Happy 1^st Day of Summer! A perfect day to sit by an open window and catch up, even if I’m a few days late. I’ve spent the last week weeding flower beds because it’s an activity that doesn’t require much brain power … the jet lag sapped the brain power.

I’ve also been weeding through pics from El Camino. I promise, I won’t do a photo drop of 1500 pics. But today I’m sharing a few of the more iconic moments, images you may be familiar with if you’ve watched the movie, The Way.

The first is Pilgrim Sculptures on Alto de Perdon between Pamplona and Puente la Reina: “When Energia Hidroelectica de Navarre built its line of 40 wind turbines in 1994 it commissioned the iconic steel pilgrim sculpture at the summit, which represents a line of pilgrims stretching from the first medieval pilgrims on the left past pilgrim caregivers and merchants to modern pilgrims on the far right–all crowned by stars above.” Pilgrim Route by Sandy Brown

We arrived at the summit of Alto de Perdon our first day, walking out of Pamplona. After seeing the windmills–their height and number are impressive–the sculpture appeared smaller than I expected and seemed to blend into the natural surroundings. I assume that blending was intentional, and was effective for evoking all kinds of emotions. The first simply being the thrill of seeing it, connecting the sculpture with the movie. It was also an indicator, in some ways different than the arrows and shells we’d been following, we were really walking El Camino. This was real.

Then the deeper sensation that all of us pilgrims were now part of that historical context. As we maneuvered into place for photos, the sculpture became like shadows for the living pilgrims taking its place. It some ways I felt as if we were leaving our echo with it.

If you’ve seen the movie, when Sheen and the others are at this point, the weather is windy, rainy, and cold. We had the same weather. The path down was our first encounter with the cobblestones and a narrow path. The rain made the stones more treacherous, and since this path was an ancient Roman road, I wondered how they managed with horses and carts.

The second is Cruz de Ferro: “Ancient Celts often piled stones to mark high places, and the practice may have been the ancient origin of a rock cairn at the site atop a bluff. In the 12^th century a hermit monk Gaucelmo erected a cross on the pile of stones.” Pilgrim Route by Sandy Brown

I’d resisted the idea of carrying a rock because it seemed like such a cliché. But the more I thought and prayed about it, I found a rock that symbolized what I needed and what I was bringing to the mound. I carried it for a week or so.

Along the trail there’s conversation, joking, high spirits, laughter all within the physical struggles of the walk. At the mound there’s a hushed reverence that weighs and brings tears as we become aware of the number of rocks, and all the pilgrims, sorrow, penance, and release they represent. No one visits in a hurry. Rocks are placed with thought, prayer, letting go. We walked around reading the notes left by others and were reluctant to leave.

I had another reason for being hesitant. In our guidebook the descent from this point indicated it was the steepest. In the graphic the descent is indicated with !!! and the note that most injuries–twisted ankles, wrenched knees, broken bones–occur on the downslopes. Every time I read it, I saw and heard the robot from Lost in Space flailing his arms and yelling Danger! Danger Kim Blum-Hyclak! Danger! I’d researched the availability of taxis so I could avoid walking down. I’d bought gloves to protect my hands if I ended up climbing down backwards like climbing down a ladder. My stomach was a bundle of knots.

We’re often reminded on the Camino to look back every so often so you can see where you’ve been. This photo is looking back. It was a Godwink for me on this Pentecost morning. The knots didn’t untie, but I felt a Sacred Presence, almost a laughing one, assuring me I’d be fine. Trust.

The walk was not easy by any means, but it wasn’t nearly as difficult as I’d imagined. Instead of a sheer face like previous descents, this one had plenty of rocks for footholds. Instead of a straight shoot down, there were stretches of relative flatness and switchbacks when our legs and knees recovered and we could appreciate the beautiful mountain and valley vistas. There were moments when wildflowers and flowering brush formed a tunnel over the path and I had to literally push my way through, but the scent and the imagery of entering an enchanted place will forever bring a smile. At one of these stretches, a woman had set up a table with fresh fruit– cherries, bananas, oranges, and slices of the season’s first, sweetest watermelons. When we reached the bottom of the mountain, we’d walked 14.5 miles. Our day wasn’t over, but the descent was and the day I’d feared the most turned out to be one of the best.

Finally, Stone steps of Portomarin: “In the late 1950s, Franco’s Belesar hydroelectric dam created a reservoir on the river and in 1962 the entire town was moved up the hill to its present location. The town’s most historical buildings were meticulously dismantled then transported stone by stone and reassembled above. …pilgrims enter town by climbing a stone stairway over an archway of the reconstructed medieval bridge …” Pilgrim Route by Sandy Brown

I don’t remember this being in the movie, but it’s one of the milestones pilgrims on Camino Facebook sites mention. After another day of up and down mountains, you see these steps as if they’re literally rising out of the river. You feel your knees buckle. The steps are steep, the treads narrow, and they’re made of stone. If one stumbles or falls there will be damage. They weren’t as difficult as they appear. My one son asked if we ran up like Rocky. We did not. Some teenagers did … but we did not. These are a milestone because you’re almost there! For us, we were just five days away from the end.

It’s hot in the Carolinas, like it is everywhere! I’m staying cool with a good book I’ll share on Monday. Until then, I hope you have a great weekend, and you’re staying safe from the heat.