Walking the Camino de Santiago Was My Dream — for a Day

Dreams and goals — sometimes we chase them and sometimes we let go of some of them

Photo by Marius Karotkis on Unsplash

I had a new dream last week; I was going to walk the Camino de Santiago! It only lasted a day before I realized I wouldn’t be chasing that dream. But it put the wheels to spinning for something else. I don’t know what my final goal will be, but I’m excited to pursue different options and come up with something that gives my soul joy.

I started reading a new book, The Closest Thing to Magic, by Adrea Hogan. At age 50, after losing her mother, Hogan took the journal that her mother wrote when her mother walked the Camino de Santiago years earlier and set out on the journey herself. After years of seeing her mother slide into the blurry world of dementia before she died, this pilgrimage was a way to reconnect with her mother.

When I first saw the book, I knew I wanted to get it and read it and then send it on to my sister. We both watched my mother sliding into the dark pit of dementia too, before she passed away. Even though my mother wasn’t a walker or a hiker, my sister and I both are. We even walked the Camino de Santiago together — although only virtually.

When my sister and I started hiking together virtually via an app ‘Walk the Distance’, one of our first trails we walked together was the Camino de Santiago. It was my trail choice, because I’ve always been intrigued by the Camino. So, when I saw the book that touched on both the Camino and on dementia, I had to get it.

Last week I opened the book and began reading, I read that Hogan’s mother, Nuala Mary Brannigan, walked the Camino in 2012 — at the age of 68!

Her mother walked the Camino at age 68 … and I was turning 68 a mere 27 days after reading these words!

I thought that with all the hiking I’ve been doing, and if Hogan’s mom walked the Camino at age 68 … why then I could too!

But reality quickly kicked in. I couldn’t hike the Camino at age 68. It’s too late for that. With 68 coming in just a few weeks, I knew that I was not prepared enough for it. I’ve been hiking regularly once or twice a week, but I wasn’t physically ready for that major of a hike. I haven’t been planning for it. Also, with the world status right now, I’d be reluctant to travel that far out of the country. And, the largest hindering factor — I don’t have the money for it to go right now.

My brain kept spinning … but maybe in two years. Maybe when I turned 70.

Then it all clicked!

My aunt celebrated her 70th birthday by going ziplining for the first time.

But my dad’s 70th birthday celebration was even better. He celebrated turning 70 by riding his motorcycle from Arkansas to California to see his two daughters and all the grandkids.

That’s it! I decided. I’m going to celebrate my 70th birthday by walking the Camino de Santiago!

I recalled that just a few days earlier I’d received a blog from a health coach I follow, Christie Hawkes, whose blog is ‘So what? Now what?’. She’d just posted about how she was in final preparations for her Camino de Santigo pilgrimage. I hadn’t read the post when it arrived in my email four days earlier, and before I knew it, I was camped out on the computer reading away.

It was a sign. I knew it.

Photo by Gracia Solenyanu on Unsplash

Why had I never thought about actually walking this pilgrimage before?

Probably for two main reasons. I have no desire to be out hiking where I’m sleeping outside on the trail at night. I like sleeping in my own bed. Plus, with my contacts, it would be difficult to hike and carry my contact solution and get the contacts cleaned every day. Not impossible, but difficult. But … now I don’t have contacts anymore! With the cataract surgeries that I had done in April, I don’t have the contact hassle to contend with anymore.

I remember how impressed I was years ago when I read about Grandma Gatewood (Emma Rowena Gatewood). She became famous as the first solo female thru-hiker of the Appalachian Trail (AT) (2,168-miles), in 1955, at the age of 67. She didn’t even plan for that hike. She packed up a backpack with some belongings — and took off!

Two years later she completed a second thru-hike of the AT and completed a third section-hike in 1964.

In between those hikes, she also hiked 2,000 miles of the Oregon Trail in 1959 — at the age of 71.

What a woman!

I ended up printing out Christie Hawkes’ blog post so I could start a folder — and started making notes about what I’d have to do to start preparing for this venture in two years.

· Start more rigorous training!

· I made a list of books I wanted to order and read. All about walking the Camino, many about seniors walking the Camino.

· Save money! What could I start making to sell to earn extra money and pocket it away in a ‘Camino’ savings account?

· Start working on my Spanish!

I realized, even as I was jotting these notes down, that I may or may not actually walk the Camino in two years, when I’m 70.

Several factors could have a play in this.

Current world events, which don’t seem very stable right now. Who knows what the world will be like in two years?

Would I be able to earn and save enough money for this major trip? There were lots of hotels and air flights involved. And food and travel money for the weeks I’d be gone. This would be a very expensive venture.

My health. I’m healthy now … but after a slew of doctors’ appointments and cataract surgeries over the past six months, I realize that this could change on a dime too.

Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

We just never know. But this gives me something to plan for. And I know that a huge part of a longer life involves staying active, being alive, and staying alert. I vowed to go ahead and plan for this, knowing that it might not really happen.

Except, by the time I went to bed that same night, I knew that I wasn’t going to walk the Camino in two years.

The journey of walking the Camino has always intrigued me. But I am not truly a thru-hiker at heart. I love and embrace my day hiking and plan to keep at it, still planning on increasing my time on the trail and building up my endurance.

Also, even if I was able to earn and save the money I needed, I don’t know if I could in good conscience spend that much.

But it did make me realize that in two years, I’ll be turning 70. And I want to celebrate in some grand fashion.

No, I don’t want to go ziplining like my aunt did.

No, I have no desire to ride a motorcycle by myself across several states like my dad did.

No, I don’t want to have a big, grand party. I’m not really a party girl at heart either.

But there’s something out there. Something that will make my heart sing. Maybe something that will involve family and friends. Or maybe something that I’ll do alone to celebrate my own soul’s personal journey.

I’m not sure what it is yet — but I know that I’ll be keeping my eyes open so that when I see what I’ll want to do to celebrate my new decade ahead of me.

I also know the options are limitless.

I probably won’t be packing my backpack to head out on the trail — but then again, maybe I will. Maybe there’s something closer to home that I can do. At least I know I have time to plan. I won’t be simply packing up a backpack like Grandma Gatewood and traipsing off into the wilderness.

Photo by Josiah Weiss on Unsplash

But I do know — if it involves hiking, there is a t-shirt that I’ll be wearing. I’ve been seeing this t-shirt pop up in my feed on Facebook. But I can’t wear it yet. I’m still a few years away from this. But don’t you know, even if I’m only hiking around home on my usual day trips like I am now … in two years I will be sporting this t-shirt on my hikes!

T-shirt ad from Facebook

That t-shirt will be my ‘graduation prize’!

As I kept pondering this possible future feat, even after I realized that I won’t be hiking the Camino at 70, it made me think — My 70’s are going to be my REWARD YEARS!

It hit home with me that every day ahead, even when each year has a bigger number in front of it, is a blessing. There are so many people that don’t make it to 70. And then I started to think, does that mean that I’ve finally learned to embrace my 60’s? Or did I merely survive and muddle through the decade?

Either way — the next milestone coming up is 70 — and I will embrace and be very thankful for each full day that gets me there. Maybe my 60’s were my LESSON YEARS, getting me ready to enthusiastically embrace my future REWARD YEARS.

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