Onwards & upwards & upwards & upwards & finally down
So, yesterday I wrote about the unexpected pleasures of walking slowly uphill… I’m so ridiculous! Why would I write such a thing knowing that the very next day (that would be today) was going to include a roughly 1300 feet climb over around 5 miles, or thereabouts?
Well, my little blog post did help keep my attitude mostly positive, as least to start with. The most steep sections were at the beginning then it was just a long, slow, hard slog upwards. I tried all kinds of meditative ideas… mantras, paying attention to everything I could hear… but in the end it was just the slow monotony of one step after another. And eventually we reached the top.
By then the heavens had opened and we were soaked, and so was the trail. The final descent into A Armenteira was so difficult - slippery, scary rocks, slick mud paths. It was a mess. I was a mess. Twice I had to turn around and go down backwards on all fours because I was so scared of falling. I cried. I swore. I cried again. It wasn’t at all pretty. It felt desperate.
But eventually we reached the bottom and the welcoming arms of the monastery where we are staying. I’m not sure I’ve ever been so relieved to reach a destination!
After getting cleaned up and hanging all our wet stuff out to dry, we went to the Vespers service that is hosted by the nuns for pilgrims. It was in Spanish, so I did not understand much. But it felt good to be inside these ancient walls, participating in a service that honors the pilgrims who are on their pilgrimage today and thinking of those who have passed this way before, for centuries.
Tomorrow is Palm Sunday and we are taking another rest day here at the monastery. The question that has re-emerged for me, especially after today, is… why? Why take on this physically challenging task, this pilgrimage, this Camino?
Why force my body to do something so unreasonable, so extreme?
I need some answers. We have four more walking days before we reach Santiago, so hopefully that’s enough time to figure this out!
Note to self: It might not have been a bad idea to figure this out before embarking on this journey 🤣
