4. Kaia's Summary of the first two Weeks

 

We started the Camino on a day which  just so happened to be my dad's birthday. It was by far the steepest, craziest, most difficult day of the 175 miles we have walked so far. Although we only walked six miles that day, it felt like over 20. Our actual longest day was 30kms, but it wasn't nearly as steep as day one. It was extremely hot, so we had to develop a strategy to avoid the afternoon heat. We rise at 4:00 A.M and leave at 5:00 A.M, watching the stars. This way, we don't hike after noon, and the heat doesn't catch up to us. On August 12th and 13th, there is a large dust cloud that Earth spins through. If you wake up early enough, you might see from 60 to 100 shooting stars an hour!

 

                  

So far, the Camino has been very interesting. I have never hiked a long distance hike before, and I love meeting all the other hikers and finding out where they started and where they will end. Some start in St. Jean Pied de Port and will end in Santiago, like we will, or they start in Roncesvalles and end in Burgos. Some walk for a week, some hike for a month, and some even start at their home and walk to the edge of Europe itself! Everyone hikes, bikes, runs, or even unicycles the Camino their own way. (We actually did see someone unicycling, by the way.) Groups stay together, groups separate, people slow down, and people speed up. I have found that my pace is very quick, while my family often likes to slow down. 

               

I love to zone out and daydream my way across the Camino, often tripping on a rock or stick. I'm telling you, they just pop out of nowhere! Even though I stopped wearing hiking socks and reverted to liners only, I have yet to get a blister or any other foot injury hiking, but i sadly can't say the same for Dad or Cruz. We take a "zero day" in all the largest towns, and I get a chance to chill and rest. We get to be "tourists" for a day, visiting souvenir shops and landmarks. Overall, the Camino has been a great experience so far and I love it all.