Preparations

Since deciding that My Camino was moving off of the back burner I have been trying to determine how much preparation is enough. The challenge itself is nearly overwhelming for a non-athletic person.
I have pulled together a very limited list of items that will find their way into my pack. I believe they have all been obtained, either through purchase or loan. The pack itself was loaned to me by Scott, who also gave me historical insight into the list of gear I would want to take. All else will be purchased en route.
Airline tickets have me flying from Chicago O'Hare airport to Madrid, Spain. From there I will take the train to Roncevalles, then a bus to my starting point in St. Jean Pied de Port, France. Tickets for plane and rail are in hand. Others will be purchased once I'm on the ground in Spain.
Electrically, I will carry my phone (navigation, route tracking and translations), I-Pad for blogging, outlet transformer to adapt my device charging systems to European power sources, and a hand-held recorder to make notes quickly as they fly through my mind.
The currency in Spain is the Euro. I'm ordering Euros tomorrow so as to rely more on cash as I'm told that credit cards are not widely accepted in many of the small village businesses.
My attempts to learn the Spanish language have not been as successful. My grasp of basic phrases is minimal. I will rely heavily on others speaking English and my phone app supplying me with correct translations.

Regarding physical conditioning:

For someone of my "advanced age" I am glad to have no major chinks in my armor. My knees are less than optimum at times, but after I get moving everything seems to work properly. Perhaps the biggest issue is my left hip. I've had it X-rayed and I'm told I have a 50% reduction of whatever isn't supposed to be reduced! I guess this is arthritis, with a few bone chips thrown in to make it exciting. I received a shot and the pain went from a 5 ( on a 1-10 scale) to a 1.5-2, by the time I got out to my car! They usually wait 3 months before a follow up shot but, due to my schedule I'll be getting the next shot last week. The pain has recently returned to periodic spikes of #4 pain, so it may not get me all the way across Spain, but will be a welcome reprieve.
I have not consistently "worked out" since I finished backpacking on the Idaho Centennial Trail in 2009. I had discovered that "walking" was my sport back in 1973-74. Although I have enjoyed watching numerous sports in my life my physical prowess (or lack thereof) had limited both my participation in and, ultimately, my success in all sports. One of my biggest drawbacks is that I hate to practice, anything. With any workout, you need commitment. First commitment is to doing the workout. If you are lifting weights, running wind sprints, swimming laps, you must make a continuous series of commitments. One more clean and jerk, dead-lift, sprint, or lap, each requiring another commitment to the workout. When you are hiking, or walking, once you begin another trip around the block or leave the trail-head, you have little choice but to continue moving forward. Fewer choices makes each choice easier, in my mind. Once I start down the block, go through the intersection or pass by the trail junction, the decision is done. Now we simply need to continue to pick 'em up and put 'em down.
So the biggest challenge becomes setting the goal. I decided at the beginning of the year to try for a 3 mile/day average. Although I've fallen short of that, I have been much more active in the intervening three plus months than in the previous eight years.
Most walking is not physically challenging; it is done by many people daily. So my biggest challenge has been toughening my feet for very long days on my feet. It is not a cardio thing, it is a matter of NOT getting blisters. The other element in this attempt is having the proper footwear. My backpacking days utilized heavy, stiff hiking boots that came up over my ankles for extra support. I still have a relatively good pair of hiking boots but have elected to go with Keen-brand walking shoes, much lighter, better able to breathe which will keep my feet cooler and dryer. I did not believe the lack of ankle support to be a big deal. I had a pair of walking shoes I had purchased about a year ago. They are relatively comfortable and have a wide toe box, which I require. These should have been more than adequate.
Should have been. Just this weekend, as I was taking a break during a ten mile work out, I looked at the heel of my boots. The hard rubber cover has worn away on both shoes, leaving the soft cushion material exposed and wearing easily. I guestimate that these shoes have about 150 - 200 miles on them. I am leaving for Spain in three weeks so this is not a good thing. I rushed down to REI, where I had purchased the shoes. Their computer held all the information; make, model, size and color. I needed to get a new pair coming my way quickly. Only that wasn't going to happen. Keen no longer makes this style, or this size. A little late to find another shoe that will carry me over a 500 mile route. Argh.
As it looks right now, a repair is my best bet. Failing that I will have to decide if it is time to resurrect my hiking boots.
Foot problems aside, the more important question is whether or not I am ready mentally to take on this challenge. Sure the health of my feet is important, but if I can't force myself to continue to pick up my feet and head west each morning. that really won't matter, will it? The mental tenacity is, I feel, what will allow me to walk into the Cathedral Square in Santiago de Compostela, tired, sore and gratified.

Makin' a case for makin' tracks

So, why The Camino? One would have to agree that traveling half way 'round the world to walk 500 miles in a strange land is a bit out of the ordinary.

As previously mentioned, My Camino started when I saw the movie "The Way", starring Martin Sheen and his son Emilio Esteves (who, by the way, directed the film also). I had just recently completed my six year quest to hike the Idaho Centennial Trail; a 935 mile journey through the wilderness areas of Idaho from Nevada to Canada. I had never done anything that challenging in my life, enjoyed the fact that I was in better physical conditioning at age 60 than at any other time in my life. I also enjoyed the support and accolades I received as a result of my being the first person ever to complete the western alternate route of the ICT and only the fifth person to complete the entire route (missed being number 3 by a matter of days, drat!). So what next?

My original intent then was to do The Camino for the adventure factor. Being a self-employed business man who worked very hard to support a loving wife and five great kids, both time and money were always at a premium. So, year after year, The Camino took a back seat to life. I talked to several in my inner circle about "some day" doing The Camino, but it wasn't until four years later that "life" changed dramatically.
My good friends Scott and Bev traveled to Spain (among other places) in the fall of 2014 and, while they were in the neighborhood, hiked The Camino with several of their friends. I was not in that group. I was immersed instead in work, looking slightly ahead to the adventures that Betty and I would share when I retired.

In early November of 2014 it appeared that time was nearing. We selected a Financial Adviser and turned over statements so that a retirement plan could be put together (better late than never?). The next day my life was shattered when a heart attack took my Betty away.
Shortly after that I was told I needed to buy a motorcycle, returning to my teen-roots, and experience life again. The summer of '16 and '17 found me riding to remember; remember the promises I had made to Betty that we would travel thoroughly. In the process of riding over 24,000 miles on a motorcycle I became aware of my need to move forward through life, paying my respects, honoring her memory and transitioning into the uncertainty of tomorrow. My Camino became a Farewell Tour.

A general time was selected that, with the passage of time became more specific. Eventually the focus fell on late spring, early summer of 2018. I had read "A Million Steps" by Kurt Koontz and attended a presentation by a gentleman who had done his camino on crutches after breaking his heal the week before he flew to Spain.
Everyone has a story and therefore everyone does The Camino for different reasons. Betty had been active in our church and belonged to the Rosary Makers group. She had made many rosaries, some of which she still possessed, added to a small collection of rosaries she had accumulated during her lifetime. My intention became to hike The Camino and pass out a number of rosaries along the route. By doing so I would be simultaneously transitioning to my "new normal" and spreading her spirit around the world through these rosaries. Thus I intended to prepare myself to face the future, as uncertain as it was at that time. My Camino had a purpose.

In September of 2017 I traveled to my home town in Wisconsin for my 50 year high school reunion. I did not realize at the time I planned the trip, but Betty's hand was stirring the pot. Through a series of small decisions I ended up reintroducing myself to Alicia, a friend I had first met in August of 1962, but had not seen in over 50 years. The pretty cheerleader and the adventure seeking Frog crossed paths and lit a flame in each other. After returning to our respective homes we began talking on video chat, had our first date and proposed on the same night and, on March 31st, 2018 became loving husband and wife in front of family, friends and a number of classmates!
My Camino has again changed focus. I am again transitioning. Now, in addition to transitioning from widowerdom to life in the adventure lane I am, simultaneously, leading my new bride, hand in hand, into our future adventures. My Camino has become one of realizing and planning. While I leave my lovely bride behind to pack her things in Chicago for the move to Boise, I will be exploring the possibilities that loom just beyond the horizon. My Camino is now one of endless possibilities, explored with new gusto, and shared with my wonder woman, Alicia Finnegan.

Prologue

In 2010 a friend tipped me off to a new movie that was showing at The Flicks in Boise, Idaho. The title was simple and direct, The Way. (If you haven't seen the movie I suggest you track it down through whatever sources you have available). The setting for this movie was El Camino de Santiago, (roughly translated as The Way of St. James), a 500 mile trek across northern Spain.
I had never heard of "The Camino", as it is simply referred to. Neither had most other people in my circle of friends. Although originally a pilgrimage by the Catholic faithful it has taken on a new identity in recent years, with over 200,000 people a year joining in this incredible adventure.
In the intervening years I have read books, attended presentations, watched movies and met several people who have gone on this amazing "trail". Many have described it as life changing.
In November of 2014 I underwent a life changing event of my own. My wife of 39 years, Betty, suddenly and unexpectedly passed away from a heart attack. Without going into too much detail here, let me simply state that the loss of a loved one will bring about huge changes in anyone, and I was no exception. In the intervening three and a half years I have taken a couple of amazing journeys* of my own, retired, and reconnected with an old classmate from 50 years ago at my high school reunion. We were recently married and my sun shines again daily.
This blog may prove to be different than my previous endeavors in a number of ways, its means of creation perhaps primary among them. Previously my entries were created and posted nightly. It is my understanding that internet access is spotty at best in many areas of Spain. The entries may still be created daily (or not), but posted whenever access presents itself.
My flight leaves the U.S. on May 8th. Prior to that I will blog in an effort to inform the reader regarding planning, expectations, training, sacrifices and, if I can find it, humor regarding my Camino. I hope you follow this as it develops. I also hope you pull for me as this will be physically and mentally challenging, perhaps beyond anything I have done to date. More about this in future posts.

* If you would like to read about my previous two adventures, the blogs are available at:

frogP48.blogspot.com  - The day by day description of my motorcycle trip around the perimeter of the lower 48 states, a 17,000 mile journey of heart and soul.

frogsAK49.blogspot.com - My retirement party! A motorcycle trip to Alaska, then back through parts of Canada on the iconic AlCan Highway, Cassiar Highway, Icefield Parkway, Going to the Sun Road and the Beartooth Parkway (the latter two in Montana).