The Camino Portuguese, My Way

Funny what showed up at the Saguaro Branch library today.  Something for me to digest and whet my appetite before I leave for Portugal! Someone with the group had suggested Top Santiago as a luggage/pack transfer service during the hike.  I'm usually hard-core and want to carry my pack the entire journey.  But I started thinking...it's six years later, I've started feeling big toe joint problems, my back gets cranky on occasion.  So I conceded to age/aches and pains and decided to transfer my bag on each segment.  I'll use a fanny pack and carry rain gear if necessary.  Most of the other items can be transferred point to point.  I'm supposed to enjoy the walk, not turn it into a survival contest.  It's called knowing your limits. 56 days until liftoff.  It's not easy training in Phoenix in the summer.  I do what I can by 9-10am and then it's inside.  Too many people making news by hiking in the middle of the day.  I don't need ...

 Just reading how Dan Mullins' "Somewhere Along the Way" came to be.  He tells the story on his website.   The Camino song | Dan Mullins music 64 days and counting until I leave.  I have to admit I haven't been excited yet.  Before my first Camino I would look at the map daily and envision myself walking up to O Cebreiro.  Or seeing the spires of the Cathedral in Santiago from Monte de Gozo.  The lack of excitement comes from a lonely feeling.  A lot of people in the group know each other, so I'm a newbie.  How will I fit in?  I've briefly introduced myself in the WhatsApp group.  I'm sure things will fall in place once I'm over there, and I won't feel like I'm on an island by myself.  It's some of that, plus all the politcial noise over here.  I'm tired of negativity and just need to get in the hiking bubble where we're just people.  It's not easy breaking free from the dark cloud I feel. For those musically inc...

 A sunrise walk along the canal east of Longmore Rd. in Mesa.  It's flat but provides some nice views of the surrounding mountains.  Even better there's plenty of mesquite trees, allowing me to combine two interests...hiking and harvesting beans for flour.   Starting around 5:15am I hiked 4.2 miles on the canal (round trip).  Wildlife...a white egret, quail, more than a few burrowing owls.  It's pleasant until the sun comes up.  After 9:30am, forget it.  Not worth being outside unless you want to bake.  It's called "summer schedule." After hiking I gathered two more cloth bags full of beans.  See the photo below for what I've got to work with...a full bucket of beans.  I want to grab what I can before it rains, just to be safe.  From what they told me at the Pima Museum, it's OK to pick beans even after it rains...as long as the beans are dry.  I'd read where you need to pick before the first monsoon rain.  Just ...

 Been awhile since I posted.  Recent events have made me rather withdrawn, so I've been keeping silent.  Anyway, I was along the canal at 32nd St/Stanford, harvesting a few mesquite beans.  I've been waiting for beans to turn golden.  Most have been green, but there's a few ripening.  I found a good tree and was close to filling my bag when a man walked past along the canal.  He stopped to chat and it turned out he'd lived along Stanford Drive not far away.  We chatted about the area and some of the old places...Hitching Post bar, Cudia City movie set, etc.  We introduced ourselves...his name was Bill Sperry, and he hikes the canal almost every day. What made this so exciting was just meeting someone out of the blue, just like along the Camino.  And it came at the right time, when I've been feeling depressed and negative.  I was badly in need of good conversation, something positive.  Once again, out of nowhere, the Camino prov...

 Hiked Kendrick Peak this morning. Didn't get to the top, or even to the cabin. Made it to the 3.56 mile mark, almost to the saddle. Great day for hiking, in the 60s with a breeze. Never saw anyone until I got back to the Trailhead. Two people in a Jeep. No exciting wildlife, outside of birds and ground squirrels.  Great views of San Francisco Peaks and the surrounding area! The wind whispering it's melody through the trees, the scent of pine trees in the air. Invigorating. I think the altitude was starting to get me when I turned around. I figure I was at about 9800' or so. Discretion is the better part of valor. I c could've gone on to the cabin at 4+ miles but it wasn't worth it. A little dusty coming in Mullein

 For September's hike I'm part of the group's WhatsApp chat group.  Many in the group already know each other from a previous hike in 2024.  I'm a newbie, an outsider.  I see lots of messages exchanging info about where individuals are staying, sharing accommodations, etc.  I've responded once or twice but basically haven't had a response. I wonder how I'll be accepted, both as a newcomer and as an American.  I think a lot of the group are Aussies, being that Dan's from Sydney.  There's also other Americans in the group.  It's never been easy for me to integrate into a group, so there's some trepidation on my part.  Let's say I'll be doing a lot of feeling out the first couple days.  And I'm sure politics enter the picture as well.  How are Americans viewed overseas?  Can they look at me for what I am as an individual, or will they look at me as a damn Yankee?  Especially being rather...conservative.  I walk to get aw...