Wheel chair pilgrim completes the Camino Frances

[Deleted member 3000]

Very impressive!

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2014/08/18/3329782/a-million-steps-by-wheelchair.html

 

[wayfarer]

Inspiring.

 

[GettingThere]

What an incredible achievement. Humbling and inspiring.

 

[Dennis D]

Very impressive!

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2014/08/18/3329782/a-million-steps-by-wheelchair.html

Wow! The photograph put tears in my eyes. What a wonderful story.

 

[t2andreo]

In my two past trips on the Camino Frances route, I encountered many folks either in wheelchairs, with crutches or walking canes, post-stroke victims with very limited mobility, and blind persons tethered to sighted friends or family.

There are also many people toting their own CPAP machines… You do not see those as they are in the overly large rucksacks these people are carrying.

There are people on serious medications, including Type I diabetics who coordinate with the local police, albergues, hostals, hotels or churches to store their insulin overnight. It all works out. In fact, rule #1 for the Camino is "the Camino provides..." Really, it does!

Also, there are young people (8 years old +/-), older folks (@ 80 +/-), skinny people, large people, people who walk fast with a long stride and people who waddle or shuffle when they walk. There are tall people and short people. They are from nearly every country on earth. We all manage to communicate with each other. We help each other, and they help us.

If you have the time, the will and the means, a method can be found. In fact, and IMHO, I think the biggest obstacle is usually the one between each of our ears!

BTW, the Camino Frances IS about one million steps. Do the math… The total distance is 481.1 miles, or 775 kilometers, exactly! If you know the length of your walking stride, you can figure this out.

This fellow's accomplishment is awesome and should be celebrated. Bravo!

 

[Annie Little]

In my two past trips on the Camino Frances route, I encountered many folks either in wheelchairs, with crutches or walking canes, post-stroke victims with very limited mobility, and blind persons tethered to sighted friends or family.

There are also many people toting their own CPAP machines… You do not see those as they are in the overly large rucksacks these people are carrying.

There are people on serious medications, including Type I diabetics who coordinate with the local police, albergues, hostals, hotels or churches to store their insulin overnight. It all works out. In fact, rule #1 for the Camino is "the Camino provides..." Really, it does!

Also, there are young people (8 years old +/-), older folks (@ 80 +/-), skinny people, large people, people who walk fast with a long stride and people who waddle or shuffle when they walk. There are tall people and short people. They are from nearly every country on earth. We all manage to communicate with each other. We help each other, and they help us.

If you have the time, the will and the means, a method can be found. In fact, and IMHO, I think the biggest obstacle is usually the one between each of our ears!

BTW, the Camino Frances IS about one million steps. Do the math… The total distance is 481.1 miles, or 775 kilometers, exactly! If you know the length of your walking stride, you can figure this out.

This fellow's accomplishment is awesome and should be celebrated. Bravo!

""""In fact, and IMHO, I think the biggest obstacle is usually the one between each of our ears!"""

AND that is the very thing yelling at me to "cancel" my plans to start in a few weeks.

I have all sorts of reasons not to go : too much going on at work ; I have not had time to prepare ;had to get new passport unexpectedly ( that surely must be a sign! ) ; family will miss me ; self doubt etc etc etc ; there is so much bad stuff in the news - surely another sign that I should just stay at home safe .... yudda yudda yudda

This is NOT new .... I go through this EVERY time I go out of my comfort zone ... which is why I do things to put myself outside the zone ...... but this time I just keep thinking "why do you do this to yourself ?" ... well actually I think that EVERY time too and then I GO; GROW; Blossom ; and come back empowered.

I have not done the "Camino" before BUT all challenges in life are a Camino..... so I will fret ,deliberate, fret and deliberate for the next two weeks ........ hopefully will then get on the plane and just go and see what happens

Life is a double edged sword ...

Having read the story of these two guys , how can I NOT go ?

 

[t2andreo]

""""In fact, and IMHO, I think the biggest obstacle is usually the one between each of our ears!"""

AND that is the very thing yelling at me to "cancel" my plans to start in a few weeks.

I have all sorts of reasons not to go : too much going on at work ; I have not had time to prepare ;had to get new passport unexpectedly ( that surely must be a sign! ) ; family will miss me ; self doubt etc etc etc ; there is so much bad stuff in the news - surely another sign that I should just stay at home safe .... yudda yudda yudda

This is NOT new .... I go through this EVERY time I go out of my comfort zone ... which is why I do things to put myself outside the zone ...... but this time I just keep thinking "why do you do this to yourself ?" ... well actually I think that EVERY time too and then I GO; GROW; Blossom ; and come back empowered.

I have not done the "Camino" before BUT all challenges in life are a Camino..... so I will fret ,deliberate, fret and deliberate for the next two weeks ........ hopefully will then get on the plane and just go and see what happens

Life is a double edged sword ...

Having read the story of these two guys , how can I NOT go ?

Annie:

It is simple, just GO! Assuming you have your gear, and a decent pair of walking boots or shoes, just show up, pay attention, and place one foot in front of the other. Repeat as needed until you reach the day's destination. Repeat each day until you reach Santiago de Compostela.

You follow the yellow arrows all the way. An arrow with an "X" through it means "this is the WRONG way." Sometimes there is a scallop shell sign to follow.

Also, treat yourself to hostal stays, as you can afford them, in place of albergues. Personally, I get bronchitis after a few days sleeping with 20 or more of my closest new friends. All it takes is one person in the room with a cold for everyone to catch it.

Besides, having a locking door and private bath is priceless, especially for people like me who are on the high side of 60. To shave costs, you can buddy-up with a like-minded fellow pilgrim. On both my Caminos I saw many of these impromptu lash-ups. I hesitate to call them "hook-ups" as I have no information and do not want to speculate.

Don't forget to stop when you reach Santiago! Take each day as it comes. Don't worry about anything. It DOES all work out. You will meet fellow folks from OZ and many people who speak at least some English. Among Spaniards, English is not commonly spoken, even by the younger folks. So, it helps to have a smart phone with a full sentence translator capability.

I used Google Translate (on Wi-Fi) on my iPod Touch (v5) both years (2013 and 2014) and have accumulated a "library" of standard questions or statements in Spanish. I would show these to a shop owner, pharmacist, or hostal owner to obtain help, find some service, call a taxi, etc.

I could also cut and paste the Spanish question into an e-mail to send down the road to a private albergue or hostal/hotel to make future reservations. I did this about 3-4 days in advance when I knew what my plans and health were. Most folks find www.booking.com to provide quite good coverage along the Camino Frances.

As regards, leaving your current life behind: do you live to work, or work to live? Your family and friends will likely appreciate you all the more on your return. However, my cat still has not forgiven me...

Life will continue on back in OZ, while you are having the experience of a lifetime. It is very safe. Just remember to dust off your "street smarts" and situational awareness when you reenter a large town or city (e.g. Pamplona, Logrono, Santo Domingo, Burgos, Leon, etc.).

There will be others all walking in the same direction to help you should you need help. Millions of others have gone before you. Don't worry! Just do it!

Check out the postings about people trying to readjust AFTER their Camino. Let's just say the Camino is awesome! It makes a profound and lasting affect on you, provided you leave yourself open to it. You need not be religious or even very spiritual for this to happen, but it helps. Just consider the possibilities each day and go with the flow.

We are all here, on the forum, to help you along the way. If you have problems once you start, we CAN help you from afar.

I hope this helps encourage you.

 

[Annie Little]

TZ. That's a priceless response ....... Yes all those things have come to mind ... Will stay in private rooms and as most have two beds had already had thought there would be a like minded who wished to share ..

Travelling alone in foreign countries is not unusual for me I do it every year BUT my mind goes through the same build up each time .... I would like not to have the fear component ... Also yes my daughters encourage me to go and exore as it empowers all of us .

Thank you for taking the time to reply

 

[Ceci]

Very impressive!

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2014/08/18/3329782/a-million-steps-by-wheelchair.html

I'm a little late in seeing this wonderful story. It brought tears of joy to my eyes and made me feel very humble indeed. Yet, I needed to see this today. I was feeling a little sorry for myself because with 2 weeks to go, my 3rd Camino (The Frances, but just from O Cebreiro) seems to be falling apart. I've planned for so long for this. My niece and her family were to accompany me, as well as a good friend. My niece's family dropped out a few weeks ago - life intervened - so much happening when you are still young. Now my friend is having a lot of trouble with her foot. It may be fractured. We are awaiting results of Xray and MRI. In any case, she's at least got plantar fasciitis pretty bad. She's tried lots of things and hopes to get some therapy done on it, but we have just 2 weeks to go. I may just do the walking on my own, but I'd hate her to miss it. She takes care of her elderly Mom and needs the Camino just as much as I do. I'm not feeling sorry for myself after this article, but does anyone have any ideas that might help my friend? I'm glad to be able to reach out to my fellow Caminoholics. Thanks and Buen Camino to all.

 

[carolhop1]

This is one of the best Camino stories I've read. The word "heartwarming" has negative connotations but this IS heartwarmingly beautiful. It is once again the Camino giving whatever it is you truly need. Good job gentlemen and thank you to all the many pilgrims who encouraged you along The Way.

 

[Mike Savage]

Truly inspiring. I can't imagine how tough that would be and how rewarding.

 

[Bernard duffy]

I had the great pleasure of spending 5 days with these guy's,it was tough going but my word it was fun,we stay in contact still,two great lads.

 

[waveprof]

When we finished our camino June 20 2013, a man finished right behind us in wheelchair. He had begun in Le Puy. It was his THIRD camino. Awe inspiring and humbling all at the same time. Suddenly, carrying a 14-15 month old from Pamplona didn't seem nearly as difficult....

 

[LesBrass]

I met this group of French pilgrims at Leon... and I was in awe of them and their acheivement... they also walked the entire route... WOW!