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an update to the most difficult Camino

Time of past OR future Camino
June/July 2015 (CF, 100 miles), June/July 2018 (CP, ~40 miles, too hot!)
Buen Camino!

I had ankle surgery on January 6. A gigantic bone spur was removed, and my tendon put back in place. That very day, I was actually able to hobble around, since the ankle itself wasn't operated on. Okay, I confess: I don't have good balance, and I wasn't crutch-proficient. So I contented myself with walking with a cast for a few days, then with a post-op shoe.

Every morning, I could tell I was more healed; every day, it was a little easier to get around. The first week or so I used a knee scooter (really awkward and it made me SO sore!) and crutches. Last Friday, I ditched the crutches and just went slow and steady. My doctor assured me on January 10, the first post-op check-up, that there was really no way I could re-tear my tendon, and just try not to fall in any holes again.

Today, I'm back in my hiking boots with minimal swelling. My podiatrist told me he had never seen anyone heal so fast, which makes me proud and feel blessed, considering I'm about to be 49, and am a type 2 diabetic. I credit a more plant-based diet! He said to give it a month or so before you start trying to get in major steps, and take it easy for a while.

And so I am. This summer, I scored an awesome round trip flight to London, and I've decided to walk the Thames Path, which is graded easy and accessible for all ages and all abilities. I will walk the Camino again, but this summer, this 184 mile path calls to me. I had thought about walking the Camino and leaving Jack's ashes at the Cruz de Fierro, but letting his ashes go in England seems more authentic. Jack never went to Spain, but he did go to England as a child and as a young man in college. So I'll honor him this way over the summer.

Before any of that can happen, though, I would ask you to keep me in your thoughts and prayers. My husband's and my taxes are being dealt with; I have a good tax attorney, but this whole process is taking its own sweet time. And I'm also having my house renovated. I've moved for a year into a small apartment much closer to work, not only to be out of the way of the contractor and workers, but to get some time and distance away (five whole miles) from the place I lived with my late husband for 17 years, the place where he died. I will move back to my condo, and it will look and feel very different. And that will be a good thing. Moreover, after the renovation, I'm preparing to be a landlord! And having three income streams will be a very good thing.

Thank you all for your kind words and support when I've written here in the past. Life is moving on. February 6 will be six months since Jack died. I'm very much at peace knowing I stayed with him til death do us part. Now it's time to follow a different path in life. Ultreya! I hope next summer or so to see you all on the Camino, and until then, I wish you all happiness and health.

Katie
 
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The Thames Path sounds like a great choice. I have walked small parts of it. I also built myself a rowing boat and rowed from Cricklade to the tidal locks at Teddington - sleeping on board overnight. Being mainly a towpath for a navigable river it is more or less flat all the way. That might be important for your foot issue. It also passes by a lot of pubs, restaurants and boatyards so there are options for food and drink at reasonable intervals. The scenery is gentle and green rather than dramatic. And you pass through Oxford - a huge plus! Hope it all goes well for you.

Pax et bonum.
 
Ultreia !
 
3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
The first edition came out in 2003 and has become the go-to-guide for many pilgrims over the years. It is shipping with a Pilgrim Passport (Credential) from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
Like Johnnie Walker, keep on walking. Watch your steps and listen to your body. Animo!
 
Bless your little heart. You have been through so much. I feel so much better since I did my first Camino last spring. I had a lot of delayed grieving that I was able to work through. I have had people say I have changed. I will be praying for you.
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
Hi Katie, All the best to you as you recover and plan for the next steps!! I'll be walking the Thames Path beginning just after Easter - but I'm going to start at the Barrier and walk towards the source - wanting to end in the countryside instead of the city.
Take care of yourself!
Terry
 

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