"Letting there be room for not knowing is the most important thing of all. When there's a big disappointment, we don't know if that's the end of the story. It may just be the beginning of a great adventure. Life is like that. We don't know anything. We call something bad; we call it good. But really we just don't know." ~ Pema Chodron, When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times
One year ago I was sitting at home after coming off the Appalachian Trail. I had slipped and fallen on icy rock coming down from Cheoah Bald and twisted my ankle. At the time I was very disappointed and wondered if it was the end of a hoped for thru-hike. Was it bad luck? Maybe ... but I got into rehab with a physical therapist immediately, avoided a terrible snow storm that descended on the Smoky Mountains and made hiking very difficult and dangerous; I participated in Holy Week services and Easter Sunday at my home parish. So in many ways the fall brought much good into my life. On April 6th Stoney drove me back to Stecoah Gap and I returned to the Appalachian Trail wearing an ankle support (just in case).
As I write this blog post, we are definitely in that place where we need to let "there be room for not knowing" as we count down the days until we begin our pilgrimage on the Camino Frances (the French Way on the Way of St. James) enroute to Santiago de Compostela.
I was really surprised when we received our Credencial del Peregrino just a few days after I applied online. Coming from California, I expected it would take longer. When Stoney brought in the mail and I saw the envelope that contained our pilgrim passports, my heart skipped a beat or two (not really that unusual because I have thousands of irregular heartbeats each day for which exercise is my prescription rather than medication).
The letter from the American Pilgrims on the Camino began:
"Dear Friend of the Camino,
We are very happy to provide you with your credencial del peregrino for your upcoming journey on the Camino de Santiago. The Camino has existed for a thousand years, and you are about to become part of its legacy.
The credential identifies you as a pilgrim traveling on foot, bicycle or horseback, and it must be shown when you register in the albergues in which you sleep along the Camino ..."
As I read the letter, the words "You are about to become part of its legacy" caught my eye and took me back to the Appalachian Trail. Day after day as I walked, I thought about all those who had walked the path from Georgia to Maine. Most days I walked alone although a few people would pass me and on a rare occasion I would pass someone. It was a solitary and quiet walk. Some days I was lonely but most days I enjoyed the solitude...and experienced the companionship/ the legacy (the gift) of the Appalachian Trail and all who have walked it. I met a man from Texas hiking part of the AT last year. His trail name was ..... wait for it .... Tex.
The Appalachian Trail's legacy is recent when compared to El Camino de Santiago. The first section of the Appalachian Trail was opened in 1923. Myron Avery was the first to hike the trail end to end in 1936 although not as a thru-hike. In 1948 Earl Shaffer was the first to complete a documented thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.
We are preparing to walk a path that has been in existence for over a thousand years. We will experience and become a part of the legacy that began during medieval times. I wonder whether any our relatives from Ireland, Sweden, Germany and England have walked it. Will we be following in their footsteps?
From from the back of the Credencial del Peregrino:
Live In The Moment
Welcome Each Day - Its Pleasures and Its Challenges
Make Others Feel Welcome
Share
Feel The Spirit of Those Who Have Gone Before You
Imagine Those Who Will Follow You
Appreciate Those Who Walk With You Today
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