Emilio Estavez died here but you really won't believe what else happened...

Stopping in Orisson was an excellent idea. It was the last refuge on the climb over the Pyrennees. Getting to it was a not insignificant climb of 700 meters over the course of 8 km. The sky was misting when we departed St. Jean at about 2 but generally it was good walking weather. We stopped briefly at Hontos, the only village (5 houses) of any size on the way to Roncevalles. As we sat on the empty patio outside the guesthouse, the skies opened up. We retreated under the terrace and in 10 minutes the storm had passed. Another 40 minutes of steep uphill later and we had arrived at the Refugio Orisson, a lone hostel on the side of the road. We met good fortune again here as the heavens opened up further, including hail, just as we were arriving - the pilgrim we passed an hour before arrived soaked to the bone some 10 minutes later.

Approximately 40 of us had decided that "half-way" was far enough for the day. As I would soon learn, the "normal first day" was just as brutal as advertised. We split it in half and it was still a bit much.
The evening's family style dinner in the Refugio was fun - good food, free wine, and tales of how we all landed on this trail. Some 10 countries were represented and strangely 4 Seattle-ites (followed closely by 3 from Santa Cruz) - only one east coaster in the bunch. Most impressive was the 84 year old Minnesotan grandmother hiking with her daughter and grand-daughter.

Mike finds WIFI

The next morning most of us were on the road before 8. The sky was bleak. The rain was not terrible but relentless and it was strangely cold for late June - due to both the 3000 foot elevation and a poncho shredding wind. We continued to climb for the 3 hours eventually reaching the high point on the trail. The only respite was a brief stop in a concrete mountain hut that allowed 10 of us at a time to get out of the wind and drop our packs for a few minutes. After reaching about 4500 feet, we had a ridiculous one hour ascent which challenged both our footing and our hips. On a fair day, with the ability to stop and sit in the sun once in a while, The typical day one route would have been difficult but do-able. The challenge of the weather would have made doing the whole thing both mentally and physically exhausting. I'm glad we chose to attack the hill in the manner that we did.

Janine in the rain

Because we started early (and we were a bit wet and cold), we decided to by-pass the 200 bed hostel and go to the next town and rent a single room. Tomorrow our more regular schedule will begin - up early, walk for an hour, stop for coffee and pastry, continue walking most of the morning, eat on the trail, and arrive in our destination early afternoon.

Click Bait Resolution

Emilio Estavez, in the movie "The Way", he died on the trail the first day. We could see how that could happen. We saw several grave markers. Another 10 degrees colder and I could see getting hypothermia. But we think everyone made it today.

Day 1 - Gratefulness and Practical Matters of getting there

Blog 2 - trains, planes, and buses
A lot of natural resources expended to get to the start of our trip. We began about 40 hours ago and have since Taxied to the airport, flown to Paris, taken two flights inside France to Barritz, taken two buses, and now await the last two trains to arrive at St Jean Pied du Port - the traditional start of the the Camino de Santiago. The irony of all of this modern travel to walk a 1000 year old 500 mile pilgrimage is not lost on me. We could have certainly strapped on our packs and simply hiked back to California.
We are very privileged that we have the time and resources to take what most people would consider a once-in-a-lifetime type of trip. As I sit here drinking my second cappuccino in the cafe across from the train station, I realize that, while relatively inexpensive, even the ability to enjoy a second cup of coffee in a sit-down establishment without fretting about our budget is a 1%er activity.
I hope I can consider to feel grateful for my good fortune while thinking about ways in which I can share my wealth with others.

cappuccinos and Bluetooth keyboard

On the less philosophical side, in case anyone who is reading this actually wants some advice about the Camino, here's what I've learned. We debated a lot about how to get to St. Jean. Our first choice was where to fly into. Paris had relatively cheap and direct flights from Seattle - given our choice to fly to Biarritz, several other European airports may have worked just as well. One option from Paris would have also been train - they ran regularly but ultimately took about 6 hours - seems like given the time we were arriving, getting to St. Jean that day was questionable - we would probably end up in Bayonne or Biarritz anyway, so we decided to fly - a choice that was almost costly as we had a connecting flight through Lyon France that we almost missed. In hindsight, I might have opted for the train. In addition, we chose to stay in an Air BNB in Biarritz. Biarritz is a cute sea-side town that would have been nicer on a sunny, less wind-stormy day. It would have been easier (once again in hindsight ) to catch a bus from the Biarritz airport to Bayonne OR to have gotten organized transport to St. Jean (something I read in my guidebook this morning). All-in-all, nothing wrong with our plans but I might do it a bit differently if I had to start from France again (including walking from Notre Dame!).

made it to start!

My post didn't go out at breakfast as my WIFI dropped and we were about to miss our train. I now sit on my last section mass transit (I hope). The short mountain train from Bayonne to St. Jean is winding through the quaint Basque countryside, filled with streams, cottages, and sheep. Hopefully the weather won't keep us from our 8k hike up the Pyrennees (sp?) and our first Camino accommodation - where I hope to find more WIFI and make this post.

You won't believe this click bait...

As I sit in the air France Business lounge (Thank you Janine), I contemplate potential blog posts for the coming 40 days. I thought it would be fun and ironic to make each of my entries extreme click bait. I plan to post a link every few days to Facebook and thought this might be hilarious. Of course, I could be wrong.

The following are all potential headlines for future posts. Please suggest others on the blog or in comments on Facebook.

Man creates way to walk across Europe for free.

5 things you should never say to your wife.

Seeing the Running of the Bulls - and you won't believe what the Bulls do.

When you find out what Janine did at Midnight your jaw will drop.

The top ten things not to pack on vacation.

This is not a joke. What just happened is horrifying.

Mike didn't know what he had eaten - until the bill came.

Couple aged 112 provide their age defying secrets

By air drying their clothes, they created a genius life hack.

When you read these 9 shocking facts about Spain, you'll never want to go.

He found this bag by the side of the road, but when he opened it, I'm speechless

8 hiking outfits that are pure genius

Think this is a normal church? just wait till you see what's inside...

All she did was sit her pack down. What happened next blew my mind.

Question? Disbelief. Ellipses...

Janine and Mike went exploring a cemetery. What they found was chilling.

Mike wasn't always a teacher. His story makes me like him even more.

This intense photo will shake even the most skeptics non-believer

These travelers wrote a note in the guestbook that could shock (and disgust) almost anyone.

Who would have thought a man talking about his foot care could be so fascinating?

When this backpacker sat down, this dog has a reaction you need to see for yourself.

You never knew these 7 facts about walking.

13 years ago they got married, but this anniversary card still makes him cry.

Here's what happen when a stupid American tries to jump across a raging river.

Numbered list about anything. Make sure you read the last one!

Trying Bloggo App from My Phone

Catching bus back up to Ballard. Had to run home to sign house papers. Janine picks me up at 3 to go drop off dog at Boot camp.

Adiós Ballard. Hola España!

I feel super fortunate to have spent two years at Ballard High School - a place of high standards, great students, and helpful professional colleagues.  I'm sorry to be going but my life has so rarely been about staying in one place for very long - Hercules being the one exception.

I don't have the time or inclination to be super reflective right now.  I think the 500 mile walk across Spain should provide sufficient time for such introspection.  Some of it, I'll likely write about here.

A few things I'll remember:

My room at Ballard - can see Mt. Rainer on a clear day.

My Colleagues and their helpfulness in planning and mental support.  My "Letting Go" and doing it someone else's way was a mantra I tried to keep for two years.  For the most part, it always went well, I usually learned something, and it almost always saved me time.  The Thursday afternoon planning sessions with the "Alge-bros" was possibly the best professional development I've ever had.

Students saying "Thank You" at the end of each class.  Who trained these kids?  I was brought up as a respectful southerner but that's one piece of hospitality that I had never heard of.

My Biotech students: Especially those I've had for two years.  We've had some ups and downs but generally they've been everything I would want in students.  I've promised to come back for their graduations in 2018 and 2019. 

My short stint with the basketball program.  It was great to coach again. I'm hoping I don't take another 15 year hiatus.

All the videos I made.  I received a lot of feedback that they were very helpful.  I need to make sure I keep up with all of them.

Belated Spain Post

Another 5 days of walking and a few dozen amazing churches later. My last entry captured a good sense of the daily rhythm of our journey. It was somewhat amazing how the days just slipped from one into another. Occasionally there was some boredom in the afternoons after we had arrived and found our place for the night. Similarly we'd sometimes be counting the minutes between kilometer markers. But for the most part it was a nice change of pace from our normal lives. Wow! A vacation.

We chose not to speed up our itinerary and do a more challenging walk all the way to the sea - it wasn't on our original agenda but when we heard about it and realized it was doable, we briefly considered it. Instead, we chopped one day into two and got to indulge at the end with a couple of days in the amazing city of Santiago de Compostela.

The low-down on this millennium old walk is that Saint James (supposedly the # 2 or 3 disciple depending on who you are talking to) is buried here. There are many legends and questionable histories but the pilgrimages began as a desire to see these holy relics and the magnificent church that was inspired by said bones. Even back in the day (11 th century), people walked for different reasons - even then some of it was just tourism - albeit much harder. The church that has been constructed over the centuries is magnificent (although I think I still prefer Leon - especially after seeing it one last time with its phenomenal stain glass glowing in the afternoon light) as is the city which hosts a plethora of palaces and churches all worth as much time as one can stand looking at ancient workmanship.

As a side-note, I've been fully Catholicized. Multiple masses were incurred over the last few days of our journey including two-in-one-day in Santiago - the second one was kind of a mistake - we went to hear the nuns sing at Vespers and it turned into a Mass that we were too embarrassed to leave (only 10 of us in the church!). I hope my Catholic friends (and the pope) will forgive me this indulgence - I've been informed that I'm not supposed to take communion unless I've first confessed and also a member of the Catholic church. We Protestants are such trouble makers.

100 Km Check-in

Many miles since I last wrote. El Camino de Campostela de Santiago aka Camino Frances - the first name because it is the path to Santiago and the second because Saint Frances was one of its most famous walkers* - has been a real treat.
Most of the pilgrims, or peregrinos, are up at dawn to try to walk the 12 to 20 miles they need before the heat of the day. We have been spared the heat, which has been a blessing given some of our late starts, extended meals, and long detours into churches and other historic places. Most afternoons we roll into whatever town we call home for the night at around 5 - we hope to get better about the hour of our arrival during the second part of our trip. An inn, Albergue, or even private home may be where we lay our head depending on what's available. As we draw closer, especially the last 100K (we started just over 200), the competition for beds has become greater.
This has traditionally been a spiritual and mostly Catholic path. Today it is a strange mix of hikers, tourists, travelers, and seekers. We've met our share of all of them - we are trying to be a little more attuned to the historical nature of the camino and trying to do a certain amount of spiritual seeking, but are certainly have our own elements of turista in us.
I have loved the hiking - although today and yesterday were tough - blisters and a bad back are a constant worry. I think my two highlights of the trail have been the vistas on our second day of hiking - more sweet because we took a less travelled path - and the Cathedral in Leon, on the Camino but not actually part of our hike as we flew into Leon but then hopped a bus down to Ponferrada as a starting point. I have seen many of the great churches in Europe and Leon's Cathedral may be the most beautiful - not sure why but it certainly made an impression. Sadly, one of the hikers I met on the trail said she didn't even go in it.
I wonder if many of these travellers are turned off by the religious aspect of the trail or if they are simply not tuned in. I have a certain amount of contempt for the checkered history of the Catholic church but its monuments and certainly many of its key figures, Jesus, Saint Frances, Mother Theresa, seem to deserve at least a nod of appreciation here and there. I feel some of my compatriots on the Camino are missing out.

Sat morning update: in wonderful cafe as rain pours outside. Will likely have to go out in it eventually. Janine and I were talking this morning and realizing that those who have been walking for four weeks and 600km are likely motivated by very different things at this point - ie get the miles in and find a bed for the night - the prize is in sight.

*UPDATE ON THIS ERRONEOUS INFORMATION: Yes Saint Francis walked this trail but it's called Camino FrancEs because it is the FRENCH way, there's also a Northern Way along the coast plus another 5 or so other Caminos with their own names that all lead to Santiago.