Day 1 Well, The First Days are the Hardest Days

Garcia and Hunter were right. Today was a beast. I have often written in blogs past of each day’s experiences and offerings to the mind and senses. I like to start the day with my mind as a blank slate and then let the day paint what it will creating thoughts, playing with the senses, and oftentimes my mind will wander through many settings thoughts and ideas. Today, one element dominated my thoughts- the physical. Day 1 lived up to its billing as “the toughest day of the whole Norte Camino”. It took me almost 9 hours to complete and I struggled mightily. At the top of the toughest climb sat a church built in the 16th Century. I went in and prayed, or perhaps begged, for God to give me the strength to finish the challenge he put before me. I repeated that prayer many times on the walk, while beating back the urge to call a taxi. Indeed God helped me to find within myself the physical and emotional strength needed to finish.

I had IT problems including my GPS freezing on me so my Camino App stopped working. By the time I noticed I had walked a few miles off course, adding to today’s challenges. My Relive App, which records my walk, cut out as well so I don’t have any video of today’s walk nor do I know the total mileage- perhaps it’s for the best. On the bright side, the weather was spectacular.