Taking It Home for the Team

So back in Madrid we were at a bar watching a soccer game. Someone hadn´t finished their beer, and Casey mentioned to them, in a coach-like manner, that they should ¨take it home for the team¨. Later on, the next day perhaps, we were eating lots of meaty goodness at the Museo Del Jamon. I couldn´t finish my sandwich, and so Casey says, ¨Take it home.¨ I thought he meant for later, and so I said, ¨Yeah, okay.¨ and I put it down. ¨No,¨Casey said, ¨Take it home.¨ I think I was jamoned out at that point, and Allie took it home for me, but in any case the phrase stuck.

Soon we realized that ¨taking it home¨ applied to many aspects of our trip, and we have more or less adopted it as our team motto. For example: We´re on the trail, we´ve got 5.7 K left. What do we do? Take it home, of course. Breakfast? Take it home. Wine? Take it home. Mountain? Take it home, duh. I feel better if I think of the trip in mini-accomplishments this way, taking it home one day at a time.

We are in Spain

The first (and toughest) day of hiking is over and the group is all here except for poor Chun Yi who is meeting us in Pamplona given the snafus presented in his air travel. Today was absolutely amazing so friends and family, await the posts from your loved ones because they will be contributing soon.

Hola

Allie, Ryan, Holly, and I are here at Hostal Acapulco. The trip here was long, but fairly painless. Ryan and I played the Onflight Trivia Challenge for probably 4 hours with a bunch of other people on the plane. Unfortunately though, we did not sleep. When we got here we took the metro to the hostel. I wanted to try and speak some Spanish, but when we arrived we were so tired, and I shamelessly blurted out, ¨Can we speak English?¨ I feel intimidated speaking Spanish here, so I´ll have to be better tomorrow. After an accidental six-hour nap, and little bit of a bullfight on TV, we went out to a little restaurant called Restaurante Puerto Rico that Javier (from the hostel) recommended to us. I had an omelette that was stuffed with potatoes. We also got a big jug of sangria, so we ended up staying at the restaurant for a while so we could make sure we finished it. After dinner we walked around for a while, but we felt very tourist-y and out of place since we were really just wandering. Allie and I noticed that we are out of style...it seems as though all of the girls here wear white pants. We were reading horoscopes in the lobby here earlier, and mine definitely said something about problemas musculares.... hmmm.

Five days to go

It is crazy to think that in five short days we will start our pilgrimage. I have never prepared for anything I've done like this aside from sports as a teenager. Starting 12 weeks ago, I began training in anticipation for this program and it is hard to believe that it (the training) is at an end and now the real adventure begins.

In many regards, I am frustrated with my progress. I wish I were fitter, thinner, and stronger but at the same time recognize I could have done more. In the end, the training proved to be rewarding on so many levels. Through our daily walks, I got to know many of the participants and appreciate what they will bring to the team. Ryan the artist, Caryn the planner, Allie the scholar, Holly the musician, Chun Yi the comic and our beloved Nick from the 2004 team frequently accompanied and motivated me to meet the weekly goals. Without their companionship, this first half of our program would have been helplessly boring.

The countdown is on

The time has finally arrived. Two years is too long to wait between trips. Tonight I am washing all my clothes and packing my backpack to see how it is for weight. Here are some of my packing tips for the rest of you who are doing the same. First, pack light. Last time when we set out we were heckled by the other pilgrims for our mammoth pack and insane weight we were carrying, and rightly so. Lots of us suffered from sneaking in an extra pair of shoes or jeans. Second, pack sensibly. The heavy stuff goes on the bottom and closer to your back. Everything possible should be in your bag. Don’t leave things hanging out or tied to the outside. At this point, if you can’t fit it in now, you need to do some serious repacking. Third, go back and cull again. That means make sure you are taking the tiniest shampoo bottle necessary, the smallest toothbrush, the least amount of underwear. Remember, the towns we walk through have had pilgrims walking through them for nearly two thousand years. They have most anything you might need to buy along the way.
I am really looking forward to meeting everybody. Thanks so much to Andy who has had to do much of the work while I was off in Paris. See you all in Madrid.