Handle with Care

All poncho´d up. Still smiling.

I walked to Puente La Reina from Pamplona this morning leaving at 6am.  It was around 24km and much easier and relaxing than I thought it would be.  I walked mostly alone and thought about how nice it was to have Natasha to walk with during the first few days.  I realized how nice it was to look after and be looked after by someone.  It´s nice to be amongst people that believe in you and what you´re doing without knowing your whole story.  Natasha helped me at the pharmacy to buy some sports cream for muscle inflammation when my lack of Spanish and wild and extravagant hand gestures failed me--though I´m sure entertained everyone else. 

There were also a few points of low morale during the walk to Pamplona and it was nice to encourage eachother on.  We discussed how during the walk you have a lot of time to think, and sometimes you end up thinking about things that make you lose focus, energy, or happiness. Sometimes it takes more than yourself to get out of those kind of moments.

Entering old Pamplona

Pamplona was a nice stop to get  a good meal (tapas!), but the busy pace of the city and actually seeing someone eye my belongings as if they were going to steal it was a bit overwhelming. I´m not sure if I should work to avoid the bigger cities and opt to stay in smaller villages.  I also haven´t yet figured out a rest plan either.  Should I walk everyday till my body gives out? Take a full day of rest in a larger city? Walk maybe half the day for 10km and rest the remainder of the day at a village inbetween points? I´m still figuring out my physical limits more carefully than I probably ever have before. Getting to know your body on an adventure like this is like the start of a new relationship.  What I found that did help was taking off my hiking shoes and strapping them to my pack for the last hour after I saw on my map that the trail was mostly flat (hooray for minimal map terrain knowledge!). I put on my Tevas sandals.  It resulted in happier feet and I had more energy when we finally reached the hostel where it seemed as though everyone crashed immediately for a midday nap.

On the way to Puente La Reina you walk over the ground where Charlemagne´s forces defeated another army in the 8th century.  The highest point of the day was known as Alto del Perdon, or the Hill of Forgiveness, and the altitude measurements did not make it look too friendly.  I thought it began at this wrought iron monument of medieval pilgrims so I kept walking knowing a huge climb was coming.  When I reached the pilgrim monument, I discovered that I was already at the top of Alto del Perdon and had already achieved the hardest climb of the day.  It was such a relief.  Then of course, there was the downhill part...which my right knee has revealed it isn´t such a big fan of.  I don´t know the background behind the Hill of Forgiveness, but I decided it was forgiving us for such a difficult and steep climb from the first day. I don´t really contemplate about forgiveness too often, but for the majority of the rest of the walk I started to think about the people in my life that I would forgive, or should forgive, and can´t forgive or understand.  I suppose it was an initial glimpse into the aspects of my life that I should let go or sort through to where they don´t bother me as much. I don´t think I´m very good at forgiveness.  I´m shamefully probably better at being the silent grudge and/or runaway type, but maybe today´s walk was a bit of a dent, despite not really reaching any answers.

Tonight I´m staying in a Monastery hostel that I was able to reach by about 1pm. I´ll set off to explore the town soon...particularly to find a US/European adaptor because I think I left mine in Zubiri.  There´s a Romanesque bridge here built at the command of the wife of Sancho III to support the safe movement of medieval pilgrims.  It has six arches that span the Arga river.  It´s amazing to think about the history behind supporting the Camino and the many pilgrims over time.  It makes me miss anyone who has ever supported me in anything I did that I considered great, and showed that they genuinely cared. (Thanks)

--J