My Camino credential is missing .... Without it no Compostela in Santiago.

I have left Astorga. I am a mile and a half into my 13 mile walk today, stage 23 . I will stop at this beautiful little Church on the Camino . It is the pilgrims Church. I remove my backpack and hat and I enter the church. An elderly lady greets me and asks me to sign the Camino pilgrims book. You are asked to write your name, the country you are from and if you are male or female. I sign in. I am visiting to take care of some personal business.

I received an email this morning from a friend at the Club who has asked me to include the brother of another friend at the Club. His 60 year old brother is fighting a difficult battle with Cancer. Gladly. He is now on my list. 

I attend to my business and will now be on my way to Rabanal del Camino, a walk of 13 miles. I make my donation and the  woman stops me with the Church's Camino stamp in her hand and asks me for my credential. I grab my backpack and go to the internal zippered compartment where I keep all of my critical papers including, cash, credit cards, my Passport and my Credential.

My Credential is not there! This is not possible, it's the only place I keep it. Where is it? I am now tearing apart my backpack and emptying everything in search of it. It's no where to be found. The old woman is watching me and she knows what the problem is. I am distraught to say the least. If I have lost it I will not be given my Compostela when I complete the walk in Santiago. This can't be happening.

Think, just think I am asking myself. Where can it be?  Where did I last have it out? It was when I arrived at the hotel. There are always two things presented when you check in anywhere. Hotels, Hostal's and  Albergue's . Your US Passport and your credential to be stamped verifying your journey. 

 

I have no choice. I must turn back and get to the hotel. It must be there, it has to be there. Before I leave I drop my backpack, my poles and once again remove my hat and I go back into the little Church. I am on my knees once again but this time I am asking for something very personal. That He help me find my Credential.

I turn to leave and the old woman looks at me and makes the sign of the Cross. I am now headed back over the same first mile and a half. Other pilgrims are heading out and just looking at me obviously curious about my direction and the speed at which I am moving. My leg is better but this pace will not help. I don't care because as I am on my way back to the hotel I remember something I did yesterday that really scares me and I now have serious doubts that I will find it.

When I checked in yesterday after 20 miles and was completely spent I was at the front desk where I know I gave the clerk both my Passport and my Credential. At that time I was surrounded by more than a dozen blind people all of whom were at the hotel for some group function. I was being nudged , bumped into and otherwise rushed to get out of there as quickly as possible. In that confusion did I just put the Credential in one of my pants pockets?  

This is why I am so convinced that it will not be found. When I arrived in Astorga and was limping to my hotel I passed a small version of an REI outdoor gear place and decided that after I iced my leg I would walk back that short 300 feet and replace a few things that had reached their useful end, including the pants I was wearing. 

I did go to that shop in spite of my leg because it was Saturday and they would not be open on Sunday. It had to be done before they closed. I showered, iced my leg for an hour and limped back to the shop. I got there just before they were going to close. I bought new pants and a new shirt. When I left the hotel today I left the old pants behind in the trash! I was finished with them. 

You cannot imagine what was going through my head as I raced back to the hotel. My 500 mile journey would be unofficial. All this work and no Compostela! How could I have been so foolish with one of my critical items?

I reach the hotel and desperately explain to the clerk what has happened, including the pants being left in the room. She completely gets the magnitude of my problem and on a hand held devise calls the cleaning people on the third floor. They have already cleaned my room but they are still on the third floor. I race to the elevator while she watches my gear. She calls the maids and let's them know that I am on my way.

When I get off he elevator two women are going through the trash and they find the pants. The woman holding the pants hands them to me. They are cargo pants with lots of pockets. I frantically search every pocket while they are dumping the contents of the plastic bag on the floor right there in the hallway.

 Nothing! There is nothing in the pants or the trash. One woman hands me her key to the rooms and I head for room 310. It has to be there . It must be there. They follow me and we all search the room, moving furniture, looking under everything in the room.

Nothing. It's gone. I have lost my Credential with all of the stamps I have collected for twenty three days. I thank them for trying to help me. They understand what is missing and are honestly upset.

I return to the front desk and tell the clerk that I cannot find it. She has called yesterday's clerk and they are sure it was not left at the desk. I understand because they completely know what the Credential means and if they had found it they would have put it away in a safe place. It's gone.

I ask if I can leave everything there. "Yes", and I am out the door now headed to the gear shop desperately hoping I somehow left it there. I do take all of my critical documents that are always together in a zip lock whenever I leave the hotel. They are never out of my possession. I did use my credit card in the shop, its my last hope. 

When I get there its as I had assumed but hoped I would be wrong about. The shop is closed, its Sunday. 

I walk back to the hotel no longer in any hurry just thinking about what has happened. A nightmare.

When I get back to the front desk the clerk is clearly aware of what's taking place. Desperate I empty all of my gear in the lobby and begin checking again. Every pocket of anything with a pocket. My shaving kit. Nothing.

There is a small pocket on the inside of my backpack which cannot be seen and in it I have only two items which have not been touched since I got on the plane to Madrid on May 13th. A card that Robin gave me with a letter and instructions on the envelope to not open until I was on the plane. Another card from Amanda with instructions not to open until day number 30, its not yet open.

When I reach into this pocket that you cannot see, my Credential is in there. I have found it! I cannot explain how it is possible for my Credential to be there. I cannot. I show it to the clerk and she is as happy as I am and offers to make me a photocopy. I just hand it to her. She returns and has copied it and taped the pieces together. She tells me to keep them away from the original. Which I will do.

I am exhausted from the last hour and a half but more thrilled that my nightmare is over. I return to the Camino and I go directly back to the little Church. The old woman sees me come back into the Church and I hand her my a Credential, she just smiles and stamps it.

I return to the same pew, I have some business to attend to. I will end here and in the next segment I will go back and complete my day in Astorga before I bring my blog up to date about my 13 mile walk. Sorry, make that my 16 mile walk to complete stage 23 . It just keeps getting better. Good night.