Day # 1 I decide to walk the lower route through the forest and therace track.

It's finally here. The first day back on The Camino. Let's start with last night. I'm in bed early and the Hotel actually has CNN so I do have something to watch. I have prepared as best I could and in the morning I will find out how well that really is. No more speculation or wishful thinking, I will know in a few short hours.

I don't sleep well perhaps because of the anticipation and the desire to get started. I wake several times and just stare at my watch to find that it's still the middle of the night. I decide to go to breakfast as early as possible which is at 7:00 am. Once I have given up on sleeping I start to pack for the day. First decision is which of the stunning outfits I have with me will have the honor of completing the first day on The Camino. In order to do that I must first check out the weather. I look out the window and the mountains are covered in fog. Its not raining here at the base of the mountains so that's good.

It's cool, in the mid-fifties which is really great walking conditions. I go on line to look at the forecast for the day and there is no sign of any rain. It's going to be a nice weather day to start The Camino. Okay now that is taken care of I head to breakfast, aka , bread and more bread.

I'm right it's pretty much bread with a slice of ham so thin you could mistake it for a one dollar bill. The good news is the coffee is still really good. The coffee here is so imbedded into the culture that trying to remove it from their daily life could be the only way you could get the French to go to war. They are good at coffee, war not so much.

Okay so it's time to pack up and go but first I need to make sure that everything I brought with me will leave with me. For those of you keeping score I have now lost the first item. When I left Pamplona I pulled my charger out of the adapter which means that when I arrived in St. Jean I did not have anyway to charge my iPad and or my iPhone. That would mean no blog. While I'm sure that would be a relief to many I needed to find an adaptor quickly. Fortunately St. Jean had adapters for sale and I avoided that embarrassment. 

I pack everything including my new adaptor and head to The Camino. While on the way I'm am trying to decide which route to take. The upper route with an elevation change of about 4200 feet or the lower forest route with an elevation change of about 3000 feet. What to do? As Yogi would say, "when you get to the fork in the road, take it".

Left is the upper route and right is the route through the forest. I have my doubts about my training so I take the forest route with the lower elevation change. I will soon find out that there is more than just an elevation change, much more.

The weather is very nice when I leave at 9:30. I am dressed correctly but within the first four miles I am soaked from within. I have already sweat through just about everything. I'm carring about 18 pounds because of the weight of the water. I start with 48 ounces and refill every chance I get. You cannot have too much water. Over the course of today I will drink nearly100 ounces of water.

The first five miles are uneventful. Beautiful weather, I am alone and I have not seen another pilgrim. It does not take long for me to begin doubting where I am. Remember I do have a history of getting lost.

Finally I do spot a Camino marker and all is good. I will stop during the first seven miles only four times and sit just once ... A mistake because I have become comfortable with the trail and the conditions thus far. That soon changes dramatically.

I begin the final eight miles unaware of what's ahead. First there is the raceway. The Camino begins to  move between a trail and a racetrack. There will be miles of the final eight where you are on the road walking straight uphill with high speed traffic coming directly at you with very little notice. There is no room, you just hug the guardrail and pay close attention to what's flying toward you. Large trucks, RV's and the cars being driven like race cars will make you very nervous. Anyone thinking about The Camino ... Go over the top and avoid this route.

As you leave the raceway you walk back onto the path and are greeted by the flies. The good news is you are out of the sun and walking under a canopy of trees which takes the temperature down. The last five miles were very difficult, nearly all straight up hill. This is where all of the elevation change is located. It was very difficult.

Long stretches of uphill climbs followed by a breif but attention getting declines which lead to more intense uphill terrain. I stopped many times for water and to just lean on my poles. I was sore from head to toe but all is good. The Limos are doing well and the passengers are being well taken care of. My shoulders are sore and I am getting a really good cardio session in. Finally I leave the forest and step into the sun. It feels great and there is a breeze which gives me a chill because I am drenched from head to toe. 

I have passed only eight pilgrims today. None have passed me. Did I start late? Early? Are they all on the upper route? Don't know, don't care. For those of you keeping score of the other major area ..... Getting lost. I will share with you two wrong turns I made that were saved by the same guy. I am walking towad a pretty little village when I reach a Yogi, you know a fork in the road. I look both ways and I cannot see a Camino marker so I go left. Not more than thirty feet in that direction and I hear a horn behind me. It's an older guy sitting atop a tractor and he is waving at me back toward a hill. I should have gone right. I wave to him with my poles and thank him but there is no way he can hear me. I turn back and  climb this hill into the village and again at the top of the hill there is another Yogi. This time I go right and sure enough I hear the horn again. Same guy in the tractor comes up the hill and points me in the opposite direction. Saved by the same guy on two wrong turns. That's a first. God these people are nice!

I walk into Roncesvalles at 5:00. I'm sore and I'm tired but I feel pretty good. In an hour I have recovered quite well and go to the pilgrim dinner where I sit with eight Canadian's, all nice people and all using the Donkey service. More about that tomorrow. I'm tired . Good night, Buen Camino.

I am in St. Jean France and so is Miss USA ...the ugly American.

I drove from Pamplona today in a taxi or perhaps I should call it a race car. The road from Pamplona to St. Jean is to say the least a road which was meant to be driven on with a sports car. You know a two seater. Something red and fast.

Well my driver was intent on going fast but it was in a white taxi made by Ford. It did have a six speed manual transmition but I doubt that the folks at Ford had designed it as a race car . I tried to look out the window in an effort to see how much I could recall from the last time I was on this route to St. Jean but it was all a blur. I could have asked him to slow down but he was so completely enjoying the test that I chose not to ruin his fun. I did see a surprising number of pilgrims walking along the lower route. There are two routes from St. Jean to Roncesvalles. 

The most famous route and the most difficult is the Route de Napoleon. This is one of the most difficult days on The Camino. There is a second trail which takes you to Roncesvalles by way of a lower route which is a bit less difficult. Weather is a significant part of deciding which route to take. Rain and fog are present right now but at least it will not snow as it did on my first Camino. 

When I arrived in St Jean the weather was good. It's bit cloudy and it rained earlier. I said goodby to Mario Andretti and went into the Hotel Les Pyrenees to check in. By the way it's the same hotel I stayed in the first time. Nothing has changed. Just as before when you get to the reception desk they do expect you to speak French and of course I can't so there is an immediate sense that you are not quite as welcome as you were before that little secret got out. No bid deal. 

I am quickly informed that my room will not be available for another three hours. I really don't want to walk around the village dragging my backpack if I don't have to so I ask if I can check it. There is some conversation between the desk clerk and another employee which I assume is about my request. They have a rather long exchange and I'm not sure which one of them is against or in favor of granting me this request. The good news is I get the answer I was looking for, oui.That of course is yes in French which is also pretty much all of the French I know. Regardless, I can leave my backpack so I head directly to The Camino office to have my Credencial del Peregrino stamped to officially list me as a pilgrim for the start of my Camino. 

When I walk up the hill to the Camino office I can see that I'm not the only one who has decided to get my Credencial stamped now. There must be between thirty and forty pilgrims waiting outside the office. There is a sign which says the office staff will return at 1:30. Okay that's only about thirty minutes from now so I will just wait. I may be the only person waiting who is not carring or wearing a backpack. While on the subject of backpacks, I can't help but analyze which of the people waiting have journeyed to St. Jean with most of what they own. There are several people wearing enormous backpacks which I will wager will become a serious problem at the halfway point on day one. I on the other hand, having listened to Robin the last time, I have left behind a significant number of items in Pamplona which has made my backpack much lighter. I'm guessing that it currently weighs about fourteen pounds. That is really a big deal. 

While waiting I get to witness a fairly ugly event, embarrisng for those of us waiting who are American's. All of the people waiting for the office to open are spread out around both sides of the small office door as well as across the cobblestone walkway at the top of the hill. There is no line. An American women, I'm guessing in her forty's pushes her way to the door and begins asking, loudly, where the end of the line is? There are people from god only knows how many country's who speak languages other than English but somehow Miss USA just assumes that she deserves an answer. A tall guy with an accent I think sounds like he is from Australia speaks up and tells her that there is no line. Well that does not sit well with Miss USA who then proceeds to push her way right in front of the door. The Aussie just tells her to relax and we will all be soon taken care of which causes her to announce that her shoulders are hurting from standing there with her backpack on so she is going first!

If I had my US Passport out I would have hidden it. She was just the perfect Ugly American. It's no wonder people everywhere seem to hate us.

Here's the good news. First she is carring a backpack well past her ability to carry it on a flat road, forget the mountain she will soon face. If I could wager on her completing The Camino I would bet she does not make it to Pamplona on day three. Second, as luck would have it when the door does finally open a staff member steps out to make a few announcements about the procedure forcing Miss USA to one side away from the door. Better yet, the staff member tells everyone to form two lines ... English speaking in one line and all others in another line. Well just Miss USA's bad luck because once the announcement is over she finds herself on the wrong side of the door being unable to get into the English speaking line. She is now near the rear of the line and I'm sure everyone there was happy about it.

I will look for her but she seems like a late starter so I will probably leave before she does and there is no way she will catch up with me. I think I may have seen Miss USA for the last time. Great.

I now have my Credencial stamped so it's off to lunch and then back to the hotel to just chill and get ready. I will be awake early and decide on the route based on weather. While I was having lunch it rained cats and dogs. I sure hope Miss USA was some place where she could keep dry!

That's it for now. Tomorrow I will post at the end of my first day on The Camino ... Wish me luck and pray for good weather. Buen Camino.

I met my first Camino victim today ... I'm calling her Mona.

First my flight here. All good. It started in a strange way. I was on my flight from Dallas, we had just pushed back from the gate when the Captain came on and announced that there was a technical problem and that we needed to be towed back to the gate. I could here people near me expressing concern and early stages of anger. That used to be me. Robin says that I returned from my first Camino a different person. Yes, I lost some weight but she meant my attitude was different ... better. So now I will refer to myself on occasion as either BC Jim or AC Jim as in before the Camino or after the Camino.

It's true. I'm not as wound up as I once was. When the announcement was made I just reminded myself that it's just part of the journey. Whatever happens I will just need to figure it out or as Robin would say "deal with it".

Good news. We were parked and had not moved because we needed a tow back into the gate when the Captain came back on and said they had figured out what was wrong, got it fixed and we were good to go. A delay of about five minutes. 

We arrived in Madrid where I had a long layover and then took a small washing machine to Pamplona.

By the time I got to the Hotel it was about 4:30. A quick shower and then off to get something to eat. Once at Hemingway's next door I lost whatever appetite I had and was quickly back at the hotel and in bed reading by 7:30. I was worn out and fell asleep easily and did not wake until 7:00 am. I think it's Wednesday. 

Now I am a bit hungry so I head down to the Hotel restaurant and the place is full of Camino Pilgrims. Donkey service Pilgrims. All of them. When I walked in I was dressed like most Pilgrims, hiking shoes, loose fitting trail pants and a simple long sleeve shirt. It did not take long to figure out that they were using the Donkey service. They all had these tiny little backpacks so small that they did not have straps they had strings. The "backpacks" would have been perfect for a six year old to take to school as long as they were not taking more than a PB&J sandwich and a cookie to school. Along a wall outside the room were their suitcases. I sat down as they all tried to figure out where I came from and if I was on a The Camino. I could not resist. I asked the women sitting at the next table if they were on The Camino? She smiled,  said yes and asked me the same question. I also said yes but then I asked her if she was using the Donkey service? 

She not only said yes but went on to tell me that their group would also be driving ahead about half way to Puente La Reina to avoid having to climb the hill out of Pamplona. I get it. As both Pat and John will attest the hill climb out of Pamplona to the wind turbines is a good little test. I also understand that if you are going to use the Donkey service you might as well get as much out of as you can. So there you have it. The Donkey service is alive and well. The Camino in whatever way is best for you. More power to them. I'm sure that I will think about it when I'm climbing up over the Pyrenees on Friday.

I finish breakfast and walk to the nearby camino shop where I meet my first Camino victim. I am in the process of selecting new poles for the journey when in limps this thirty something women who is practically in tears wearing hiking boots which have had whole sections cut out to relieve the pain of her blisters. She wants to buy a pair of sandles for her trip back to somewhere in Germany. She asks me if I'm on The Camino and I tell her that I will travel to St. John and start on Friday. She can't wait to warn me about the climb and the difficulty on day two in the decent. I don't tell her that I have walked it once before. It would not be something she wants to hear right now. I have given her a name ... I'm calling her Mona. I think you can understand the name choice. When she limped into the shop she was moaning from her discomfort. Not exactly up lifting for me. I really did not want to meet someone who's Camino is ended after only 32 miles. It happens.

Speaking of feet, I decided at the last minute in the Hotel at LAX to bring only one pair of Limo's. The rookies have made the trip. The original Limo's have been left behind. Just two much added weight. Hopefully the new Limo's will provide a good ride for the passengers.

One last note for today. Beard or no beard? I was not going to grow the beard again but Robin asked me to grow it again so I will. I'm sure it will be whiter than the first one. That's it for today. Tomorrow I transfer to St. John France, only one more day to go.

Buen Camino.

The iPad challenge is over ... It's fixed. I don't know how and I don't care.

I am now one for one in meeting a challenge on my Camino. I hope it's the last of my iPad challenges. I am now on my way to Madrid so I will start with a little history. When I walked The Camino the first time I did not tell you all of the story. There were just some things I did not write about because they were embarrassing. Here's one that I left out.

I have sleep apnea. I know because I was tested at the Mayo Clinic a short time before I walked The Camino. I spent the night at the sleep clinic wired up. A few days later I was meeting with the Doctor to get the results. I did not do well.

The Doctor showed me my sleep graph which shows where you have an "event". There were several "events" during the night I was tested. She actually said to me "you don't sleep well". Thanks I knew that. She went on to explain that when you have an "event" it can be very dangerous and actually deadly. 

I explained to her that I dd not sleep well that night in part because the sheets had a thread count of about ten, I was in a small room with the temperature set at about 90 being video taped and actually being watched. Throw in the fact that the pillow was the size of a walnut and I was wearing a dozen or more wires glued all over me and yes I did not sleep well. How could I? She agreed but the results told her that I had moderate apnea and therefore I was eligible for a sleep mouth piece. That's the good news because it meant that I would not have to wear the mask which I know just would not work for me.

Here is the blog related embarrassment. The mouth piece is fitted by a specialist and it costs about $2500. I took it with me when i traveled to my first Camino. I had it on the plane to Madrid and yes I left it on the plane! It was actually the first thing I lost and I just did not want to start with that. In addition it was when I arrived in Pamplona that I realized that it was missing. So I was in a panic about facing the next 37 days without it. What to do? Of course I will just dump this on Robin who is thosands of miles away. Sure that makes sense.

I contacted Robin and Sharel and drove them crazy that first day trying to have the airline find it. They could not. So I can only imagine what Robin was thinking that first day. Is this what it's going to be like for the entire Camino? Well that's when she told me to "just deal with it". Of course she was right. There was no other choice. All of my friends who know how often I lose things are not surprised.

I have a new mouth piece made by the same Doctor and it's in my backpack. I will wear it and do my best to bring it home with me along with a number of other important items. So there it is the first update on the first Camino ... There are others which in time I may include. Six hours remaing on this flight.

Have a good day.

On my way - First Challenge

I'm on my first flight from
LA to Dallas and my iPad just blew up! Suddenly the font just changed to a size which is so
large that one single letter fills the screen. I don't have a clue as to what happened or how to fix it. I will just try to figure it out. Hopefully there is an Apple Store in Pamplona. If not I guess I will be sending my blog by way of my iPhone.

I knew that there would be challenges but this was not what I ever expected. Blisters, sore shoulders, fatigue and more but I did not think the blog would be a problem.

I land in Dallas in about an hour and will see if I can find a way to fix this. 

Robin and I had dinner with the kids last night near LAX and then stayed at the airport Marriott because my flight was early. I got about three hours of sleep so I'm already dragging. Hopefully I will sleep on the ten hour flight to Madrid. 

Just a few warnings about the blog. When you walk for hours on end you have a lot of time to think and therefore there will be lots of thoughts which will end up in the blog. These thoughts come out of my head so there's the warning. 

In addition I will typically end the days walk and first do the days laundry in the sink followed by a shower. Then it's off to get something to eat unless I'm just too tired. Most days I will be creating the blog after dinner. I will start and then fall asleep around eight o'clock and wake up around two in the morning. At least that's how it worked the first time. I will then complete the days blog which takes up to two hours and try to get back to sleep. The warning is ... I'm tired and will not always do a great job of editing so there will be errors in spelling and more so deal with it:-).

Before I left I was asked this question ... How much of the money you raise will go toward the wells? All of the money raised will go to the wells. None of the money raised goes to pay any of my Camino expenses. I just thought that I should say that so I know that everyone is aware of what is happening to the donations. When I left this morning we were above $95,000 so that means six wells and part of a seventh! 

Thanks to everyone who has been able to help. Hopefully I will get the iPad problem sorted out . That's it for now.     

Sent from my iPhone

Getting ready to go - I fly to Spain in two days.

The final practice packing of the backpack ...I fly to Spain on Monday.

I have a very early flight from Los Angeles to Dallas on Monday , a three hour layover and then to Madrid. A short layover in Madrid and then a puddle jumper to Pamplona. I will stay in Pamplona on arrival day and one additional night before hiring a car to drive me over the Pyrenees to St. Jean France.

First order of business once I arrive in Pamplona will be to fight the jet lag, have dinner at Hemingway's favorite bar and get some much needed rest. I will be staying at the Hotel LaPerla,  nice hotel in a great location. On Wednesdaty I will take a short walk to the Camino shop around the corner to buy my new walking poles. TSA does not allow hiking poles as an approved carry on item.

On Wednesday I will begin to reduce the weight in my backpack substantially in prepariation for the first day from France when I will walk about 16 miles back to Spain with an elevation change of 4100 feet up over the mountain. Most guide books and many of the pilgrims who have walked the French Way will tell you that the first day is among the three most difficult. Because of the elevation increase there will likely be weather changes often not for the better. Rain, fog and snow add to the difficulty. Reducing weight in the backpack will be a significant comfort improvement. 

The reason I will be able to greatly reduce the weight is because when I begin the Camino in France I will walk back through Pamplona again on the third day so I have arranged to stay at the Hotel La Perla again. This allows me to remove everything I will not need until the forth day like extra clothing and other items. I will pack only the minimum needed for the first three days. This will prove to be of great value. It was Robin's idea on my first Camino and it did make a difference.

It's official I'm homeless ...at least that's how I'm treated .

It's July 5th a little after 11:00 in the morning and I am about half way through my ten mile training session. The route today is the same one I've taken in nearly all of my training walks going back two years. If I had to guess I would say that I have logged about1500 miles on this route with half of those sessions including my backpack.

Today looks very much like all of the other days here along the Capistrano Beach. It's warm, there is a nice cool breeze. The wide walkway allows for RV parking along the shore where people take over selected sites which include a firepit and typically one or more wooden picnic tables. For most people it is an elaborate undertaking. Many times there is a special occasion being celebrated, wedding anniversarys, birthdays and more are usually marked by balloons and other decorations mostly hand made. Music is a standard feature and it changes from one group to the next. That's not surprising given the diversity of those here week after week.

While the music I hear while walking past each gathering tells me in advance, something about the group , it's the food which clearly tells me about the people I'm about to walk by . The smells are always inviting with an occasional mystery smell but for the most part it will tweak your interest in food.

When that happens and I'm close to a scheduled short break I will find an empty picknick bench away from everyone and rest, drink a little water take in the smells and calculate my days progress.

Today's break is different. I do choose a bench, it's well away from a large gathering of people who have pushed together a number of picnic tables which they have already decorated mostly in The American Flag. There is music and conversation going on while the food is being put out.

I am siting about 50 feet away across the paved area when I look up and there is an older guy walking toward me. My back pack is on the bench and I'm drinking water when he asks while walking toward me "are you hungry?"  ..... Before I can respond he asks ....."would you like something to eat?" Finally I respond with a smile .....thank you but no thank you, your offer is very generous. So there you have it. My first interaction with  a person who see's me as a homeless person! I always had that feeling walking along the beach, dressed in drab,worn,washed out clothes, carry poles and a bulky backpack that's also showing some wear, that people were looking at me with that look trying to guess if I am homeless. So it is official ....I'm the homeless guy. Next time I get asked if I'm hungry I might just say "yes, do you have any Caviar and a 94 Pinot Noir? Just kidding.

It was a nice gesture. Speaking of nice gestures I have a close friend,Gene, who helped me on my first Camino with is an act of kindness idea which I will be doing again. So I'll  share it here. Gene has given me several hundred dollars and asked that I once again try to give a small portion of the money to many of the homeless I will encounter along the way. I will do it again it's a great idea and I get all of the "feel good". I will write about those encounters along the Camino. Thank you Gene!

One final surprise during today's training walk. I was making my way back with about 3 miles to go when a young woman on a bike dressed in the typical racing outfit stopped next me and shouted out "did you walk The Camino?" I immediately said "yes I walked The Camino two yeas ago".  I asked how she knew and she said she recognized the scallop shell on the back of my backpack. She said a few nice things and wished me good luck. That was a first time anyone identified the Camino symbol during any of my training sessions. I will in a future post tell you about the scallop shell and it's connection to The Camino.

That's it for today. I fly to Spain in 56 days! Buen Camino!