of my time these days. Only the dogs never get tired of it. I know every inch of my regular routes. I notice when people get a new plant in their gardens…that’s how dull it is!
I’m sure the Camino won’t be boring, but I don't really see why and how it will be different.
I’ve been thinking that I won't walk the week before we leave. That will assure I don’t get an injury at the last minute, and will let my body rest a bit. But, in the meantime, I feel like I have to keep piling on the miles. I don’t want to be the first to have to quit the trail because I gave up too early on my training.
I am thinking back to the first time I tried to do 8 miles and I had to rest twice along the way. This weekend I did a 10-mile with only one break mid-way. I think my goal will be to survive two walks that length, back to back on consecutive days. That seems quite realistic and I feel like I need to be able to do that at least once, since we’ll have to do it all the time once we’re there. I am not feeling like the Camino will be easy, but I think I can do it. Let’s just press on through this wall. It is only a few more weeks. In fact, soon I am going to mail you my walking poles so you will have them in plenty of time to box them up with the rest of the checked luggage items. It must be almost time to go, right?
Helen
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