Almost There

10km. That's it folks, T-E-N kilometers left to Santiago. Is it the light at the end of the tunnel, or the edge of a cliff into a great abyss? Honestly, I think I am in the Twilight Zone where it is both at the same time.

For the past week we have been walking the the beautiful mountainous region of Galicia, a stark difference in scenery than the seemingly never ending planes we had been in prior. For the most part the walks have been better because there is more to see and look at, that is until you decide to do a few 30km days in a row, then you just start hating life a little.

As a whole we have been going slightly off book from the normal “stages” that most pilgrims follow in the Brierley guidebook. By doing this we have had less troubles with finding beds at albergues and have seen different parts of the Camino hospitality that most pilgrims don't. We are able to get ahead of the big crowds and have a sense of ease while walking, which only encourages our bar/café hopping method of going town to town and stopping for food and drink whenever we want so long as we get to our albergue in enough time to get beds.

In the beginning we would often see faces that we recognized. Not that we don't see familiar faces anymore, but there has been a notable shift in the ratio of familiar to unfamiliar faces. This has a lot to do with other Camino routes joining our own as well as the influx of people who are only doing the last bit to obtain their Compestela. I guess it ensures us to keep on our toes about making sure to meet new people and not become clique-ish.

With the addition of people there have been losses as well, as I have mentioned before. Most of the group that we were with before has dispersed and only a couple of us are left, mainly the California father and son I mentioned previously and my grandparents and I. Occasionally we come across the Georgia couple, who make me smile every time I see their welcoming faces. Or the two long time best friends from England, who remind me of my own lifetime best friend and how much I would like to come back and do this with her (hint hint). One of the things that has become apparent on this trip is that the Camino is not all about walking, but the people. The Camino is not the Camino without the unique backgrounds and stories of the people.  

There are things that I will miss, and there are things I won't. I am ready to have a wider selection of clothes. I am ready to make my own food with more flavor. I am ready for my feet to not be as swollen as a woman in her third trimester. But I am not ready to leave my new people. I am not ready to have responsibilities. I am definitely not ready to not be able to eat anything and everything within reach.

So come tomorrow it is the end. But it is also the beginning. I have put my life on hold for 5 weeks now, 7 by the time I get back to Colorado. As much as running away from responsibility seems like a nice idea, it's never a reality. Life always catches up, even if you are a world away.

I look back on this trip and I see all that I have done and accomplished in the past few weeks and see that I HAVE in fact gotten something out of this trip, but not everything. I also have come to the realization that everything is not a one time thing. To get everything would require additional pilgrimages, which just means more things on my bucket list. The gals on Pinterest talk about “Wanderlust”, I don't believe that the lust is truly realized until you get a taste. Doing this Camino has been my taste, causing me to crave adventure more and more.