The Idea of Camino

[William Garza]

I wonder how many,if any get caught up in the idea...or ideal of the Camino
To be sure it captured my imagination and reinforced by videos and pictures.
I am quick to seek and find the good in things.
But
Amidst all the opertunities..there would be walking, sweat,footsore ness
Hard time sleeping
Pain.

What would ratio out in the end.
Having to measure my cost physically vs benefit more often than not.
Would the pleasure outweigh the toll incurred.

And makes me wonder..how many people give up when the journey isnt as potent as to what was imagined..hoped for.

 

[Sirage]

The potency is slow acting and increases after you finish and get home.

So the thought of giving up during the journey, for that reason, is likely to be a premature act.

 

[David]

Interesting ... your error perhaps is to have that balance scales in the mind .. good things vs bad things as if only 'good things' make a 'good' Camino, whereas the truth is that there are only things .. they are neither good nor bad until our mind labels them, until we attach a negative or positive emotion to them. All events are teachings.

Instead we could instead accept all 'as it is' as it arises ... were one to condense the whole of the forty years teachings of the Buddha, and the billions of words written after, into one word it would be 'detach' - our pain and suffering (and joys) come from unconsciously attaching a specific emotion to each thing that arises in our lives ... learn the mind skill of not attaching those conditioned response emotions and we walk Camino just living it as it happens - there lies your 'good' Camino -

 

[dick bird]

And makes me wonder..how many people give up when the journey isnt as potent as to what was imagined..hoped for.

I have no way of knowing this for sure, but I believe very few people give up the camino and most of those who do are compelled to by sickness, injury or outside circumstances - family emergencies for example. We humans have evolved to walk and considering we only do it on two of our four limbs we are remarkably good at it.

 

[dougfitz]

This was raised in quite different context at a recent Canberra Friends of the Camino meeting. One person who has walked many pilgrimages was reflecting on the time that she was accompanied by her pre-teen granddaughter. They individually prepared a diary entry for each day, which they later shared. My friend was very surprised to find that many days where she thought things hadn't gone well, her granddaughter found things to celebrate. Simple things like not being able to walk because of the weather was seen by my friend as an unfortunate delay, but her granddaughter was overjoyed that they spent time reading together. There were many times she found that she had not appreciated the alternative view her granddaughter offered.

I also wonder whether we, as a community, are responsible for raising expectations in ways that sees some people feeling disappointed and upset when they find some of the realities not to their liking. What might have otherwise have been accepted as part of the vagaries of life on the camino is viewed as unsatisfactory and a target for remediation.

 

[woody66]

Hi William!
I started with fears and ended with tears (happy ones)
Some parts i thought nah this is bl***dy hard too hard! (especially when trying to navigate a collapsed path worse than a rubble strewn building site)
Then a while later something would take my breath away; and the bad bit faded away!

I think that if you are going to walk a second or third Camino etc.; the good bits must outweigh the bad!

 

[davejsy]

One person who has walked many pilgrimages was reflecting on the time that she was accompanied by her pre-teen granddaughter. They individually prepared a diary entry for each day, which they later shared. My friend was very surprised to find that many days where she thought things hadn't gone well, her granddaughter found things to celebrate. Simple things like not being able to walk because of the weather was seen by my friend as an unfortunate delay, but her granddaughter was overjoyed that they spent time reading together. There were many times she found that she had not appreciated the alternative view her granddaughter offered.

How wonderful.

 

[davejsy]

At it's most basic, it is a big walk, and realistically that should be the only expectation along with the trials and tribulations that any big walk out in the open may entail.

I think the minute the expectations (which is different to hope) fall outside of this then that is when people could become disillusioned and give up for reasons other than physical reasons. And maybe those who are unfortunate enough to suffer negative experiences at the hands of fellow humans.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Yesterday on a different thread which @MichaelC started, he gave a very thorough account of his walk on the Via Francigena in Italy. As I read his post, I felt that he was a little disappointed by certain things, which I respected. I had a different experience than him in some regards, so I then decided to post a short recap of my walk, as it had a few different recollections of my enjoyment.
Our takeaways after walking the same path as someone else, will always be a little or a lot different in the "ratio" in the amount of good to bad.

 

[Bob P]

It seems that those who "plan for greatness" may be disappointed. Whereas those that plan for "the experience", gather enjoyment. Just saying.

 

[G_the_D]

All events are teachings.

This is so true. It may seem that each day starts with an uphill climb, but by rhe end of the days walking, none of that matters. What matters (to me) is the overall experience.
The events combine to an experience. Live the experience. Remember the events. Judge the totality.
My guess is the experience will be positive and be the overwhelming majority of your memories make it all worthwhile.

Gord

 

[Silvermomma]

Expectations—those are tricky.
Putting the Camino on a “Bucket List”—recipe for disaster.
Just walk.

 

[NJohn]

I also wonder whether we, as a community, are responsible for raising expectations in ways that sees some people feeling disappointed and upset when they find some of the realities not to their liking. What might have otherwise have been accepted as part of the vagaries of life on the camino is viewed as unsatisfactory and a target for remediation.

I loved your answer to this comment. And this at the end jumped out at me. My first Camino in 2022 was one of 4 years of planning after a delayed start in 2020. In that time, I did so much research, watched so many videos - I did have high hopes. And…my Camino was magical. Now I did have bad days, there were a few injuries (luckily minor) and we ended with several days of rain, especially one horrendous day going to Finesterre. But it was truly amazing.
I’m heading on another shorter Camino this fall - Astorga to Santiago- and I’m working on tamping down my expectations, knowing it won’t be like last time. It’s hard though. I just have to keep telling myself- it’s a brand new experience. Take the good with the bad.

 

[bullingtonce]

I wonder how many,if any get caught up in the idea...or ideal of the Camino
To be sure it captured my imagination and reinforced by videos and pictures.
I am quick to seek and find the good in things.
But
Amidst all the opertunities..there would be walking, sweat,footsore ness
Hard time sleeping
Pain.

What would ratio out in the end.
Having to measure my cost physically vs benefit more often than not.
Would the pleasure outweigh the toll incurred.

And makes me wonder..how many people give up when the journey isnt as potent as to what was imagined..hoped for.

Giving up is success because it is failure that makes one stronger, more courageous. One who has not encountered failure in life is a failure. Failure is to be celebrated but of course not when one has not learned from the failure.

 

[lt56ny]

I also wonder whether we, as a community, are responsible for raising expectations in ways that sees some people feeling disappointed and upset when they find some of the realities not to their liking. What might have otherwise have been accepted as part of the vagaries of life on the camino is viewed as unsatisfactory and a target for remediation.

First let me say that the story about the grandmother/granddaughter is a valuable life lesson we should all remember about assumptions and what may be one person's dream is another's nightmare (maybe a litle extreme of an example but I haven't finished my coffee this morning).
Secondly, I could not agree with you more regarding the words I quoted from you. I know others may disagree or find my words "offensive", I honestly don't worry about that any more. When I read on the forum, or listen on podcasts how often we use terms like the courage and bravery people have to walk the camino in almost every situation is absolutely laughable to me. Yes there are some that have to overcome deep emotional scars, health, or physical handicaps which may make walking incredibly difficult. We could all tell stories of these people who do exhibit courage. But in a vast number of cases it is not courage it is just challenging yourself to do what you may have thought you could not. If this is courage what is the fireman/woman who rushes in a flaming building and walks up two flights of stairs to rescue someone? What is the soldier who retrieves a fellow soldier wounded on a battlefield and risks their life to carry a comrade out of harm's way under enemy fire? What word would you use for that?
I do believe that todays threshold of what is a life changing experience is a very low bar to rise above. I personally think that the number of people, especially those who walk just a few days,and are physically able to carry their own packs and are walking 15-20k a day, sleeping in hotels who "celebrate" their camino and their profound, life altering experience, stretches the boundary of my belief. Please do not get me started on pilgrim "families". Yes for many they are wonderful but I have met more than a few pilgrims who are walking with infected blisters, or extremely painful injuries because the "must" keep up with their family. I always have told them, they are friends not family. If you were walking with your mother, father,wife/husband etc., would they let you walk in your condition. Of course not because they love you with their lives because THEY are your family.
I think we should offer encouragement to each other and especially to new pilgrims. Help calm fears we have all had, especially on our first camino. I am walking my 9th Camino this year and have walked over 9,000K and still have some anxiety before my camino. Finally we should encourage our new pilgrim friends to clear their mind of expectations and allow the camino to guide them. The experience will give most people wonderful memories, possibly greater awareness, new found confidence to try things they didn't think was possible, and yes for some a profound and moving experience.
We should give each other encouragement and support but let us not elevate the camino from a an wonderful experience to expectations that almost make it a necessity for pilgrims to believe that their experience was life changing. But of course there are many life changing experiences for some of us. Hope my stream of consciousness is not too confusing and disjointed. If you think I am full of it and judgemental, and not speaking with the spirit of pilgrimage this is your prerogative and right. But remember you judging me is in the end, just another judgement. Buen Camino one and all.

 

[J.Patrick]

We can learn about ourselves in adversity, our limits, our strengths, our own generosity and the great goodness of others when they see our distress. It's an invaluable lesson.
Some things that, at first, appear to be defeats, can lead to deeper self-understanding, and to greater compassion for others. The growth is priceless.
Patient endurance can lead to a tougher, stronger body, and a more disciplined character. What a marvelous aid for the rest of life.
Yes, we can be overwhelmed and defeated...and even the simple act of survival past those losses has its own lessons and grace. We don't have to win, or even place. It can be enough to become our best selves.
Speaking for myself, I love the Camino for all the space it provides, for the joys and beauty, and yes, even for all the hard lessons I've not learned in any other place.

 

[isawtman]

William, did you walk today?
Also, when I did the camino I was afraid I was going to
have knee problems. I have had a sore knee on some
occasions walking here at home. So, I started doing
exercises to strengthen the muscles around my knees.
It worked. I hiked the whole Camino Frances with a knee
sleeve just in case there was a problem. I ended up borrowing
it to a younger Italian guy who I saw icing his knee in Hontanas.
Here are a couple things you can do if you need to. First of
all, hike shorter days. Instead of doing a whole stage a day
do 3/4ths of a stage. I averaged 16 miles a day, but you
could average 10 miles a day, or 8 miles a day. That's going
to make your camino last more days. I completed in 30 days
at age 64, but if you did 10 miles a day that would be 50 days.
The second thing you can do is have a transport company transport
you main bag. That would mean you would need a second really
light bag with straps on it that you can use as a day pack. I used a
couple bags in my main backpack to organize stuff, so, I
just made sure one of those had straps on it. And I was strategic
on when I had the transport company take my bag. If I was going
over a mountain that day, I had my bag transported. So, for
Cruz de Ferro and O Cebreiro I had my bag transported.
All in all, I surprised myself did very good.

 

[Kiwi-family]

And makes me wonder..how many people give up when the journey isnt as potent as to what was imagined..hoped for.

I'm guessing those folks are not here to tell us!

I had a vision for a long camino for this year - Mozarabe/Plata/Frances/Invierno/Muxia. Then I sustained an injury.....when I realised I would not physically be able to complete that route this year I considered not going at all. Then quickly decided 70 days on the Frances outweighed staying home, even if I could only walk 5km some days.

 

[mattythedog]

I wonder how many,if any get caught up in the idea...or ideal of the Camino
To be sure it captured my imagination and reinforced by videos and pictures.
I am quick to seek and find the good in things.
But
Amidst all the opertunities..there would be walking, sweat,footsore ness
Hard time sleeping
Pain.

What would ratio out in the end.
Having to measure my cost physically vs benefit more often than not.
Would the pleasure outweigh the toll incurred.

And makes me wonder..how many people give up when the journey isnt as potent as to what was imagined..hoped for.

Of course everyone is different, and the ratios you seek are different for everyone. For instance, I was very apprehensive of all the toils you describe, so I trained and prepared extensively prior to my first Caminos. Result: I never got blisters; sweat and brilliant sun in mid/late afternoon did not bother me much; I had huge energy, both physical and spiritual; I did have lots of trouble sleeping in the noisy albergues, but still had the energy during the days to walk fast, take side trips, linger in the cafes, etc, and still walk until 5 or 6 pm; I only got sore feet the first 2 days, but that only started after 4 pm...never had sore feet in the morning; there was really nothing I would consider pain, although there was discomfort in hours of sweaty clothes on a few afternoons, lots of dust and grit got through my mesh trail runners, so I had to stop every hour or 2 to empty them out (solved this by wearing long pants and using gaiters); My ratio of opportunities to discomfort was maybe 50:1. I keep going back.

On the other hand, I have met people walking in excruciating pain with blister shredded feet, panting from exhaustion on small hills, and stopping for the day by noon. Some of them quit in despair without ever understanding the magic of the Camino. Others push through to jubilantly enter Santiago having triumphed over all adversities.

....and you need to move "walking" to the opportunity side.

 

[Bumpa]

Interesting ... your error perhaps is to have that balance scales in the mind .. good things vs bad things as if only 'good things' make a 'good' Camino, whereas the truth is that there are only things .. they are neither good nor bad until our mind labels them, until we attach a negative or positive emotion to them. All events are teachings.

Instead we could instead accept all 'as it is' as it arises ... were one to condense the whole of the forty years teachings of the Buddha, and the billions of words written after, into one word it would be 'detach' - our pain and suffering (and joys) come from unconsciously attaching a specific emotion to each thing that arises in our lives ... learn the mind skill of not attaching those conditioned response emotions and we walk Camino just living it as it happens - there lies your 'good' Camino -

Right on David. I am mindful of a old lesson from a small Buddhist handbook, I used to have. I am sorry that I cannot remember the name or give the appropriate shout out to the author.

In essence it related the story of breaking your favourite tea cup. You then had the opportunity to lament on and on about how careless you were and now your cup is gone. OR you could acknowledge the fact, be sad for a short period and buy another. Either way, your tea cup is still broken.

The distress lingers when we don't accept things we cannot change. Give them their due attention and then move on to better times. Perception is the mother of all reactions.

 

[William Garza]

Its all you guys on the forum who make life beautiful to me!