Happy trails to me!

Yesterday I went hiking for the first time since I hiked the Camino de Santiago two years ago. It was Fun Times.

The hike was about eight miles long and took around five hours to hike, so it was shorter than the shortest hike I did on the Camino. But it felt just right.

Hiking brought back many memories from my adventures on the Camino de Santiago two years ago. And as I was enjoying the hike and the scenery, I began to ask myself if I would ever consider hiking the Camino de Santiago again. Well, the influence of the exhilirating fresh air, the chorus of birds, and the surrounding beauty, combined forces to gently persuade me that, just maybe, I would.

But while I mentally formulated plans for my next hike through the North of Spain, I began to grow tired. As I struggled uphill, my legs began to burn and my lungs cried out for more oxygen. I started feeling that telltale rub that indicates a burgeoning blister.

And I changed my mind.

I remembered why it took me two years to get around to hiking again.

The fact that I started out on the hike yesterday feeling healthy and whole did a lot for my enjoyment of the hike. This happy circumstance was only true for the first two days of my eleven-day hike along the Camino de Santiago. On the subsequent days, I mostly just felt tired and in pain.

I'm not saying that I regret going - quite the contrary! I enjoyed the time that I spent with my fellow peregrinos, and it was a one-of-a-kind experience. We saw some amazing scenery and a side of Spain that I had not seen before. Not to mention the fact that it was rewarding to see what I was capable of.

That said, I think in the future I will most likely stick to one-day hikes. I greatly appreciated the fact that I was not completely exhausted by the end of the day and I was able to come home, shower, and sleep in my own bed. I definitely plan to hike more this summer - but not necessarily for eleven days at a time.