CowboyJoe
Active Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- 2015
I’ve been home from the Camino quite a while now—a year-and-a-half, to be exact. I thought I would write a final entry in my blog (CaminoJoe.com) within the first 30 days of returning, but that gave way to 60 days and then 90, and then…I wanted time to let my Camino experience fully sink in before writing a debrief of my walk across Spain to help those who are contemplating such a journey. It has, now, although I didn’t think it would be this long before I wrote about it again.
I was once asked what I’d advise someone going on the Camino for their first time and what they could expect from the trip. Truth is, every person’s journey is different and what I experienced will probably be vastly different than what others will experience. The season, the weather, the route, the day one starts—even the time of day— and the people encountered will all be different. The best advice is to just GO…and to be open to what the Camino offers. Everyone’s journey is different. And everyone’s journey is similar in the end.
Given that, and looking back these many months later, here is my advice for those planning the Camino for the first time:
1. Don’t Let Planning Get in the Way of Serendipitous Moments. Trust in the Way. It will provide. This goes counter to the planner in me, but once you are on the Camino, things tend to fall into place. One way or another. Let the road carry you. You can’t plan on the people you’ll meet or the experiences you’ll have, so go with the moment and the flow of the road. This isn’t a wilderness hike. There will always be food and a bed ahead.
When I was in the Army, there was a saying—attribute to General Eisenhower, I believe: “Before the battle is joined, plans are everything; after the battle is joined, plans are worthless.” And that holds true for the Camino-- well, substitute walk for battle, that is. You can plan for months on end before you leave, and that is part of the anticipation, but once you are on the road, you have to be open to what is before you—and adjust to the circumstances. Truth is, you simply can’t plan for what will happen; all you can do is experience what will happen, and respond to it. Therein lies the mystery—and the wonder. Like I say, “If you find the meaning, you lose the wonder.” Be open to those serendipitous moments.
2. Light the Candles. Although the majority of pilgrims I met weren’t Catholic or doing the Camino for religious reasons, I found going to Mass each evening in the village {NOTE: since this is so long, it might be best to go to my blog, CaminoJoe.com, for the rest so as to not take up space on this valuable forum. Thank you and Buen Camino!}
I was once asked what I’d advise someone going on the Camino for their first time and what they could expect from the trip. Truth is, every person’s journey is different and what I experienced will probably be vastly different than what others will experience. The season, the weather, the route, the day one starts—even the time of day— and the people encountered will all be different. The best advice is to just GO…and to be open to what the Camino offers. Everyone’s journey is different. And everyone’s journey is similar in the end.
Given that, and looking back these many months later, here is my advice for those planning the Camino for the first time:
1. Don’t Let Planning Get in the Way of Serendipitous Moments. Trust in the Way. It will provide. This goes counter to the planner in me, but once you are on the Camino, things tend to fall into place. One way or another. Let the road carry you. You can’t plan on the people you’ll meet or the experiences you’ll have, so go with the moment and the flow of the road. This isn’t a wilderness hike. There will always be food and a bed ahead.
When I was in the Army, there was a saying—attribute to General Eisenhower, I believe: “Before the battle is joined, plans are everything; after the battle is joined, plans are worthless.” And that holds true for the Camino-- well, substitute walk for battle, that is. You can plan for months on end before you leave, and that is part of the anticipation, but once you are on the road, you have to be open to what is before you—and adjust to the circumstances. Truth is, you simply can’t plan for what will happen; all you can do is experience what will happen, and respond to it. Therein lies the mystery—and the wonder. Like I say, “If you find the meaning, you lose the wonder.” Be open to those serendipitous moments.
2. Light the Candles. Although the majority of pilgrims I met weren’t Catholic or doing the Camino for religious reasons, I found going to Mass each evening in the village {NOTE: since this is so long, it might be best to go to my blog, CaminoJoe.com, for the rest so as to not take up space on this valuable forum. Thank you and Buen Camino!}