Pilgrims Log 10

7/9

I arrived in Astorga!

I’ve decided to stick to more of an itinerary recently, though it’s not much of a difficult one. It’s actually rather easy - physically, that is (just wait , George, your hubris will bite you in the ass if you let it). I will say, I’m constantly in pain but I’ve learned to deal with it or meditate it away. The main challenge will be staying conscious to take shorter days and arrive later than most. When you’re on the Camino, there is a certain desire to stay with your cohort. I have enjoyed the exercise that the Camino provides of letting go and saying goodbye when needed.

The Meseta, which extends from Burgos to Astorga, will soon be a distant memory. Endless fields of golden wheat, tossing to and fro in the wind, have given way to endless fields of corn. Green everywhere, with the satisfying aroma of water on hot asphalt, and the earthy smell of budding corn. I’ll soon enter a mountainous region with significantly more difficulty, but I don’t want to arrive at Santiago de Compostela until July 23. So I have a ton of time to kill and a huge incentive to really explore the places I’m passing through.

I carry with me the grief of Samuel’s untimely passing, but I also carry several things in his honor. May the burden of weight symbolize the burden of grief. First and foremost I carry a scallop shell - a symbol of the camino that all pilgrims carry. Second, I carry a stone. A stone which I have carried for Samuel since the beginning of my journey. I intend to leave this stone at the Cruz Ferro for him. It is a historic place that pilgrims usually leave a stone from their journey, as a symbol of leaving behind their burdens. I have been carrying a stone for Samuel in my bag for the entire journey. At first, I wasn’t exactly sure why but I was drawn to carry one for him. I will leave this stone as a symbol of Samuel’s positive impact on the world and to symbolize TK, Grace, and Solomon leaving behind their grief for a future of remembrance without sadness, but instead joy. Finally, I carry with me a “Credencial Peregrino,” so that I can get a Compostela for Samuel at the end of my journey and present it to his family, in his loving memory.

For anyone that pledged a donation, these funds will be repurposed to provide scholarships to students of the New Life School. I will follow up with you all to confirm this but it will be a couple of weeks before you hear from me. I have grossly underestimated the wifi at many of the municipal albergues. My apologies.

In the meantime, I’ve found a love for Verdejo wine and am enjoying the personal growth and enjoyment that through hiking brings.

(Attached photo of chicken tikka masala I made)

¡Buen Camino!