Day 3 - On the Road to Pamplona

Dave drinks his cereal bowl just like I do. 

Scary how many things we have in common. 

(Mike)

We ran into some cute girls from Australia.

They were all so darling. 

(Mike)

The Aussie girls jumped and clicked their feet! 

We are too sore to bend down and tie our boots.

(Mike)

Mike, looking down the loooooong road ahead.

More flat land and small, country farms. Very pretty.

It rained really hard for the first hour, then sunny.

Gorgeous clouds. (Mike)

That is Dave, always ahead of me.

He is just a little faster. (Mike)

Stopped for lunch (icy drinks and leftover rolls from breakfast).

Met a cute group from Vanderbilt that looked like babies.

(Mike)

Mike, pointing out the Spanish flora and leading the way. (Dave)

Small church offered a nice, cool respite from the day.

(Mike)

"Anyone seen a yellow arrow for the Camino? I think I'm lost."

(Dave, speaking for Mike)

Getting on to Pamplona. 

We covered 12.3 miles before we were through.

(Mike)

Didi, from yesterday's story, with his friend's grandchild.

(Mike)

Ran into somebody that actually walks a little slower than I do.

(Mike)

Yuck. (Sue)

Dave, on the bridge at Pamplona; we're a little tired. (Mike)

Mike, taking a load off on a bridge entering Pamplona. 

Today we walked  6 1/2 hours. (Dave)

I think they will enjoy their day of rest tomorrow! (Sue)

As we enter the old fort of Pamplona, we can see the end

of today's journey, which went up 1280 feet and down 1570.

(Mike)

Nice, stone-paved streets of Old Town.

The old Plaza del Castillo, the heart of the city.

Where I plan on spending the next two nights.

Shower is fantastic, times 100. (Mike)

And here is the Aussie Camino chant video,

 for your viewing pleasure.

One quick story from Dave:

At the small church pictured below on the Camino, we stopped to take part in a sweet tradition. I put all the names inscribed on the rocks I'm carrying for my loved ones on a paper sticker, with the words, "God bless." Mike wrote, "Max, if we are worthy, we will be with you again." 

If you look at the second picture below, just above Christ's left hand in the picture, you will see Mike's sticker for little Max...high up, so it stays there longer. 

 

Your sacred gift to us is this:
a clear view of forever.
The path to you glows straight and true.
One day, we’ll be together.

In that great day, our eager arms
will reach no more in vain.
God’s work fulfilled, our longing stilled,
we’ll hold you once again.

∞§∞

And what a happy day that will be! (Sue)

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Day 2 - On the Road to Zubiri

 We begin with two final photos from Roncesvalles yesterday:

 Dinner with 100 other pilgrims, great company. Onward to Zubiri.

 Hold on a minute! The last sign we saw said 765 kilometers!!

We didn't let a little rain bother us. Mostly farm country today.

Are we starting to look like pilgrims yet?

 Mike Taylor, king of the hill...

the trail...

and the bridge!

Of course, it's fairly clear here who is the tallest.

Mike, ever the public servant, took to the bushes to "kill weeds."

Old, craggy, worn-down, rain-soaked and moss-covered.

(The tree, too.)

 After 13.2 miles and a steep descent, Zubiri is lookin' fine. 

A warm shower and cold drink never tasted so good!

A couple more stories from Dave:

One little town today had rain gutters flowing down the street. They looked like the gutters in Brigham City, reminding me of happy days with my grandparents. Mike said they reminded him of his grandparents, too, who lived in Bear River. We had a nice time talking about our roots while we walked in the rain. (Too bad we didn't have a couple of balsam boats to float down the "stream"...or even two big leaves!) No matter how far we travel in life, those childhood joys stay with us.

We have seen Didi three or four times in our first two days, always outside his car wherever the Camino crosses a road, waiting. The first time was yesterday, way up near the top of the Pyrenees, on a narrow mountain road. The second was down near the bottom, at another road crossing. The third time we ran across him, Mike finally asked what he was waiting for. He explained that he had met a woman from Australia while walking the Camino a number of years ago. They became fast friends and have stayed in touch over the years. She wanted to walk it again with her 19-year-old granddaughter but was concerned about whether she could manage the pilgrimage now that she is in her 60s. Didi, though quite a bit younger, had developed a bad back and couldn't walk the distance any more. He offered to meet them at each crossing from St. Jean to Pamplona, just to make sure they were doing okay. Friends––watching out for each other on the Camino.

From yesterday: We met Livia climbing a steep path in the Pyrenees, just before the Virgin Mary statue. She had two backpacks: a large one on her back and a medium one she was hugging in front. She struggled under the weight, so we asked if we could help carry the load. Livia was grateful, explaining that the airlines had lost her luggage. She had bought the medium pack as a replacement, with enough clothes and supplies to get her by. Her hike started in France, and when the woman from the airlines learned what Livia was doing, she promised to find her luggage and get it to her along the way. Encouraged by the kind airline employee to go on with her pilgrimage, Livia did just that. As it happens, the luggage had never even left Los Angeles! The airline woman called Livia long distance, on her day off, to arrange delivery in St. Jean Pied de Port. Lots of extra effort by that employee to help Livia! Livia later saw us some distance off the trail, at the Virgin Mary statue. Without being asked, she hiked the extra steps out of her way to take a picture with both of us in it. Another great example of Camino camaraderie. It was also an interesting commentary on the extra burdens we sometimes carry and how they come to be there, often entirely unplanned and through no fault of our own. Sometimes we don't even realize they are there, or at least how heavy they are, until someone offers to help us carry them. How much lighter the load is when we bear one another's burdens. 

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Day 1, Braving the Pyrenees

Officially registering as pilgrims in Saint Jean Pied de Port.

Lighting the first of many candles along the way...

Leaving St. Jean for the Pyrenees at 8:30 AM.

Fog until Orrison. Gorgeous, soaring, mystical views.

Enjoying the moment above the fog at Orrison.

Look at that manly man of mine. Just sayin'.  ;)

(Quote by Sue)

Still climbing!

Making strides toward the statue of Mary and baby Jesus.

Is hopping on a horse a temptation at this point? ;)

Great "group" picture!

(Quote from Mike)

Mary and baby Jesus keeping an eye on a couple of

 knuckleheads on the Camino. (Quote from Dave)

Almost to the top. They've come a long way, baby!

Mike leaves a ribbon and a prayer for a loved family member.

Summiting is good. Ready to climb over that highest peak.

"We've got to go over that!" (Fake quote from Mike.)

765 kilometers to Compostela. About 1.3 million steps.

Beechwood forest on the way down.

Boots stepping through the deep leaves: nice sound!

(Quote from Dave)

Destination in sight!

Lookin' good!

 They start down the hill. Two more miles to food and a bed!

And now the reward: Goat cheese and soda in Roncesvalles. 

"That was a day!"

(Quote from Mike)

And in keeping with the day, our dauntless pilgrims are taking in Mass tonight. 

Hey, when you're in Rome, right...? (Or Roncesvalles).

A couple of first-day stories from Dave along the way...

On our way to Roncesvalles from Saint Jean, we met a young couple from Columbia. The woman was having great difficulty pushing her bike (loaded with gear) up the steep trail to Orisson. Mike walked over, took the bike by the handlebars, and pushed it up the mountain quite a way; then I had a turn. Even Mike and I tired quickly, so it's good we were there to help her. The two were very grateful, and we made some new friends. This was our first experience of that Camino spirit we have heard and read so much about.

Further up the mountain, we met a man named Pierre. He was traveling with an employee who runs his business in Poland. Pierre lives in Saint Jean and grew up there. He has traveled all over the world for his job, but he eventually returned to purchase his parent's home, where he now resides. He explained that, as a young man, he was anxious to get away and see the world, but the years taught him that the best place to live was back where he had begun. I guess staying close to your roots is important, no matter where you come from.

We ran into Pierre again at lunch in Orisson, and he invited us to sit with him. He really helped us to order food. During lunch, he told us about the Basque history in the area. (He is northern Basque.) As a child, he was not allowed to speak Basque in school. They forced French, in order to get rid of Basque culture. Apparently, the Basque are a very independent group, and the culture still survives and thrives. Pierre is 78 years old and easily hiked up the hills. He was so generous with his time, and Mike and I both grabbed for the bill when it came. We wanted to thank him for his kindness to us with a meal, and both he and his companion seemed touched by the gesture...a second experience of the Camino spirit.

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and read more about the cause Mike and Dave 

are supporting with their walk.

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Sue's Take on the Camino

A man who walks with God always reaches his destination.

Admittedly, I am just one of the wives in this endeavor (Dave's wife, to be exact), but since I will be helping out with the upkeep of this blog while the guys are on their long walk across Spain, maybe it's okay for me to say a few words now and again. I hope so, because I might not be able to resist!

Part of what appeals to me about Dave and Mike's undertaking is their eagerness to make this walk mean something. Today I ran across Trail to Peak, a wonderful blog by Drew Robinson. He describes his experience on the Camino de Santiago path as a "transformative" one, and I know my husband and his buddy are looking for similar opportunities to learn and progress spiritually on this trip.

I have been touched to see that their main focus is not on themselves but on the people they love. My husband is "carrying" his loved ones with him in the form of small rocks inscribed with our names, intending to leave each one at a meaningful place along the way. Together, these stones weigh five pounds, but he feels that bearing that extra weight will be not a burden, but a blessing. Dave actually got the idea from Mike, who is likewise focused on friends and family as he makes this trip. I happen to know he will be placing a rock or two of his own. :)

I love the intention of their Camino walk, honoring the people they care about most, but the guys have taken this idea even a step further. The two of them are dedicating their journey to suicide prevention and improved treatment for mental illness, issues with personal meaning in their lives. Mike and Dave are welcoming donations through a YouCaring site and would greatly appreciate your help, if you are able to extend it. All funds collected will be given to three terrific organizations that have made a difference for their loved ones. In other words, the recipients (Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services, Hope4Utah, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness - Santa Clara County) have been tried, tested, and found worthy of the help they will receive and pass on to others.

It all begins on Thursday, when they board the plane. I hope you will visit often and follow along with Dave and Mike on their Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. I think it's going to be both inspirational and entertaining...

As you can see, Mike is more than prepared!

;)

Dave's Take on the Camino

Crossing the Pyrenees, Camino de Santiago

When Mike Taylor first asked me if I would like to accompany him on his Camino de Santiago trip, I said yes pretty quickly. We had spoken of the pilgrimage before and even watched a movie about it called "The Way." It seemed like an adventure, and that appealed to me. Later, in talking to Mike, I began to see this as more than just a fun thing to do. We started talking about the possibilities of making it a spiritual experience as well, and one way we are doing that is by supporting two causes that are important to both of us and our families: suicide prevention and improved treatment for mental illness. The three organizations we chose to donate to are ones that have directly helped friends and family members, so they are important to us. We hope to raise enough money to help them help others, and we have set up a YouCaring page to assist us in making that happen. Now all we need is your help, and we hope you will consider donating. Most of us know and love people who struggle with mental health in one way or another, and supporting them in their efforts to get and stay well is good for everyone concerned. (Just click the link in the sidebar for more details. Of course, if you are on your cell phone, there is no sidebar. In that case, just click here.)

Whether you decide to donate or not, we hope you will follow our blog here and kind of travel along with us vicariously. We will post pictures and experiences on a regular basis. Mike and I intend to log 500 miles if our feet hold  up! No "quest" for the weary, as they say...Our flight leaves Thursday, and we will be on our way.