By Veronica Vogler

5/29/19

boof. today was a long one.

For starters, yesterday was the bane of my existence. Not only was I sleep deprived from the oh so sweet melody of snores, it turns out downhills are not my friend. The weight of my backpack in addition to my blisters with a string hanging out of them just bad for a rough day that no number of galletas de limón could fix.

So, today I opted for a solo walk, hoping to find the peace of mind I seemed to have lost from the misery that was yesterday. We were only walking 9 kilometers today, so I thought if this whole “walking alone” situation went terribly, at least it wouldn’t last long. In the middle of my trek, I was greeted by a Scottish group. They were complaining in unison about the previous day, understandably, but they were all still in a good mood and were laughing it off. I think if the Camino has taught me anything so far, its that pain truly brings people together. There’s something about sharing the numbness of your legs with another person that evolves into a beautiful friendship. A Scottish man proceeded to talk about how he was excited to get a sandwich and ask for mayo on it, because one of the biggest let-downs of Spain is that they do not seem too keen on the idea of butter.

Walking solo today required me to go the extra mile (actually, two miles. Half of the group got lost). While I cannot say that I “found myself” or that I will consider doing it again (at least in the near future), I appreciated the few hours I had with my own thoughts and the chirps of a thousand crickets. I am still anticipating my “P.S I Love You” moment, and I am still preparing myself for the Camino Cry. I’m not sure if it hasn’t hit me yet because of the lack of emotions due to the pain and exhaustion, or because I am so dehydrated that my body cannot spare any water for tears. To be determined…