There’s a saying around here that says ‘whatever you need the Camino will provide’ and it does. Of course you have to ignore the DOMS in your legs, the old injuries that you WILL feel and the heat rash or whatever it is on your feet! Oh and you must be good with the squat … don’t worry a tree to hide behind or a path to scurry down will appear. Oh but how I’m loving all of it.

Days on the Camino – 4

Kms – kms today 30 kms. Total is around 85kms (all the maps are different). I’m still blister free but I have some weird kind of heat rash (I think) on my feet, not itchy or bothering me.

Starting point today – Larrosoaña, Spain.

End of the day – Zariquiegui, Spain.

Number of girls in Africa educated – 17

Total funds raised so far – $5,350.00 If you’d like to contribute you can do so here.

Frances Antonia – Do it in a dress.

Thanks for the help Kimmy from the Women Who Hike team.

Today was dedicated to – Today I’m dedicating to Martha, the super sweet young Danish girl we shared a room with last night. She was providing this past 24 hours … a meal for a fellow pilgrim who arrived late (remember Carol :)) and some expert pack adjustment that saved someone’s upper back a whole lot of wasted load bearing (mine 😉). She’s a special one and I just know this walk is going to make her one courageous and strong young women – even though she already is, she’s here alone hiking the Camino! She’ll know she can do anything after this.

Accommodation – The albergue San Andrés in Zariquiegui is another awesome hostel. It’s €11 per night (shared mixed dorms). The pilgrim meal was $11 with a choice of 3 courses, wine and served at whatever time you want to eat – that’s a first!

Food highlight – Ooh a hard one today … each meal featured the locally grown regional specialty of long peppers. Tonight’s pilgrim meal wins because … a. starving … and b. hiked my guts out today.

In a word(s) – aching and smiling equally, from the inside out – freaking love it.

Yesterday along that route we came across a man handing out brochures for an Albergue in Larrosoaña … guess where we stayed?! And it was the only place in that small town that was serving a meal and the company was excellent – the Camino provided!

At that hostel I heard a man telling his story of why he is on the Camino. There was a butterfly in it and there was an older man from across the seas telling him about synchronicity … I think I heard tears. I won’t share people’s full stories here, these are shared with pilgrims on the Camino. They’re personal and where they should stay. I do hope that man found some peace being provided with the idea of synchronicity.

We’ve now discovered these privately run albergue’s that cost €3 or so per night more than the municipal ones but have a slightly higher comfort level. We’ve also realised that hiking the extra 5 kms further along the route to stay in the small villages provides with accommodation you don’t need to leave once you stop.

The travel aspect of this trip is the walking. Those 7 or so hours I’m spending on my feet wandering through the Spanish towns and countryside. It’s such an unbelievably amazing experience to be breathing fresh air and never knowing what will unfold in that time. We plan the next destination the night before and that has worked well for us. It has provided us with the freedom to stay in today.

Today most of the day was spend walking alongside the river Arga and for the first time we hiked through a city. We laughed out loud when we realised at the traffic lights in Pamplona that as my sister stretched I was busy rehydrating from my water bladder … not standing still! The laughs with my sister have been flowing and that’s providing me with such a great feeling of fortune to be able to share this experience with her.

In the next few days we want to average about 27kms per day. We also know that we want to land, shower, wash our clothes and plonk ourselves down in the afternoons and then not move. It’s our MO. My sister reads, I write, offload my photos and catch up on my One Girl stuff. It’s providing the opportunity for a nice routine. It’s what I wanted to re-invigorate on the Camino – the non negotiable’s in my day.

A lot of socializing happens but I think I hike as I do life .. if it works like last night – great. But mostly I don’t always need it, my sister is similar. Just the same as once we hike beyond where a new friend wants to stop we say good bye and we’re careful not to try and commit to meet ups, the walk takes precedence. Meet ups will happen organically if they work. We’re walking our own walk and there’s a nice feeling of comfort in not compromising what you do and don’t need.

Currently we seem to be on par with the young Germans we started with … we’ll see if our stamina can keep up with those young guns!

Thoughts go through my head while I’m walking but not as many as I’d expect for 7 hours of it! It’s a day’s work. A day that brings, satisfaction, laughter, community and joy in its simplicity. I can’t put it into words yet but a Camino in its routines, space and community feels a lot like an approach to life?!