As is so often the case, when reality hits one's dreams, it can be disappointing.
For months we researched backpacks, footwear (hiking boots), walking sticks, outerwear, water containers and exactly how much things would weigh so that we wouldn't be carrying too much. We looked through every guide on the Camino we could get our hands on, ordering them through the internet. We plotted our route, figuring out the stages we would walk. I revisited my medieval French texts, specifically La Chanson de Roland, since so much of the initial portion of the Camino consists of places named in these texts.
Finally, we flew from the US to Madrid to Pamplona and took a taxi ride up to Burguete where we would spend the night in the little hotel where Ernest Hemingway used to stay. We walked the 2+ kms from Burguete up to Roncesvalles so we could go to the pilgrims' mass, be blessed and sent on our way. The night we walked up there was clear and not too chilly. We could sort of make out the Pyrenees behind the little town.
The next day, our very first day of walking, it POURED rain. We got lost within the first 10 metres because we couldn't find how the Camino hooked into the little town so we walked 3 or 4 kms on the main road. And when we finally found the Camino, it was so muddy that walking was treacherous. The Camino was so badly eroded that one walked on granite slabs that had a downward tilt. The path was extremely narrow.
Needless to say, we did not see the mountains at all that day.
To make the day perfect, my water container split so all the water ran down my back, and caused my rain pants to dye my khaki pants under them various shades of blue. I was so wet from the rain that I didn't notice; we didn't figure it out until the evening when we completely emptied our packs, strung up parachute cord for clothes lines and even hung our airplane tickets and passports on them to dry out.
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As with any long-haul adventure, there is the initial flush of excitement, the expectation of the journey, and the dreams of how it will go. With any long-haul adventure, disappointments come along, one gets bogged down but usually one can walk one's way through it.
I hope our youth group doesn't get too bogged down in their attempts to raise $1500 for the Inspiration Fund. I hope they don't get disappointed. Likewise, in the larger picture, I hope people don't get discouraged. It is possible to make one's goal... it just takes some slogging through the mud.
