Guest Blog – Steve

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I’m handing over the blog today to Steve.

Some of you might know him. He and his wife Jill walked the Camino about a month after me. He got rained on most of the time. Even when his wife was a hundred yards ahead of him, he got rained on and she didn’t.

πŸ™‚

He’s been a regular contributor to this blog. He’ll bring a fresh perspective to these pages.

By the way, my PGS The Way Forum is now up and running. This forum won’t be about albergues and equipment and bed bugs etc, it will be a forum which, like this blog, discusses the spiritual and religious aspects of the Camino, as well as the emotional and psychological side of the pilgrimage. And health issues too! The tagline for the forum is –

Discussing the spirit of the Camino. The link is:

http://www.pgsthewayforum.com/forum

Please join up and start posting topics there too – I want it to become an active place where these deeply felt issues can be openly discussed. I will be active there as well. There should be no technical issues now, but if you encounter any, please let me know.

So now Steve, over to you mate…

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40 thoughts on “Guest Blog – Steve”

  2. The Camino can be a fabulous experience and one that most of us look forward to with excitement, anticipation and maybe a little trepidation, and look back on with great satisfaction and pleasure. It is often a wonderful enlightening experience we tend to come away with a new sense of spiritual and personal awareness.

    But there is another side to the Camino. The Camino is serious business from a physical perspective. Nothing about walking 800 kilometers would be considered natural for most of us and it is likely something we have never done and might never do again. Our bodies were not designed to take that kind of stress without some pain and anguish, and I believe most who walk accept that consequence. I am sure that some walk without any disability or discomfort at all, but I would suggest that is the minority. My point is, don’t take the physical part for granted. If something is bothering you before the Camino, it will be magnified on the Camino and your local doctor is not around the corner.

    I considered myself to be in pretty good physical condition. I had been doing practice walks for the better part of a year before departing, and I was in the gym 4 or 5 days a week. However, my hips started bothering me the very first day, and continued to some degree every day thereafter. I thought I would acclimate to the point that my feet did not hurt so much by the second half of each day, but that never happened. Fortunately, I did not get but two blisters and they were minor, but I covered my feet in vaseline every morning in an effort to reduce friction that causes blisters. My hips are still stiff when I have been sitting a while and I went to the doctor yesterday to make sure it was just a matter of time. He assured me it was. I like Bill, started thinking of the things that could be wrong.

    Jill out walked me most days which helped curtail my ego. But after about a week, Jill developed plantar fasciitis on her left heel and after reaching the mid way point, she decided to stop because she was concerned about long term damage, and besides hurting every step was no longer fun. She retreated to England and saw a specialist there who advised her not to rejoin me at Sarria which she wanted to do.

    In the very first week I saw a lot of pilgrims hobbling along. I have no idea if they made it all the way or not. According to Bill, he hobbled a lot during the first couple of weeks and as committed as he was to completing the Camino I am sure there were days of doubt.

    The point of all of this is to not gloss over the physical aspects of walking the Camino. It is serious business.

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  3. Steve – this is why I posted while I was walking: No one ever tells you how hard the Camino is!

    I had read a lot of blogs and forum posts and watched videos etc, but none of it really prepares you for the degree of difficulty! And the pain. Nearly everyone I encountered was suffering pain in one form or another, whether it was blisters, or bad knees, or shin splints etc…

    You do have to prepare yourself, physically and emotionally. Training not only helps build your stamina and your muscle strength, it also gives you confidence.

    It is hard work, walking that far with a backpack, up and over mountains.

    Bill

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    • I remember your blogs at times and thought you were nuts to be putting your body through the obvious pain and injury, yet I respected your determination. Maybe that is why I came back each day to see if you had quit yet. Just kidding. I knew that if you could make it you would, but I also hear you saying this week that you wish you had checked out the knee before departing. It is hard enough if you are in great physical conditioning without any known injuries, and treacherous if you approach it with known, but maybe overlooked injuries.

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      • Hi Steve –

        yes, I was hoping the knee would just quieten down, as it’s done in the past, but it didn’t.

        Also, there was a practical reason why I didn’t go to the doctor. I knew the only way to fix my knee would be arthroscopy surgery, and about 6-8 weeks rehabilitation – and I just didn’t have the time for that.

        You thought I’d quit?

        ha ha –

        Like I said in the blog, they’d have to carry me off the Camino in an ambulance before I quit…

        πŸ™‚

        Bill

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        • Actually, I never thought you would, but I did think a couple of times that maybe you should. I remember your statement about that in the blog. Hopefully, those who are following in our footsteps have the time or take the time to remedy old injuries before they approach the Camino.

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  4. I remember how strong your commitment was, and frankly, I never felt that type of commitment. I said so in the beginning, and even when I returned it was because it just made sense not to leave since I was already there, but I never felt that same level of commitment that you did. Nor was it necessary for me. Honestly, I thought I would complete the entire thing, but when Jill had to quit, it made it easy for me to take a break. Actually, I thought I was going to quit then also, but as you know, that is not the way it worked out.

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      • Yeah, it’s funny. We had to walk about a kilometer to the travel agent where I was going to see about getting the ticket changed. It was only when I was standing outside the door of the agency that I told Jill I wanted to go back and finish. I had been thinking all the way to the agency that maybe I should go back, but never mentioned it to Jill till the last minute. It was a pivotal moment.

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      • It was an incredibly pivotal moment because I think you’ll look back in years to come and realise just how important it was for you to complete the Camino, and by yourself. But you had the guts to act on your PGS.

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  5. Hello Steve and Bill,
    Jill here. Yes, you two have said it, it was a pivotal moment when Steve’s PGS kicked in and he realized he was supposed to stay and finish walking the Camino. Steve, will tell you that for years I have been saying that I believe that there are no accidents in life and that all things are connected. I know that we keep hearing that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar ( unless you are Bill Clinton) but I really don’t personally believe that. I had written in an earlier blog that for three days prior to Steve’s “change of heart” he had trouble getting his blog to publish, the blog informing his friends and followers that he was quitting the Camino and going back to Texas. The night before we were to go to the travel agency, I suggested to him that perhaps the reason the blog wasn’t getting published was because maybe what he had blogged wasn’t to be shared. He looked at me the way only Steve can look at me and basically poo-pooed the idea. Steve has not knowingly believed in his own PGS before, so as you are both saying, it was a pivotal move on his part. I believe that that moment has altered your life, Steve, forever. At least, it is my hope for you.

    As far as physical preparedness goes, I like Steve walked with and without my backpack on for about 6 weeks prior to the trip and worked out at the gym 3-4 times a week lifting weights. I will say that having strong back muscles clearly helped me with the backpack because until Steve weighed our packs about a week into the trip, I had no idea that I had been carrying almost 18 pounds everyday. The pack was never heavy for me, and had it not been for the plantar fasciitis in my left heel, I would have finished the Camino I think feeling great. But the minute my heel started to bother me I inadvertently started walking on my foot differently and that is when I developed blisters. Prior to that I had none. If I was not a personal trainer who stands on my feet all day and someone who lives to dance, I may have toughed it out and continued to walk but I was concerned that I might do some long term damage which would prevent me from being able to work and play! Never before have I stopped myself from completing a physical challenge and have had a number of injuries that took many months and sometimes years to heal. Maybe I too was listening to my own PGS, which advised me to stop, and really smell the roses. Okay, well just wanted to add my two cents!

    Best to everyone,

    Jill

    PS -I also wanted to say that I did indeed get rained on!!

    PSS – Great news on your MRI Bill………..Yah!!!!!!!!!xoxo

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    • Dear Jill,

      thanks for your two cents worth!

      And thanks for the PPS’s!!

      The Camino serves different purposes for different people. It seemed your purpose was to go to London, as you’d always wanted to do – having completed a huge swathe of the Camino. You might find that you want to go back at some later stage, but then again maybe the pilgrimage you walked was all you needed to walk to get everything from it that you needed at that point in your life.

      I met this fellow in Zubiri – he had one week off work and he was walking from St. Jean to Pamplona. However he walked over the Pyrenees when it was closed with snow, only a couple of weeks after the fatality. That was his Camino. And I have no doubt that the one week of walking was all he needed at that time in his life.

      Same with you. And dare I say it, part of your purpose could well have been to act as a test for Steve – to see if his commitment was as weak as he claimed. In fact it turned out to be incredibly strong, because he decided to keep going, without you. That’s a strong commitment to the Camino, given that I know he very much wanted to stay with you.

      So, all these things are often much more complex once you begin to dig below the surface. But glad to see that you’ve settled back into Palm Springs, and that you’re really happy.

      Bill

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  6. Hey Steve,

    You are so right in saying the training part is another side of the Camino we so often are not prepared for.

    I live in Arizona, Tucson to be precise. My home is in the foothills of 2 different mountain ranges. Notice I said foothills, but in these mountain ranges I can better describe them as small rolling inclines. I thought I would be prepared for the Camino and the elevations it had.

    I had done a significant amount of training up on Mount Lemmon which is 9100 feet above sea level so I thought I was in good shape for the 4500 + elevation of the Pyrenees. Boy was the joke on me, I thought I was going to die on the Pyrenees and that was just Day One!

    At any rate, I made it through and will be returning this September to re-walk the Frances. I am however this time training on steep inclines. The shortest incline I do is 4 miles straight up Sabino Canyon, the only drawback to this type of training during the Summer months is I have to be at the base of the mountains by daybreak (and that is when most of the wildlife is very active).

    I’ve seen many rattlesnakes, javelina and bobcats. I know there are Puma in the Canyon but thankfully have not ever seen one. Gee, the only dangerous thing I saw on the Camino was a fox (who was more fearful of me) and naturally the shepharding dogs.

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    • Arlene, Sounds like you have the training walks down to precision. I am familiar with Tucson and can’t think of a better place to train. I had some mild hills here in east Texas, but nothing like you have there. With my hearing, I would be afraid of the rattlesnakes. I know you are excited about having a rematch with the Camino. I look forward to the same. Sounds like you will be well prepared, or as prepared as anyone can be. Wont be long now and I know you are excited. Are you going to post a blog?

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      • I think I should be prepared and this time will be able to enjoy all the sights around me. Last year I was so intent on getting to the next place that I missed much.
        I do have a blog, I’m updating it every now and then now (after all who wants to read about this or that training hike it can get boring) but hope to keep it more up to the minute while on Camino.
        The address is http://arlenemourier.wordpress.com/

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        • I know exactly what you mean about getting to the next place. I had the Brierley Guide Book which was valuable for information, but I tended to get caught up in what was “supposed” to be the next destination. But again, most of the friends we made along the way were going to those destinations also. But, ideally, I would like to play it looser and just follow my PGS as far as where I would end up each day. The second half of my Camino was more that way. I like the story of the 68 year old couple that walked it in 49 days.

          I started blogging during my training hikes so that I could debug my iPad Mini and iPhone Camera and make sure that I had a pretty good mastery before I hit the trail. So, I did not care if anyone read it as much as just making sure I could write it. BTW, I started it after being introduced to this blog, and I did it on an iPad and used Blogsy because Bill did. He told me about Blogsy for ease of adding pictures.

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          • I use a Samsung Galaxy Note phone and last year sent email updates to those friends interested. But this year I am hoping to walk my Camino for donations to theTucson Wildlife Center and probably will be carrying a Galaxy Notepad as well because I think it will be easier to post emails and the blog. I’m thinking I’ll probably start shopping for that pretty soon. I don’t know anything about Blogsy, you or Bill will have to tell (teach) me about that.
            If you would rather send me an email explaining as to not have unrelated topics on this blog, feel free
            mlle.du.m@hotmail.com

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  7. Wondering aloud….do you think if people walked not quite so far and/or not quite so fast they might have fewer injuries?

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    • Hi Rachael,
      I think the most important thing that a pilgrim can do is take care of a foot problem before it becomes a problem thereby eliminating the injury that may pop us. By that I mean if there is the slightest discomfort, STOP, take off the shoes and message the foot(feet) turn the socks inside out and put them back on the other foot. If a hot spot is developing put some compeed or duck tape over it. I think so many injuries come from a problem with the feet – if they are taken care of before they become bigger problems that can cause a change in ones gait, there won’t be an injury. I only had one small blister when I walked the Camino and I didn’t even know I had that till I saw the dried up skin after the fact.
      And yes, of course walking not quite so far and slowing ones pace certainly will help prevent injuries.

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    • Hi Rachel. You would have to believe that is true, but the Camino is a strange place and you should be ready for the unexpected. I am amazed that some people develop blisters the last week that had no problem before. If nothing else, perhaps you would not get quite so sore, and most people do get sore. Steve

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      • Hey Bill,
        You do know I was NOT referring to your whipping yourself with long distances eh;-) I thought long and hard before allowing myself to post the question in case it might be misunderstood!!!!

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        • Rachel, Never fail to post for fear of being misunderstood. Just because someone does not understand you does not mean you are wrong. And to elaborate a little more, given Mr. Bennett’s knee and foot ailments, perhaps you have hit on a lesson here. πŸ™‚

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        • Oh Rachael,

          I read your post fast, just before going into the Neurologist.

          My big fat mistake! And then I re-read it later and realised.

          I love your posts – they always come at things from a different angle. I always have to think long and hard before replying to you, which is good!

          Bill

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  8. PS: Arlene’s advice to treat a hot spot or sore spot immediately is spot on. Having said that, it is hard to put into practice when you are trucking along, but it is definitely the right thing to do and one that will pay dividends.

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    • Steve, I’ve been following along the best I can in a thunderstorm that keeps knocking out my wifi. I couldn’t agree more that you need to be extra vigilant about your physical problems so they don’t develop into Camino-destroying situations.All thing considered, would you say then that there are people who shouldn’t walk the Camino due to their physical problems or poor conditioning?

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      • Sister, I don’t know that I would say there are people who shouldn’t walk the Camino, as we have all heard stories of people walking it with extreme disabilities and limitations, so it is not for me to say. But I would certainly encourage everyone to know their own limitations and be aware of any potential consequences, and be willing to stop if prudence dictates. Having the wisdom to know when further perseverance could cause permanent injury is essential. Don’t just take a Pollyanna attitude that the Camino will take care of it’s on no matter what the physical difficulty. I think that most people who start the Camino complete it just fine but with a few aches and pains.

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        • I’ve often wondered what it was like for the early pilgrims. I don’t find stories of their hardship, but then not much was being written about them. But I can’t help thinking that since most of them would be accustomed to walking everywhere they may not have had the aches and pains we experience.

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          • Sister, I can’t even imagine what they had to go through and their commitment to complete. Yeah, maybe their feet did not get so sore, but on the other hand, they did not have the $220 Lowa trekking boots that I had to ease my foot pain. Having said that, even those did not relieve it completely. Worked great in the mornings. I need to make adjustments mid walk and take a break each day and roll around on a tennis ball or such as Bhasma suggested. Steve

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          • The only thing I know for certain that they did differently was taking much more time to complete the pilgrimage. They didn’t have to rush back to office jobs and modern responsibilities! I think the real difference was their religion being more of a priority, so taking months off to walk a Camino was part social, part religious-and standard practice.Certainly daily life was harder and more physically demanding for them than for us!And it was more common for them to bring the whole family along, and often a milk cow or some chickens, too.

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  9. All my thanks for the care of my blistered feet goes to the physio who volunteers his time at the municipal albergue in Santa Domingo. He opened my blisters on the balls of my feet and on my toes, cleaned them, applied an antibiotic cream and then taped them. He recommended that I only wear my thick outer socks, and change into dry ones every 3 hours. His treatment, good advice and my continuing to tape my feet took me all the way to Santiago. Yes I too trained and prepared at home, but once on the Camino especially in the wet weather we had, coming downhill in the mud – Roncesvalles and Zubiri – come to mind, even with poles my feet were doing a lot of slipping and sliding in my boots. I managed to come all the way down the muddy path into Zubiri and then took a tumble on some loose stones just before the bridge. Thank goodness I only came away with a scraped knee and covered in mud. I know of at least 2 people who broke bones along the Way, one a leg and another an arm when they took tumbles. We all land up with injuries and pain on the Camino, it’s just the degree that differs and how we as individuals are able to bear our pain.

    In September last year I discovered I needed to have a ruptured disc in my neck replaced (between c4 & c5), I had the surgery done and now have a titanium disc. It was the right thing for me to do in preparation for my Camino. In January I started rehabilitation exercise with a personal trainer and physio. I never once had the pain in my shoulder and neck that I suffered with for at least 5 years before my surgery. Take care of any pain that causes you any discomfort before you go on the Camino it’s all part of making sure that you are reasonably well prepared – the Camino will still spring surprises on you no matter how well prepared you may think you are.

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    • Hi Sandy,

      That fellow at Santo Domingo is fabulous, isn’t he. I was treated by the lady at the front desk, and she was amazing too. I think her name was Estrella. She was a nurse. That albergue there was a godsend to pilgrims with foot problems.

      And you’re absolutely right about fixing chronic medical problems before you go – one thing I learnt, a 800 km walk ain’t going to make them any better!

      Bill

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    • Sandy, Thanks so much for the comments and insights. Sorry to be late responding but unlike Bill, I do sleep at night time. I know the man you are speaking of in Santo Domingo, and apparently he has made that his work for the last 12 years, asking only for donations. He worked on Jill’s feet as well.

      I slipped and fell on a muddy slope once myself, but fortunately the results consisted only of a bruised ego and muddy bottom. The mud was treacherous on our Camino.

      You were smart to take care of the neck problem before your Camino and I am sure it allowed you to be much more relaxed and less anxious. It might have even allowed you to finish. I went so far to have a complete cardiological exam with all the various tests that went with it. I had not had one in 15 years, and at 70 years old, I just thought it prudent. All was well.

      Yes, the Camino will spring surprises on you, and perhaps the biggest is, like Bill has said, how hard it is physically. I thought I would get conditioned to it more as I walked, but I never did. I think taking rest days once a week or so might be a good thing to give your body a break. Maybe next time.

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  10. A handy hint, and something that doesn’t cost or weigh much is to bring an (old) tennis ball and roll (really lean into it!) your foot on it morning and night for at least a minute. To some extent it gives a better massage that you can do yourself (or at least for someone like me with arthritic knees that won’t bend enough to give me really good access to my feet, nor thumbs strong enough to dig in!!); or you could be lucky to meet someone who does foot massage πŸ™‚

    As for preparedness, I do think that if you try to mimic anything you think you might encounter, it might make it easier on the Way, because at least your mind and body would recognise some of what you put them through, and you’d know that on your training walks at home, you did survive that hard slog up through a muddy slope, the walk in the belting rain, the dusty track with the sun blinding you, etc etc. Mental preparedness, I think, is nearly as important as the physical. Except maybe for the very young, who are too arrogant and self-confident to think anything could go wrong!!

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    • Ah Britta –

      good advice re the tennis ball.

      And recreating as close as possible conditions you might encounter is really good advice too.

      Ultimately you can never really train properly for the Camino, because we’re talking 30-40 days walking 20-30kms a day. With a backpack.

      But walking with the boots you’re going to take, doing some long hikes, doing some mountain hiking and trail hiking – all these things help.

      And you’re right – the people who seemed often to have the most probs were the young ‘uns, because they didn’t think they had to be careful!

      Bill

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    • Bhasma, Thanks for the input and I recall you advising the tennis ball trick earlier. That certainly would have been beneficial for my Camino. I would think it would be a great mid day exercise as well. My feet were great every morning but by the second half of my walk, they always hurt. I just tried the tennis ball and it was great. πŸ™‚

      I agree that your training walks at home might mimic your walks on the Camino to some extent, but no topography at home related to the Camino. Just do the best you can; be aware of pre Camino injuries, and try to resolve them before the Camino. Just be realistic and use common sense. It usually works, particularly if you throw some PGS into the mix.

      Mental preparedness is huge. The wrong mental attitude can squash your Camino just as surely as physical injury, and maybe more so. But the right mental attitude can take you through days and aches and pains that might lead you to quit without it. I found myself breaking my days down into small components and considered it a victory when I accomplished each one and then set sail for the next.

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