Camino Encounters

A little while ago Geoff wrote about how people were giving him somewhat strange looks as he trained (Jeez Louise you’re the one wearing spandex!). The last few weeks have brought us the reverse experience. For each of the last four weeks as we have been on our longest walk of the week, we’ve encountered strangers along the way who knew exactly what we were doing and encouraged us by wishing us a “buen camino”. It could be the fact that we are now walking with our full packs and wear a “camino uniform” (shorts, breathable shirt, hiking shoes, poles, etc.), but I choose to believe that these chance encounters are just part of our early Camino experience. Each one of these encounters has been different, ranging from walking our last 5km of the day with one couple to the brief but enthusiastic "buen camino" from the gentleman on the bike that Geoff wrote about earlier. Another,  a discussion with a man who will leave this weekend for his third trek, and yesterday's with a young woman who was there in March, and who positively lit up during our brief discussion on the trail. Each has served to encourage us, and cumulatively they have given us a bit of an idea of how large and welcoming the Camino community is.