Weather With You

I made it from St. Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles, a 12th century town, in about 8 hours. There was fog (great for hiding the trail!), though we may have just been walking in a cloud. There was sideways rain (not great for a poncho with side openings), a steep 1450m climb within the first few hours(painful), and a steep 25% descent in the last few hours(painful).

I travelled mostly with Natasha from West Sussex, England. The mud slowed us down and the rain/fog made us add a few more layers to keep warm. Our idea for an afternoon picnic at the top turned out not to be the warmest, but we made it in high spirits.

We're staying in The Royal Collegiate Church of Saint Mary with a newly renovated Pilgrim Hostel section. A Canadian friend told me it's much nicer than the last time he was here. It even seemed like there were a few IKEA-esque floorlamps. I later learned that most of the staff are from Holland. The town has less than 100 people and it seems that they're all here to serve the Pilgrims. Supposedly Roncesvalles holds a burial place for pilgrims from medieval times and also for the slaughtered rearguard of Charlemagne's army who were massacred here by the Basques after his army damaged the walls of Pamplona.

We attended mass tonight and there was a special prayer just for everyone that journeyed there that night. They welcomed Pilgrims of all religions and belief systems with open arms. I liked that we were all there together from different backgrounds, but with the same common faith in the Camino we were experiencing.

I started to think about faith and how I embraced it into my life. Though I was raised
Catholic, I don't practice. I like the spirit of faith and the belief in goodness and in the importance of honesty, modesty, gratitude, and patience. I like the idea that someone may be watching over me and I hope they listen when I ask them to look out for the ones I love more than me.

My father once sat me down when I was a teenager and he told me I could be any religion I wanted as long as I was a good person. My brother had recently gone off to University and was going through a transitional period which included his religious beliefs. I never really decided about the religious part, but I was sure about the 'good person' part.

The thing about faith (to me), is how you carry it and take it with you. There were some miserable parts on the Camino today, but we didn't come across anyone who was in low spirits. Everyone smiled at eachother and held their heads high. They continued on as if the sun was shining and a cool breeze followed them with every step. They took their own weather with them, and it flowed through all 27km.