El Camino: Day 1

I snatched a few hours of dreamless sleep in the dark, shuddering cocoon of the quiet car on the Amtrak Hudson line. The picturesque Hudson palisades passed me by in the pale-yellow light of the dawning sky. I rolled back and forth to moderately more comfortable positions, a ball cap stuck over my face to block the morning rays.

I arrive in the sprawling, bustling tunnels of New York City’s Penn station. Emerging into the daylight of the great metropolis, I am one tiny node in a multitude streaming this way and that on the gridded sidewalks. I have a few hours before my flight to Lisbon and thus I write to you now from a midtown Manhattan café.

The surrealness of it all is beginning to sink in. I’m on my way to scratch off another bucket list goal, one I’ve been dreaming of for almost two years.

I’m also just back from accomplishing another one of my major life goals – deploying with the military to Europe. So much has happened to me in the last year that I haven’t even begun to process it fully.

I knew this would be the case, at least in part, and thus why I chose this time to reflect on as much as I can in service of stepping into the best version of myself. 10 or so days walking on an ancient pilgrimage trail seems to be a good way to attempt to do that.

At 27 years old, as I’ve written recently, I’ve lived life quite fully over the first decade or so of my early adulthood. I’ve made tremendous progress in some areas like my fitness (winning some Army competitions for example), had some very mixed results (my dating life) and am yet still on the cusp of making my lifelong dream a reality (being a best-selling author of books I love). Or so it feels.

I have to say - I’ve accomplished many of my dreams that I set out to pursue - I’ve traveled a good bit of the world, done some acting (low-level but noteworthy), made friends with fascinating people all over the world, made many attempts at finishing a novel, hitchhiked, among others. All very meaningful to me.

I’ve also begun over the last couple years to think seriously about settling down – finding a wonderful wife and having kids. I am, for sure, not financially ready for that, but that will come in due time.

However, I’m torn psychologically on the question. Both roads; 3-5 more years of bachelorhood or 3-5 years of settling down, loom before me. I can see myself happy on both paths. Yet in order to fully enjoy and realize either, I have to choose one.

One of my chief pains over the last  9 years or so is never having finished one of my novels. I also haven’t marketed my writing aggressively, my degree in history is still gestating, I own no property, my finances are precarious, I have about 5 possible ‘career’ paths of nearly equal interest and there are so many experiences to sort through from my past it often feels overwhelming.

Not to mention the current state of the world, particularly US society. Regardless of your political affiliation, beliefs or socioeconomic standing in the world – it has been an interesting (to say the least) and challenging time to become an adult over the last several years.

All this is compelling me to take a long walk along the Portuguese and Spanish coast and countryside in solitude, and hopefully with serendipitous company at times, to sort it all out. That’s the intent, anyway.

The “El Camino” or the “the Way” is a pilgrimage route that originated around 900AD. There are various routes through many parts of Spain, some originating as far as England, tracing their way through France to the terminus in the northern city of Santiago de Compostela. There are also three routes from Portugal heading north into Spain.

Of these, I’ll be taking the ‘Littoral’ route. This one winds it’s way along the coastline predominantly.

Unless I change my mind due to practical or touristic concerns, I plan on starting in Porto. It is approximately 260 kilometers from Porto to Santiago de Compostela. That’s about 160 miles.

If I take 10 days to walk that far - you guessed it - that’s about 16 miles per day. Depending on if you’ve ever walked really far or not, that’s more reasonable than it sounds.

During your typical Army school or competition that requires rucking, the standard is 12mi within 3 hours wearing a 35lb rucksack. I have done about a half dozen of these rucks within the last 2 years. I typically pack my ruck at 40lbs so I’m never close to not making weight. And the best time I’ve done is around 2hrs and 14min.

If I can go 12mi in a little over 2hrs, I can make it 16mi in 8x the amount of time. Dividing the 10 days into a leisurely pace, I’m thinking I’ll need to cover at least 8mi every 4hrs. Giving myself 8hrs a day to walk my 16 miles with give me plenty of time for reflection, conversation, rest and sightseeing. It’ll also give me ample time to enjoy the evenings and do what I need to do at each stop I make. And perhaps most importantly it gives me a shot of 8hrs of solid sleep every night.

That’s the plan anyway. The best-laid plans of mice and men, and all that. It’s provisional and we’ll see how it works when the rubber (my trekking shoes) hit the road (pilgrimage route).

I’ll be beginning shortly, likely towards the end of November and into early December. I’d like to get in a few days in Lisbon, a surf town, and Porto respectively. There’s also the tantalizing prospect of the Spanish town called Finisterre or (literally 'End of the World' as it’s derived from the original Latin). Only 100km away from Santiago. We shall see.

All ideas for the same trip. I have a flight back to the US already booked so I’ll need to make my walking objectives without delay.  

This is the ‘off’ season for the El Camino, summer being the boom-time. But It’s also surf season so I hope to meet more surfers as well as people truly committed to reflection as opposed to a more casual crowd on the trail.

I plan to write and post everyday. I’ve created some good momentum so far in these last preceding weeks. It’s been a thoroughly enjoyable process and I’m excited to see what unfolds as I go along.

I’ve got a single rucksack. The decision to pack light is a symbolic decision as much as practical. I’ll have to carry everything I need for the 150 or so odd miles from Porto to Santiago de Compostela. I also want to let go of anything I no longer need to carry in my own life, taking only that which is necessary.

My ruck weighs about 25-30lbs. I have 4 pairs of clothes (including the ones I’m wearing to the airport), 3 pairs of shoes (including a pair I’m wearing), a laptop, notebook, various chargers, a rain jacket, toiletry bag and last but not least – 3 books. I have a little fanny pack carrying my passport, wipes and other handy accoutrement. All in all, I’m happy with my compact cargo.

The books I’ve brought along are:

·       Time Off by John Fitch & Max Frenzel

·       The Tactical Guide to Women by Shawn Smith, PhD

·       The Black Swan by Nassim Nicolas Taleb

Should make for stimulating reading.

My flight to Lisbon is in 2 hours... wish me luck ;)

Thank you for taking the time to read my stuff. I wish you the best and much love.