Back home with my thoughts on a very brief Camino

[juliecarteraz]

Hi: I am back home after a very abbreviated Camino. I left SJPP on May 6th. Unfortunately, I injured my knee on the climb up the Napoleon route, and despite a 5 night stay in Viskarret/Biskarreta and a six night rest in Pamplona, I could not recover enough to continue. Although my experience was far from normal, I still came back having had a remarkable journey. I cannot wait to get back so that I can continue my Camino. Here's what I learned during my all too short trek:

On the way to Orisson, I learned to enjoy the quiet. I have lost most of my hearing, and have a bit of fear about things being too silent or too quiet. Quiet is good. In the hustle and bustle of daily life things get lost. Important things like birds. Right before Hunto, I heard birds singing. This is a sound I haven't heard in 30 years or better. The Camino was that quiet. I sat on a rock and listened to the birds sing for 30 minutes. Priceless.

People are genuinely good. I mean GENUINELY good. The couple I met on the way to Rouncevalles in the pouring rain and 40 mph winds, for example. They were huddled together behind a rock trying to escape some seriously nasty wind. They made room for me in their small shelter out of the elements and behind the only rock in sight. Both recognized I was injured, and they calmed me. They each slowed their pace to walk with me up a steep and muddy slope just to keep me company for a little while and motivate me to keep going. I saw them that evening in Rouncevalles after I had finally made it. We embraced in a group hug. Goodness -- the Camino is filled with goodness every step of the way.

The albergues are fun! Yes, the snoring is enough to wake the dead. Yes, you have to wait for a shower. Yes, the showers are small and might be lukewarm. Yes, some of the bathrooms are co-ed. Yes, you have to wait in line for a bed. Don't miss this experience even if you have to step outside your comfort zone. Just make it happen. You will be glad you did.

Those gloves, that hat, your Merino long underwear that you are thinking about leaving behind to save weight? Think again. I lived in my woollies until I got to Pamplona. The wind and rain that second day on the Route Napoleon was biting!

No matter how your first Camino goes, more than likely, you will be eager to return. I know I am. I cannot wait to get back and finish what I started. So many lessons await me. So many wonderful people to meet. So many incredible sounds and sights to experience.

What was hardest? That's easy. For me the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life was getting on that bus in Pamplona to go to Madrid to fly home. I cried.

To those of you on the Camino now, I really miss you! To those of you preparing for your Camino, savor every minute of that preparation -- even your jitters and fears -- and know that all will be well. Buen Camino!

 

[mralisn]

This is great of you to share your experience Julie. I really like your insight and honesty. I can picture you there wanting to walk on.

Most of all, your desire to walk again someday is wonderful. I'm sure we all will wish you a quick recovery and a joyous return to your Camino.

Keep a smile,
Simeon

 

[Kiwi-family]

Thanks for sharing such a candid assessment. My wish for you is that you get to return and finish what you have begun.

 

[annebundgaard]

Sv: Back home with my thoughts on a very brief Camino

Thank you Julie ! Great share

 

[Kanga]

Julie it is great to have you share because your experience has lessons for us all. The Camino is not the physical journey - it is so much more. And it always surprises. Letting go of plans and ambition, acceptance, grace in the face of suffering and pain, the gift of love and charity, hope and determination, all these are in your story. A remarkable Camino. And the wonderful thing is that your next Camino will be completely different!

 

[skilsaw]

I'm sorry to hear of your Camino cut short.
Nagging injuries just get worse if you insist on continuing your walk.

Make a habit of walking while you are at home. Without a pack at first. And build up distance and speed slowly and gently. When you are ready, begin shorter walks with your pack.

You will get better, and you will complete your Camino, God willing.

Buen Camino,
David, Victoria, Canada.

 

[Sarahandlouise]

Julie, enjoy the anticipation of planning your return. Louise and I also had our Camino cut short due to a death in the family and have now been home a month. We return in September to finish our Camino. If our experience is anything to go by the tears last a bit longer than just the trip home! A few days ago we had a dinner with our husbands and I told Louise that one of our fellow pilgrims had placed a pebble with our names on at Cruz de Hierro.......husbands were lost for words when we both burst into tears.
We are planning and booking flights but also realising how much we can leave behind this time so every cloud has a silver lining! I will not be taking my own personal pharmacy this time round or the spare pair of shoes!
Sarah

 

[Sedona2012]

Hi Julie.

Just read your post at the start of my 3rd Camino and my first time on the Norte. A lonely journey so far but just the beginning so who ever knows what the Camino will bring our way?

Reading your post brought on my first tears and believe me I'm not prone to easy tears. So many lessons u have already experienced and sounds like you made some amazing connections with fellow pilgrims.

Bless you Julie and I know you will return to compete your Camino in the near future.

Buen Camino,
Bobbie

 

[juliecarteraz]

Thank you all for the wonderful support! I relied so much on this forum before and during my Camino. I only hope that I can make a small contribution to support those whose Camino is just beginning.

My second Camino is a bit more delayed than I had hoped. I learned yesterday that I have fractured my leg in two places. My orthopedic doctor will take more x-rays in 3 weeks to determine whether a surgical repair is needed. He says it will be at least a year before I can think about continuing my Camino. On the bright side, I have all that time to brush up on my Spanish!! Not to mention whittling away on that packing list.

From what I have been reading, those high winds are still wrecking havoc on the Route Napoleon along with the rain. Go slow, my friends, be careful, but most of all enjoy the journey. I travel -- for now -- vicariously through you. Buen Camino!

 

[robertt]

Resuming a camino is just the best thing. When I walked out of Le Puy I had no idea where I would stop for the year. As it turned out, I stopped in Pamplona. Next year I came back to the exact same place and just resumed. Ended up in Portugal before walking back to Fisterra.

Julie, I think it would be even better to return and resume after some years. For purists, it should be exactly where one left off. Don't know why. It's just the best!

 

[peregrino_tom]

Hey Julie
thanks for sharing your experiences - looks like you got the Camino bug!
No-one knows quite what will happen along the way. It's great that the adversity you faced seems to have made your will to continue stronger.
I hope your bones heal speedily and well.
Best wishes, tom

 

[freeflyer123]

Thanks for sharing and so sorry you had to give it up, Julia. And I hope it is not too long before you can go again. My mother pointed out to me that we have been planning our trip to the camino for so long now that we will really miss it once we get back home! Yes, definitely part of the fun is in the planning, so do savour the months between now and when you are well enough to go again.

 

[Dawn Marie Kubicek]

Hi Julie!
I too did the Camino for my first time just about this time last year in the beginning of June. Oh what a joy that was to prepare and fret all the things it could bring!
So I too had to leave early.. and was terribly sad to do so. I was fortunate enough to take 6 weeks for the Camino, my work allowed me to do so. For all the things I tried to prepare for, I never thought I would get a severe infection in both legs from what the surgeon thought could have been from a mix of bug bites, and heat, and bacteria. The worst pain ever.. Had to be lifted into the airplane and wheelchaired through to the ER back home when I landed. Pretty sure at the time I thought I had flesh eating bacteria.. That happened a few days walk out of Pamplona, so my body was just getting used to everything, and my mind calm. But in the end for me too, the hardest part wasnt the pain, or surgery, or aftercare, it was having to make the decision to leave and not knowing when ever I would make it back. I too plan on returning, Im happy to say the Camino is calling me back, after a long year of being afraid I had lost that magic. Nope, not possible. I too injured my knee going up the mountain, so that still isn't so good, I may try to finish in stages, haven't decided yet. Good luck on your return! I wish you the healthiest knees on the planet. Best regards, Dawn Marie Kubicek

 

[volleyjanice]

Julie, Your story nearly brought me to tears. Thank you so much for sharing your positive outlook on what is certainly a disappointing turn of events for you. My husband and I leave Canada on July 29th this year to begin our first Camino. It began with planning a month long trip to Spain, and then deciding that maybe tackling "this Camino thing" would be a good idea. With 30 days including travel to and from home we realized that we likely couldn't complete the whole Camino, and I felt that I wanted to also see some other areas of Spain. We have settled on two weeks for the Camino and then will meet our daughter in Madrid for a further 2 weeks of travel. Of course as preparations have progressed and I have heard a speaker here in Victoria share her experience on the Camino last year, and followed the many stories on this website, I am already dreading having to leave the Camino. Yours is yet another story that reminds me to make the best of whatever situation you are in, and enjoy every moment of the journey. My initial thought was to say that we begin the Camino on August 1st in SJPdP, but I have altered my way of thinking already. Our journey begins from home, and the planes, buses, and whatever else we need to get to St. Jean Pied de Port are all part of the experience. I look forward to the good, the bad, and the unique experiences that await us, and am already quite certain that I too will be returning to complete the Camino at another time. I wish you a speedy recovery and pleasant dreams of your next journey!

 

[tom0153]

I was seriously affected by that part of your story where you sat and simply listened to the birds.

Such an ability to return to sufficient silence, to block out modern noise, will surely become a metaphor to me, and suggest that even if it is not possible to hike the distance required for the Camino, it is possible to obtain its benefits close to home. Not all the miracles are in far away places.

Thank you.

Tom

 

[Pruden]

First i'm not very familiar with technology , but somehow your story got me deep inside .
You are a blessed person capable of see positive were oder people would only see negatives facts.
No needs to worry because you got the strength and the positive energy to make Your Camino, and it will come a real sooner than later.
For me right now i got a injured knee ,so maybe this year would not be possible, even i was training for that .
Buen Camino anytime you decide to make it.

 

[DurhamParish]

Thanks Julie, your story shows just why the Camino is more than "just a walk". I hope you can make it back to continue your Camino very soon. You are the embodiment of Simeon's signature line: "Tourists require. Pilgrims Thank."

 

[tkillion]

Thanks for your comments Julie. I had a similar problem with my leg in late March of this year and had to stop after a week. Spent several days in Bilbao to try and rest but unable to continue. Getting physical therapy on my IT Band now and hope to continue further next year. Several people I ran into during my week were leaving due to foot and leg problems. Tim K

 

[SkuDah]

Thank you for sharing your journey with us. I am inspired by your positive attitude and impressed that you were able to glean so much in the short time you we able to walk. I have worried that my husband and I won't be able to complete the Camino for one reason or another - and your words today make me realise - it doesn't really matter - whatever we do will teach us something good and give the opportunity to enjoy / experience something new and wonderful.

Thank you, and good luck for your next attempt.
Sincerely
Diane.

 

[Terrri]

Thanks for sharing your story about your brief camino. We hear a lot about people's caminos but not so much about those of us who don't complete it.

I also had to cut my camino short after developing severe plantar facsitis walking into santo domingo. My daughter, who was with me wanted to call a cab as soon as we got closer to town but I let my ego get in the way and insisted on walking.

My 20 year old daughter walked ahead for 3 days without me and then I eventually bussed to Burgos to track her down. We had no form of communication other than email but she forgot her password so those 3 days were interesting to say the least. I did put the word out to some pilgrims that I was looking for her and one of the pilgrims accidently met her and they spent some time together before realizing the connection.

It was heart wrenching to realize that me bussing ahead every few days in the hopes that I would get better wasn't going to work and we had to end our camino in Burgos.

I am now at home trying to recover and waiting a few days before going to the dr to see if I get better with rest. The drs in Spain are amazing and I was in and out, including x-rays, within an hour for 101 euros. I have come to realize that the drs seem to tell everyone that with 3 days rest they will be able to resume the camino but for most of the people I met with issues this wasn't the case. Like me, a lot of people chose to go home early at the risk of causing more damage to themselves.

I did meet some people who kept bussing forward in the hopes of getting better and eventually being able to walk the last 100 km in to Santiago, I hope they get to realize their goal. As for my daughter and I we will walk the whole way one day.

After taking a bus two times I realize how many pilgrims take busses ahead. Also staying more than one night in a town I realize how many pilgrims stop walking by 11am and queue up for beds.

Every one has their stories and that is what I loved the most about the camino.