Camino - Third Day of Walking

Congratulations to all our pilgrims on completing our longest walk of the trip!

From Gatsby O:

The concept of walking 18 miles over the course of the day is daunting. Not only is there the physical aspect of trudging up and down hills, but also the thought that will inevitably run through one’s head asking “why — why do I have to do this? What is the point?” I can assure you that such a thought ran through my head multiple times today. Feet and legs aching, our group walked along the Camino, lost in thought, conversation or music. I was so preoccupied by the concept of taking a break, that I missed the scenery and serenity that comes with our pilgrimage. Thankfully, this stupor would soon pass. 

We happened upon a church and entered. It was quaint, with a few pews, an old man stamping pilgrims passports, a statue of the Virgin Mary, and a row of candles. 

Seeing the church, lovingly decorated, forced me to stop. The scene that spread out before me was one of pure gratitude and peace — the very thing that a pilgrimage is supposed to cultivate. 

As we exited the little church, a new mindset had taken over me. A goal to cultivate gratitude in this walk — a goal to be as peaceful, grateful and happy as the little church was. 

 

From Tripp P:

Today was the longest of the 5 days of hiking that we are going to do. In order to do this we had to wake up the earliest we have and leave at 7:30. We had breakfast and left right after so we would have enough time for this hike. Throughout the day we found many other groups of Peregrinos walking along - people from Spain to LA. Meeting these groups of people who speak Spanish is nice because I get to use my Spanish that I’ve learned for the past 11 years and it is a nice accomplishment to be able to have somewhat of a conversation. For lunch we stopped at an Octopus shop and a few of us tried it - it’s not that bad actually. This restaurant was a common stopping point for the Peregrinos and we talked to some more Spaniards. While along the trail we all talk and share stories from school and our lives and I really enjoy the bonding experience.