Day 31- The Race
I was a sinner when I started this pilgrimage. I have been a sinner (the Race) during this Camino. I will still be a sinner when I get home. I am a sinner. We all are. Now to the sin- I started the day still a little fatigued from yesterday’s marathon. I nestled into the flow of Pilgrims. It was crowded enough you needed to moderate your pace to get around people. On a little climb before me was an older man from China. He had a scowl on his face. I passed him. He didn’t like that. He stormed past me stomping his feet and he had walking sticks which he seemed to be stabbing the trail with them. I imagined the Camino grimacing in pain as he impaled the trail. I never heard him say anything to other pilgrims he just stomped on with his stern unsmiling face. What do I do? God and the Camino told me to let him go and focus on something positive and helpful. Another evil source within me told me to pass the angry man. Yes, I confess, I took the bait. Game on! I could tell by his clumsy stomping he did not have many miles into his pilgrimage. His gait was not meant for sustained walking. I caught up to him and just drafted behind him. He knew I was there, right on his heels. When I tried to make a move right or left to get around him, he cut into my lane and blocked me. I still got around him. I didn’t pass him I just walked beside him. When he sped up, so did I. For sure he could stomp fast but I had him on the hills. Every time we hit a climb I put it in a higher gear and dusted him. Once at the top, I would let him catch up to me so I could just stay right beside him or just behind so he knew I wasn’t going to let him break free. He was fast on the flats. If I saw a hill in the distance, I would let him pull away so he’d think he beat me. Then I would again power past him on the hill. He just had no technique on the hills. This went on for well over a mile. How would this battle end? My Christian spirit told me to let this guy win. I was planning to do that but just as I crested a rise in the lead, I saw a place to get breakfast. I turned into the restaurant the winner. But was I? Its the most unCamino thing I’ve ever done.
Mishigas dominated the trail today, packs of cyclists, pilgrims with headphones and radios. Pilgrims waiving flags of some country. I took it all in and reminded myself - The Camino welcomes everyone. All in all it was a fine penultimate walk.
Last night’s lodging, not much to look at but serviceable
I have a theory- the shorter your walk, the more you bring.
The day had a number of quiet moments in beautiful settings
A wall of empty beer bottles- a fine tribute to God and the Camino
Traffic backing up on the Camino Highway
A field ready to grow life
A sad and disturbing dynamic within the 100 kilometer to finish is the desecration of Camino signposts. Signs like this are all too common as you get close to Santiago and can be quite worse. You just don’t see them in the preceding terrain.