The Last 100 Kilometers (6/25/2016)

For the past couple of days, we’ve rested and visited the city of Lugo, Spain, that is not along the Camino Frances. We did this because we felt like Rachel’s feet needed a rest, and so we needed to bus ahead. In order to get to Sarria, we had to take a bus to Lugo and transfer to Sarria. Once we looked at Lugo online, we decided it could be a fun place to spend a couple of days, so we did.

Walking the road on the old Roman wall in Lugo.

Now we are set to begin the final legs into Santiago, and I’m beginning to sense a lot of dichotomies. I feel the urge within me to race to the end. I can feel a “let’s get this done!” energy. BUT…because of the feet issues, we are actually stretching out these next several days.

In order to receive the certificate of completion (compostela), one must walk at least 100 km. So, people who have limited time, often start in Sarria. And, if we follow the suggestions of our Camino guidebook, we could finish this up in 5 walking days. But, we would be walking between 13-16 miles each day. And our past experience suggests that we don’t do well walking those distances.

So, my mind is gearing up to “Go, go go!” and our schedule is going “Slow, slow, slow!” We have scheduled shorter distances for the longer walking days. What could have taken us 5 days will now take us 7.

I liked the "Paso Peons" sign.

We’ve walked along very rural regions, along country paths, with limited road walking. And, we’ve had days where it didn’t feel like there were very many people on the road. It’s an illusion, of course. It’s actually amazing to sit someplace and watch the pilgrims pass by. Or to ride a bus and be able to see all the folks on the road.

But, now that we are in Sarria, we know the number of pilgrims will increase dramatically.

We’ve walked in lots of rural, rustic settings. Now we will find out how “commercialized” these last 100 km really will be. We’ve been so pleased with the lack of commercialism so far. In fact, there are days when I have wondered why someone couldn’t put up a lemonade stand on the long stretches in the middle of nowhere.

So here we are:

• ready to be done, but slowing down
• going from the relative calm of the trail, to the last 100 km of “busy”
• going from quiet, contemplative trails, to what we expect to be crowded paths

And, I wonder, what will God show us on this leg of the journey? And what will we find in Santiago? And, finally, at Finisterre?