Well, here it is the end of day 3, and we’ve journeyed around 35 miles of the El Camino de Frances! Can you believe it? If it were not for my sore legs, I wouldn’t! We have been preparing for this for so long, and our journey is finally happening! And it is amazing so far!

The walk itself is beautiful! We began by working our way over the Pyrenees mountains. The views were amazing and vast. I felt like a small, but not insignificant, piece of a beautiful work of art. Today we were still in the foothills, moving up and down hills with 15-20 lbs of backpack! The road changes often and offers sprawling views, unique walkways, farms, charming homes, and more. The terrain included some steep parts with rocky portions to navigate. Yet we are only 2 of hundreds of “pilgrims” who also are taking this journey! Not all are going the whole way, but many are. I’d estimate that 20-30 percent are much older than we are, and it’s amazing and inspiring!

The beauty and interesting nuance of the trail is mirrored by the diversity of the travelers. There’s the couple who are always visiting with anyone who will share a table with them. There are the three friends who met on WhatsApp and decided to travel the El Camino for a week. There is a man who has done portions of El Camino 12 times, and his wife is joining him. They hope to finish it this time. A family of 4 is walking together; 2 are here a week, but “mom and daughter” plan finish it! There’s our one bunk mate who has a pack way too heavy, but her evident joy and generosity is more abundant than the weight of the items in her pack—we were happy to see another pilgrim carrying her pack for her today. There’s the Minnesota ladies— 3 who came together, and 2 who came alone. We shared a room with the group of 3 one night, and we have enjoyed their company for a significant portion of our time here. And SO many more travelers with stories!!!

I cannot overstate the beautiful, communal experience that we are already having after just 3 days. l believe the community piece will be a major part of “my Camino.” It is so powerful— especially after such a difficult, divisive season that our world continues to be injured from—to be with people from all over the world, listening to them cheer on one another with a clink of a wine glass and/or the “carry on” message of ”Buen Camino!”