Practice Makes Perfect

August 27 8:05am--my next door neighbors and I started our last group hiking excursion before we leave for Portugal on September 9--a ten mile hike.  This was the longest hike for me thus far.  So with our eyes on the skies and fingers crossed that hurricane Irene wouldn't dump rain on our journey we started out.  Portia (the next door neighbor and leader of our group of pilgrims) had thoughtfully marked our route with half mile and mile markers so we could keep track of our progress.  Because of the hurricane the skies were overcast and there was a breeze (sometimes a wind) blowing on us the whole time--very pleasant hiking conditions.  Our journey in Portugal and Spain will be road walking with some path walking thrown in.  We thought this would be an excellent opportunity to practice our road walking.  What an experience it was to walk these winding country roads with the cars zooming up and down.  It was frightening in places and I kept wondering what the Portuguese and Spanish drivers would be like!  We walked to our half way point, sat down and had a short snack and then hoisted ourselves back up--it is quite difficult to get up with a 25 pound on your back--and started our journey back.  On the way back we walked in a quiet line spread out by several yards thinking our own thoughts and enjoying the sites.  It seemed to me that the journey back took less time than the journey out--an illusion of not knowing where you are going vs. knowing you are going home.  Portia tells me the way of the Camino is this:  walk in the morning to early afternoon, stop at an albergue for the night, eat, shower, wash clothes, hang said clothes out to dry and nap.  Just to make sure I understood the practice I ate lunch with Portia and Rick at their house and then trudged up my hilly side yard to my house, went inside, showered and layed down in the bed and slept for three hours.  Camino practice completed successfully!

Stepped on a Snake

A few weeks ago my neighbors and I went hiking on the Appalachian Trail near Boonesboro Maryland.  This was no easy feat!  The terrain was rocky and rough.  It was literally hiking along a ridge that was completely shaded but HOT and humid.  The underbrush and forest were so wooded that it there was a breeze it didn't often reach us.  We hiked over rocks and then more rocks--ROCKS were everywhere and there was literally no way to turn them off!  My next door neighbor was the leader of our tiny group--she was so encouraging and patient with me and the other hiker who happened to be her husband.  We hiked slowly but she always waited for us if she couldn't see us when she turned around.  As we were hiking along I stepped on a snake!  Any of you who know me at all will know that I have a paralyzing fear of snakes.  Thankfully this one was dead and my neighbor's husband said it had been dead for about three years but I beg to differ as it was still spongy and snake-looking!  Since that hike I've seen three more snakes--I ran over one near our neighborhood as the poor thing was trying to cross the road one evening (honestly there was no way I could swerve to avoid it), I saw the tail end of a HUGE black snake as it was diving into a corn field on Route 80 near my home and just yesterday there was another snake dead in the middle of the road (and probably stinking to high heaven although I wouldn't have been able to tell with the windows up and the A/C blasting.)  My good friend Kathy said that perhaps the snake siteings are a totem of some sort.  After I dropped her off at her house she emailed me a short time later sending me a few links to snake totem websites.  One site said if a snake crosses your path your creative forces will be awakened and your intuition will sharpen and be more accurate.  You will be moving towards change another site said.  Perhaps my intuition will sharpen in that I will be more watchful of the snake that I fear so much and I will be more accurate where I place my feet and hiking poles!  I am definately moving towards change of some sort and anxiously await the days to come to see what change is coming my way.

From The Beginning

A few years ago my next door neighbor says to me "hey, want to go hiking in Portugal with me?"  I'm all about adventure so I say "sure."  I chatted with my husband about the adventure, invited him to go along, promised him I would get into shape, and then left it alone for a while.  Last last year my neighbor says to me "hey, still want to go to Portugal with me?"  Again I say "sure!"  I reminded my husband that I was asked to go, invited him to go along, and promised him I would get into shape.  I convinced another neighbor to go along on the adventure and in January 2011 we purchased our tickets and our little group of seven backpackers commited ourselves to the journey.  We are going on a pilgramage.  We will be traversing the Camino de Santiago (the Portuguese route)--for 150 miles starting in Porto Portugal where the port wine flows and ending two weeks later in Santiago Spain. http://www.caminhoportuguesdesantiago.com/EN/caminho.php This weblink will give you a little idea of the route and the meaning. I've never even thought I could undertake anything so physically taxing.  I've spent a small fortune on "supplies" like shoes, socks, light weight clothes, sports bras, etc. so I can carry my worldly belongings on my back from town to town along the journey. I've packed my pack, loaded it on my back with said belongings and have been practicing my hiking around our neighborhood.  My next door neighbor is a Priest in the Episcopal Church--this will be a spiritual journey for her.  For me, too, perhaps or perhaps a test of my faith or a look inward at myself.  I am looking forward to seeing what the journey teaches me along the way and hope the eyes in my head and in my heart are open to see the lessons.