Tomorrow is D-Day. I'm ready to embark on my adventure and leave for France tomorrow. As many of you know I have a 65 by 65 Project going and one of the items on my list was to hike the Grouse Grind. Years ago I attempted it after a car accident. I failed miserably. I didn't even make it to the Quarter Way, mark. Since then it's held a tremendous fear factor for me. I was totally embarrassed that time so the thought of going this time and maybe having the same thing happened terrified me.
The reason I wanted to do the grind was because from everything I have read the first day on the Camino is grueling. A couple of the books I read stated that they felt like they were going to quit the day they started. Although I know that it will be a challenging experience for me I want there to be a bit of fun and it and the thought of quitting on the first day sounded very demoralizing. Yesterday my sister and brother-in-law like the grouse grind and I made it to the top. I must say there is definitely room for improvement timewise. But the fact that I made it felt like a real accomplishment considering that I am not athletic in the least.
Now I am looking forward to the first day hiking through the Pyrenees on the Camino to Santiago. It's going to be a great adventure and I hope you will follow along with me.
There are a lot of people my age that have said oh I could never do that. I think attitude is the biggest part of the equation. If you know you want to achieve something break it down into steps do the walking necessary to build up your stamina and your cardio. When I think about the total length of the Camino close to 800 K, it seems daunting. But I know that I can take one step at a time daily to complete it.
To follow my progress, start with My Camino Begins.