Rabadisco de Baixo to Arca de Pino 22K Day 30

For the past two days I have been fighting this incredible urge to run all the way to Santiago. I have charged up ascents, marched on the flat, and felt invigorated, strong and confident about reaching the final goal of Santiago de Compostela. In fact one Frenchman said, ¨A demain!¨as I breezed by him. However, today is a different story....I have realized that this day is our last normal walking day and I want to savour everything: the aroma of the eucalyptus leaves as I rip them open; the carpet of fuzzy chestnut encasements that feel so soft under my boots; the crunch of the rich, brown chestnuts as I step on them; the beauty of the canopied path as it filters the light; the ancient moss-covered rock walls; the sing-song of the birds; the sounds of Elizabeth talking to the dogs, sheep, trees, stones, and chestnuts which has made my soul smile more than anything else on the trip; the embrace of Mother Earth as we walk between her dirt walls; and the sight of that line of chicas hiking with me.

As we approached Salceda today, we spotted this woman in an orange jacket frantically waving her hands and eventually we recognized Marilyn. We didn´t recognize her at first because she was so slim and trim! What a celebratory reunion we had - vino, a cornicopia of ´carne´grilled over an open fire, and shared stories. We are finally eating like the Spanish in the middle of the afternoon! Marilyn, under the direction of two doctors because of foot difficulties, was ordered to walk no more than 20K per day and to use the ´mochilas´taxi to transport her backpack each day. She has couragously been travelling on her own and with Camino friends she has met along the way. We are so happy to have you back with us, Marilyn!

There are all sorts of pilgrims along the Way right now and we had heard via
´The Camino Radio´ lol about this German Marching Crew and we had even spotted them, dressed in yellow coats and parading single file around a corner, pounding their hiking sticks in rhythm, footwork in tact. Shortly after lunch today, we stumbled across this comical group. Influenced slightly by the vino from lunch, Elizabeth and I quickly joined their ranks, the pounding of the hiking poles and marching footwork instantly mastered. Everything was running smoothly until we dubbed this group the seven dwarves and burst out singing ¨Hi Ho Hi Ho Off to Work We Go¨ in rhythm to the sticks, followed by a burst of giggles and another round of the song ¨Hi Ho Hi Ho We´re on the Camino We´re off to Santiago Hi Ho Hi Ho¨. Needless to say they were not all that impressed.

To finish today, I have a message for my daughter, Alyssa. Dearest Alyssa: I first heard about the Camino from you. You came home so excited about discovering the Camino and promptly told me you were walking it....I thought you were ABSOLUTELY CRAZY! Thank you for sharing your dream with me, thank you for letting me be a part of your dream, and thank you for all your help in making this dream a reality for me. I am so proud to have you as a daughter. I admire your strength, your determination, your sharp intellect, your amazing athletic and musical talent, and your ability to laugh. You surround yourself with an amazing group of friends who reflect who you are and that makes me proud as well. I have carried your chosen rocks all this way and I want you to know that tomorrow I will place them on the trail before I reach the summit where I will first view the Cathedral of St. James. I leave them there because the Camino is YOUR dream and YOU will be the pilgrim who picks up those rocks that I leave on this ancient path and YOU will be the one to carry them to Santiago. Buen Camino, my dear dear friend! Follow your dreams.