The camino, and my backcountry walks, and my tendency towards depression, have taught me that I have a steel backbone. Nothing can stop me. When things are going very badly, I can always put one foot in front of the other and go on. My last camino went badly, and friends responded to my emails about my situation by suggesting that I quit, take a bus and get out of there. While I appreciated their support, I never even considered quitting. Yes, I can walk 1,000 km, alone, without the support of other pilgrims, and with a man whom I met along the way bothering me for half the distance. I can even be supportive of some others along the way, and accept negative judgments of myself (not believing them, necessarily). I think that I needed this affirmation of my strength, although it was certainly gained at cost. I see this as a common thread in many of the postings above. The camino gets difficult and pilgrims who feel that they can't go on find out that they can, and feel stronger for it.
Last week, I met a large bear close up in the back country, twice in one day. The second time, I was eating my lunch at a picnic table when it wandered past, about 20 meters away. After lunch, I set up my camp at that campsite, as planned, but I did not meet it again. Yes, there are real dangers, needing to be evaluated, faced, and decisions made. Those of you with injuries or illness who turned back may return to the camino when able. But I am grateful to the VdlP for calling out all my strength and showing me that I am able to go on.
