My departure was a little bit earlier than normal. As I did my typical research last night to make sure I knew as much about the route as possible, I learned that in order to get to my bed I had reserved in the town of Agés, I would need to cover 18 miles! As I looked at the topographical map of the terrain in my guidebook, I noticed that the first 10 miles or so were uphill. It was nothing steep, but just never ending. So I slipped out of my hostel earlier than usual. I closed the door behind me and all of a sudden I was hit with a blast of wind that bit through my quick-dry T-shirt and pants. I’ve been here in Spain for the last two weeks, and I have noticed that the temperatures are gradually decreasing. That wind was an indication that the summer temps are on their way out!
To make it worse, the wind was coming straight towards me, which meant that not only would my walk be uphill, but it would be against a strong, bitter headwind. Then, about 30 minutes into the hike, there in the light of my headlamp, I began to see what I initially thought were a bunch of tiny bugs coming toward my light. But soon I realized they weren't bugs because I began to feel the fine mist on my arms and face. I was hoping it would remain a mist, but it didn’t - the raindrops started falling. I barely got my rain gear on in time before it started to truly rain. Thankfully the rain stopped after a little while; the wind, however, didn’t stop - it blasted me all day. Mid-morning, the sun began popping its head in and out of the clouds enough to warm things a bit.
The terrain was a little different today. For the last several days, I have been largely in agricultural areas. The fields were full of sunflowers, even though they were past their beauty. But today’s walk took me back up into the mountains - not the Pyrenees, but mountains similar to the Ozarks. The trails took me through beautiful woods, punctuated with flowers. I loved the walk today! The mountains just have a way of calling my name. There were very few villages on the route today, but it was okay, because I enjoyed the natural beauty God wanted to display to me!
Today on the trail, as I see most every day, there was a little cross by the side of the trail. I have learned that these are a memorial to people who have died along the trail. Sometimes I stop and read the little paragraph about them, sometimes I just keep walking; but I always wonder about them - the little paragraph never gives the cause of death. I figure with just the vast numbers of pilgrims, the law of averages catches up. Maybe some were dealing with medical issues that were exacerbated by the strenuous walking that they were not used to. But what they all had in common was that they died on the Camino.
As I thought about this, it occurred to me - I want to die on the Camino! Hopefully not on the Camino de Santiago. Rather, I want to die on another Camino that Scripture talks about. Remember the verse found in John 14:6 where Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.” Something really cool about that verse is that the word "way" from "I am the way," in the Spanish Bible, is the word Camino! Jesus is saying that HE is the Camino! Not just any Camino, but he is THE Camino! And I want to die on that Camino! I want to die in Christ! So stay the course, pilgrim - stay on THE CAMINO!
Addendum:
The miles seemed to fly by today! Yes, I was glad to arrive at my hostel, but God gave me so much strength that if I would have had a room reserved a few more miles down the trail, I would have probably kept going! All glory be to God!
Approximate total miles: 560
Approximate miles walked today: 18
Approximate remaining miles: 393