Santiago via PUD’s and CFP

Day 32  Rua to Santiago de Compostela

Miles today:  14.2

Elevation gain:  935’

Descent:  1005’

Walking miles:  393.1

Total Camino miles: 506.9

Travel far enough, you meet yourself – David Mitchell

Today we completed the “full” Camino. On April 3rd we started walking west from St Jean France and today we  walked into the plaza at the Santiago Cathedral in Spain in mid afternoon. Blaze, Chum, and I have traveled for 32 days without utilizing any kind of motorized transportation and have covered 508 miles. Walking was 393 miles along with 115 miles of biking. We climbed 34,000 feet in elevation and descended almost the same amount. That is about six and a half miles straight up...and down!

We endured countless PUD’s. PUD’s are “pointless ups and downs”. It often seemed that the Camino went up a hill and then back down for no logical reason when it might have made more sense to follow the valley or to contour around the hill. Such is not the way of the Camino. It does have a lot of up and downs!

One hiker creed is CFP, which is constant forward progress. This means having a focus on your final destination and not wandering off track or going in a direction which is not towards your goal. The Camino is very good in this sense. It is basically a mostly straight line from east to west. There is very little wasted wandering.

I suppose that constant forward progress by definition does result in what seem to be pointless ups and downs. It is hard to have the first without the second!

We have met people from 23 different countries. We got to know many by first names and knew scores others by the nicknames we gave them. Friends were made from around the world.

We enjoyed rain, sleet, snow, clouds, sun, and even one hot day. The countryside was beautiful, incredible, serene as well as harsh and treeless at times. The streams were crystal clear and the fields were sparkling green.

We saw many walkers with all sorts of injuries, ailments, and blisters. Some were forced to abandon their adventure. The three of us were very fortunate. Not one blister for any of us. Our aches and pains were few. A few sore muscles and some nighttime leg cramps. Chum sustained a knee injury with a week to go and he was able to continue walking. I had a gluten flare-up that affected my back these last three days, but otherwise was fine. Blaze faired the best. We were extremely fortunate and our long training hikes paid big dividends.

Tomorrow is the end of the “three amigos”. Chum is headed home to North Carolina to rest his knee. Blaze, Eileen, Judy and I have a rest day here in Santiago and the following day we start our hike to the coast, another 75 miles or so along the Camino Finisterre.

My back began to improve this afternoon and I am looking forward to the rest day and the next stage of our adventure.