La Gran Aventura Day 118: Rest in Viana

Sunday, April 7, 2024

This morning we slept in a bit because we knew we wouldn’t be hiking. We have been staying almost exclusively in the municipal hostels on the Camino. They are run by the cities, and they tend to be the cheapest and have the most beds. The quality is hit or miss. Some are really rough, but the one in Viana is OK. The best part of it is that it’s located right next to the ruins of the Iglesia de San Pedro, which was a cuartel during the first Carliist War.

Here in Viana, we were able to get a room to ourselves.

Around 8:30am Nuria arrived with her friends Oscar and Estela. We drove to their house and hung out for a bit in the morning. Kimball put on general conference on his phone, but I was so tired that I fell asleep.

Around midday they drove us to the apartment we would be staying in. It’s super nice. Betty and I have our own room. The boys and girls each have a room as well. It’s clean and it’s just us.

In the afternoon I spent some time listening to conference and working on photos. It was really nice to just breathe,  but I feel a little restless. Betty’s ankle is still quite sore, so she is concerned about going too hard this week. There is a big part of me that just wants to be done with the Camino. We have been on the road so long. But I can’t push too hard.

I spent more time watching general conference in the evening and especially loved the talks by Elder Holland and Elder Bednar.

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La Gran Aventura Day 117: Los Arcos to Viana

Saturday, April 6, 2024

This morning we woke up and tried to get a better start on things. We were mildly successful, but it still took about two hours to get out. We were maybe 15 minutes faster than usual. It just takes time.

Betty and I decided today that we need the kids to be more involved with the daily work on this trip. Up to now it’s been mostly just the two of us shopping and cooking and cleaning, and we are exhausted.

The hike today went really well. We stayed together, and we had a great time. The kids and I passed the time drafting teams of superheroes and Disney characters, and then we played a game called Fives, which I probably heard about somewhere, but I can’t remember where. Or maybe I made it up ... Basically, a person calls out a category and each person in the group has to name their top five in that category. For example, today we did villains, breakfast foods, and cereals. It’s a great way to pass the time.

The terrain was rocky for much of the way, and there were plenty of hills along the way as well.

While we were hiking today, River fell asleep my shoulders. This is murder on my neck and shoulders. So we just decided to lay her on the blanket and take a break. She slept, and Betty and I laid down against our packs and slept as well. I don’t know what the kids did, but it was as sweet and peaceful a moment as I’ve ever had.

The rest of the walk went pretty well, but Betty is definitely struggling with her feet. They are super achy in the ankles. We have walked over so much rocky terrain with very little recovery time. And her pack is heavy. And she’s still struggling with the UTI. We definitely need a break.

Thankfully that break is here. We are going to stay the night tonight in Viana, and then tomorrow, Sunday, we will spend the whole day resting in an apartment here in Viana.

All this was arranged by our good friend Nuria, who lives in Zarauz, in the Basque Country. She and I did the MA together at BYU. Tonight she met up with us at the albergue, and she brought medicine for Betty, and some food. She also took the kids to the candy store. We had a really nice visit as well. I love seeing old friends!

She knows some members of the church in Viana who are going to let us stay in an apartment they rent out. It’s just what we need. And will be a great way to spend general conference weekend.

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La Gran Aventura Day 116: Estella to Los Arcos

Friday, April 5, 2024

Last night was the worst night of sleep I’ve had on the Camino. Heck, it was the worst night of sleep I’ve had on this whole trip. Anahi has developed a cold, and Betty might be coming down with it too. They were both sniffling and coughing through the night. My mattress was all springs and no padding. I was sharing a tiny bed with Ian, and he had the pillow. Our next-bed neighbor moved around a ton in the night, and his bed was super squeaky. I don’t think I slept a wink.

Despite that, we got off to a little better start this morning. After packing we had a quick breakfast and made a lunch for the day. That is a really crucial part of each day because if we don’t make lunch we run the risk of having to pay for expensive restaurant food or not having a town in the right spot and missing lunch altogether. Both of those things have already happened to us on the Camino.

The hike out of Estella took us by the forge workshop of Ayegui, where we got a stamp. Not far from that is the wine fountain of Iratxe (Irache). It’s literally a fountain in the side of a wall that has two spigots, one pours out water, and the other wine. Then a long uphill took us into the woods. We played leapfrog with a couple of Brazilian ladies nearly the entire morning.

The trail today was beautiful, and it had more variety than I had expected. We had a couple of little towns, but the first part was mostly a long uphill through forests. The views were amazing, and during a couple of stretches beautiful old castles watched over us.

River walked a lot more today than she has in the past. I’m to the point now where it doesn’t bother me much to carry her, but it’s good for both of us for her to walk. The problem is that when she walks, she wants to be four. That means she wants to stop at every park, and climb up rocks and pick flowers and splash her hiking pole in every puddle. It makes for slow going.

We had our bocadillo lunches in Luquin, and then not too long after we started back on the long and lonely road through a beautiful green valley.

Anahi was really booking it, so Betty sped up to be with her. I let them go ahead. Then River decided she was done walking and done riding. She just plopped onto the grass by the side of the trail to take a nap. I was in no mood to argue, so I pulled out our little travel blanket (this thing is super useful), and she took a nap.

Alicia didn’t want to wait around, so I told her to move on and catch up with Betty and River -- more on that later.

I thought for sure River would fall asleep, but she didn’t. She just laid there bundled in her little blanket looking at the sky. After 15 minutes, I said it was time to go, and she was OK with that. It was a nice rest for Kimball, Ian, and me as well.

Not too long after that, Kimball told me he had a massive stomach ache. I told him there wasn’t anything I could do about that. Then I saw the urgency in his eyes. This was that kind of stomach ache. The problem was, we were in the middle of this enormous and beautiful valley that had no bathrooms, and barely a bush to squat behind.

But there was one bush, so Kimball went and ... ahem ... took care of business while I talked him through some things and Ian and River played in a puddle with their hiking poles.

It was definitely a moment to be remembered.

I kept thinking we would catch up to Betty and the other girls, but we didn’t -- not until we got into Los Arcos.

There, at the entrance to the town, we found Alicia. She had never caught up to Betty and Anahi, and when she reached the town she had decided to stay there and wait for me because she didn’t know where in town the others could be. She had waited there for nearly an hour before we got there, and she was understandably frustrated.

So after we got Alicia we walked to the municipal albergue. I had hoped that Betty would have our beds already set aside and maybe even some dinner going, but she wasn’t there. We finally found her and Anahi on the steps of the church, finishing off what had been a lovely day for them with ice cream. Alicia and I were a little frustrated, but I was also really happy to see them so happy. Betty has had some hard days on the Camino, and she needed another good one.

The albergue in Los Arcos is pretty nice, and the hospitalero got us into a room with just a few other pilgrims. I even found a big sink to give River a bath in.

Oh, and I snuck out with Betty in the evening and took some pictures of the church, which is beautiful.

After more work prepping and cleaning up dinner and checking email and reading scriptures and taking a shower, I finally got to bed. These days are very full.

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La Gran Aventura Day 115: Puente la Reina to Estella

Thursday, April 4, 2024

This morning we had another Camino miracle. Betty was somehow able to walk, and she felt great.

It took us another 2.5 hours to pack, and another family fight and a prayer, and then we were off.

Betty really has had a total transformation in the night. Today she is happy and she found some other pilgrims to walk with (a few really nice Spanish ladies), and she walked like a champ. I had a hard time keeping up with them.

I’m not sure if I mentioned that the kids are all taking turns carrying River’s pack. Kimball does 5k, and the others do 3k each. It’s just too heavy for River to carry.

Today Anahi lucked out because one of the ladies we were walking with offered to carry River’s pack for a bit.

About halfway through the day we stopped in the beautiful little town of Zirauki. It’s one of the most picturesque on the Camino. It’s on a hill, and the streets through town are all a little labyrinth.

At the top of the hill, in the center of town there is a little tunnel you go through, and there is a man there who stamps your pilgrim passport. We had a nice little rest there, but the ladies we were walking with pushed on. They offered to carry River’s pack all the way to Estella, which we weren’t sure if we would reach, but Betty was feeling good, so we accepted their offer. It was a huge blessing for the kids.

In that same little tunnel where the Spanish ladies (Yolanda and Sofía were their names) left us, we met an American family. Their names are Nate and Megan Yoder. He’s a pastor in Germany, and they were here with a 7-year-old son and a teenage daughter. We walked the rest of the day with them. It was such a great blessing for the kids to just talk and laugh with another teenager their age.

We stopped in the town of Lorca to get a bite to eat, and there we met a guy taking care of one of the two bars there. His name is Rubén, and he was pretty nice. We got a bunch of bocadillos for the kids, and then we were on our way.

River was really a stinker today. She didn’t want to walk, and she didn’t want to ride. She just wanted to complain. It was very frustrating for me, but then I try to understand where she is coming from. We do almost nothing that she considers fun on this trip. She mostly just sits on my shoulders and talks and talks and talks to me. So I guess I can cut her some slack.

On that note, I feel much less sore in my back, neck, and shoulders today. I think I’m getting stronger.

Betty’s good spirits lasted the entire day. When we got to the albergue in Estella, she was just chatting and laughing with people. There are a couple of Italians, Jon and Agostino, who made a bunch of pasta for everyone, and we had a good laugh with them.

We also chatted with a Taiwanese woman named Mai. Betty helped her when she fell on the descent into Zubiri a few days ago. This is her third time doing the Camino. When she did it the first time, she was not Christian, and didn’t really believe in God. But she had a powerful spiritual experience in the church in Puente la Reina, and now she is a firm believer. It was a really sweet moment with her.

My evenings never seem to end.

Once we get in, I head to the grocery store for dinner and breakfast and lunch for tomorrow. Then tonight we did laundry, and I had to do a bunch of email and go over our budget and write in my journal and read my scriptures.

Thankfully I’ve got energy and strength for it all.

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La Gran Aventura Day 114: Pamplona to Puente la Reina

Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Today was brutal. Awesome. But really tough.

In the morning it took us 2.5 hours to pack. I was frustrated, but Alicia was absolutely livid. It seems like we are getting worse, not better, at packing.

It wasn’t long after we left the Albergue that we found a water fountain in a park. We stopped to fill our water bottles, and then got back on the trail. About a mile and half later, Kimball looked at me with terror in his eyes and said: “Dad, I think I lost my sling bag.”

Sure enough, it was nowhere to be found. It had his wallet, his phone, and his AirPods. After a minute we realized that when we had stopped for water he must have set it down, and then left it there.

It had to have been stolen.

Then I thought to check the location in FindMy, and it was ahead of us, in the next town. I figured someone must have taken it and rode a bike or a car up to that town. The location didn’t move at all after that. It was stuck in a field between the towns of Cizur Menor and Cizur Mayor. So we figured (hoped) that maybe they had dumped it there. But when we got to the location, the phone and bag were nowhere to be found.

A really nice guy named Fermín helped us look for it for a while, but we had no luck. He also called the police, who said they would come in 10 minutes, but they never arrived.

By now, Betty and the girls had moved on, so Kimball, Ian, River, and I headed out to meet them. I checked FindMy, and the phone was now on the move again. It was on the trail ahead of us, close to the Alto de Perdón.

The climb from Pamplona to Alto de Perdón is one of the most iconic and brutal of the Camino. It just goes up and up and up. We caught up to Betty and the girls in the little town of Zariquiegui, where Betty had a really nice chat with a lady named Mertxe who runs the store there.

Betty and I were able to hike together the way up to the Alto de Perdón. Legend says that many years ago a pilgrim was hiking that trail on a very hot day. The devil appeared to him and offered to give him water if he would deny Christ. Three times the devil came, and three times the pilgrim refused. Then Santiago appeared to the pilgrim and gave him real water.

I love those kinds of stories.

The Alto de Perdón was awesome. The views were spectacular, and it’s such a beautiful monument to the Camino. It was made in 1996, and it represents the history of the Camino, with a lone pilgrim at the front, then a growing train of pilgrims and merchants. Then a break that represents when the Camino was not very popular, and finally two modern pilgrims who represent the resurgence in interest in the Camino in recent years.

If the road up to the Alto de Perdón is tough, the way down is even worse. It’s steep and rocky, and with sore legs, every step is painful. It was particularly difficult for Betty. So we slowed the pace, and over time made it off the mountains.

We stopped in the little town of Obanos, which has another great story, this one from the 14th century. It’s called the Mystery of Obanos, or the Mystery of San Guillén and Santa Felicia.

The legend says that Felicia and her brother Guillén were children of the Duke and Duchess of Aquitaine (southwestern France). Felicia was a believer, and she did the Camino de Santiago. When she was done, she dedicated the rest of her life to helping pilgrims on the Camino. Her brother Guillermo was not happy about this, and he tracked her down and killed her. But then he felt so bad about that decision that he ended up doing the Camino himself and then dedicating his life to helping pilgrims. His remains are still in the area, and they do a pageant every year in Obanos to remember the story of these siblings.

As the day went on we continued to follow the location of Kimball’s phone. It seemed to be always an hour or so ahead of us on the Camino. Then suddenly, it jumped back to Zubiri, and then all the way to Roncesvalles. It looked like the FindMy was broken for sure.

At some point in the afternoon, I had put Kimball’s phone in lost mode. This allowed me to put a message on the home screen with my number. But I wasn’t sure if it would work because we are overseas, and the phone lines are weird with our plan.

Then just as we were sitting down for dinner I had the thought to change the message on the home screen to say that if the phone was found they could contact me on WhatsApp.

Within a few minutes I had a message from the Guardia Civil telling me someone had turned in the phone and that they would bring it to us in Puente la Reina.

Within an hour we had Kimball’s phone back, along with the rest of his stuff. It was a huge tender mercy.

Betty is really feeling tired. She’s not sure if she can keep going tomorrow. I gave her a priesthood blessing. We will see how she feels in the morning.

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La Gran Aventura Day 113: Zubiri to Pamplona

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

It’s becoming more and more difficult to write anything of substance in this journal. The days are so long and difficult. This morning we got a very late start on the day because we waited for the pharmacy to open. Anahi and Alicia weren’t super happy about that, and they had kind of a moment with Betty, but things got smoothed out later. We are learning how to communicate.

It turned out to be a mistake to wait for the pharmacy, because the lady wouldn’t accept our prescription, and she wasn’t very friendly about it. So we didn’t leave Zubiri until around 11am. The nearest pharmacy to Zubiri is in Villava, which is basically in Pamplona. So we knew we had to get all the way here.

Things were made doubly hard because we didn’t take any food for us on the way, and all of the restaurants were closed. So we walked nearly the entire 15 miles with nothing but a breakfast pastry in our bellies. It was really tough, but the kids did a great job with it. The biggest blessing we had was finding a guy named Jon who was selling food along the Camino. I gave him 10 euros and he gave us some mandarin oranges, a banana, an apple, and some peanuts. It was enough to keep us going and a huge tender mercy. He was kind of odd and showed us some strange videos of him dancing on TikTok. He was really proud to have almost 500 followers :)

River has been a pill and decided that she simply does not want to walk. So I’ve been carrying her on my shoulders nearly the entire time over the past three days. It also doesn’t help that we feel like we want to move a faster pace than she is able. So rather than fight her, I’ve just decided to carry her. I have had some moments of real agony, but I’m also learning how to just keep going when I’m so exhausted.

Today we walked 24km, 15 miles, in 8 hours. We got to the albergue at 7pm which is super late for pilgrims. Then I made a huge salad for everyone, and we ate dinner, took showers, and threw in some laundry. Now it’s 11pm, and I’m exhausted.

Today was hard, but it was also awesome. I especially loved a conversation that Betty and I had about her hike today. We keep getting passed by these Spaniards wearing fast packs. They are all adults, and they look like they are having the time of their lives. Their packs are light, and everything looks easy for them. Betty said that at times today it made her envious to see them. She was thinking “Here I am doing this super hard spiritual journey, and they look like they are having the time of their lives. Why can’t my journey be more like theirs?” Our conversation moved towards the purpose of life, and I think we both learned something valuable. The thing is, the purpose of life is not to relax or have fun or even just be “happy.” The purpose of life is to grow to become more like God. And growth requires effort and discomfort. I have read a lot about the Camino and pilgrimage in general, and it seems to me that true pilgrimage should be difficult. It should cost us something.

It reminds of the contrasting Youtube videos I showed in my class last semester. In one, a couple arrives in Santiago after walking the Camino, and it’s all anticlimactic for them. They feel a bit hollow. In the other, a young woman arrives in Santiago in tears. The experience is transcendent. Then I showed my students the rest of their videos. When the Camino got too hard for the first couple, they hopped on a bus to Madrid and partied for a few days, then went back to the Camino but after skipping the toughest parts. In the second video the girl really put her soul into the Camino. It was very tough for her, and on a number of occasions she had considered backing out. There are a hundred different ways of doing the Camino, but I think for it to have the most powerful impact on people -- it should cost something. And perhaps the higher the price paid, the greater the reward. I hope that’s the case for us, because we are paying a high price.

Distance hiked: 15 miles / 24km

Total distance on the Camino 38 miles / 60 km

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La Gran Aventura Day 112: Roncesvalles to Zubiri

Monday, April 1, 2024

This morning we got off to bit earlier start, but it still feels like it takes forever to pack. The night went pretty well. My biggest concern in these hostels is that Ian has a habit of snorting (yes, snorting) really loudly at random times in the night, and Kimball has central sleep apnea, which causes him to moan. Thankfully, they both did a good job last night. And there were some real world class snorers in the albergue (hostel) last night, so they would have fit in anyway.

Betty is feeling really sick today with a bladder infection. We got her a prescription, but I couldn’t find an open pharmacy all day. I hope she gets feeling better soon. I can’t imagine how uncomfortable this must be for her.

I offered her a taxi a bunch of times, but she insisted on walking, so we walked. At times it was really slow going, but she just kept walking, and we made it.

The path today was rocky and had lots of ascent and descent. The descent into Zubiri is notoriously murderous. Steep and really rocky. It lives up to its reputation. At one point Betty looked at me with tears in her eyes and asked “Why are we here? What’s the point in all this?”

That got me thinking. What is the point?

And that thought reminded me of the scripture in 2 Corinthians 12 that says:

9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

In think in this way pilgrimage is like fasting. It doesn’t really make any sense. Why make ourselves hungry? The point is that when we are in a weakened state, it helps facilitate our turning our thoughts to God. In that way a pilgrimage is like a really long and intense fast.

Tonight everyone is really sore. I carried River on my shoulders essentially the entire 24k. It’s more than I had anticipated carrying her, but I don’t know what else to do. It’s too rocky and steep for a stroller, and if I have a child carrier backpack I can’t carry my own stuff. So this is the way. It’s a challenge, but it’s doable. So that’s what we will do.

Tomorrow we’ve got to get Betty some antibiotics. That will likely mean getting a really late start on the day. So we will just have to do the best that we can.

Distance hiked: 15 miles / 24km

Total distance on the Camino 23 miles / 37 km

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La Gran Aventura Day 111: St Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles

Sunday, March 31, 2024

Today was an interesting day. We started by walking about 6 miles to a town called Valcarlos, where we had been told we could take a bus to skip the nastiest part of the Camino. When we got there we started asking around for the bus stop. It was raining and getting cold and everyone told us there is no bus stop in that town. The policeman even told us that it’s illegal for busses to stop in that town. So we found a hostel, but the guy there said he wasn’t sure if he had room. I just kept feeling like things would work out. Betty was feeling tired and cold. The kids were not feeling great, but they kept a pretty good attitude.

Then the bus drove through in the opposite direction and the cop flagged it down and asked if it would stop for us on the way back through town. The driver said yes. And he came back about 30 min later and picked us up. Betty was in tears she was so grateful.

Now we are here in Roncesvalles, taking warm showers and resting.

It’s also Easter Sunday. I want to make it special. I’m not entirely sure how, but I am sure the Lord will provide.

River did a pretty good job walking. She walked about 2.5 miles at the beginning, then I just threw her on my shoulders for about 4 km, and then she walked a bit more, and then I carried her for the last long and very steep ascent into Valcarlos.

I think she maybe walked 3 or 3.5 of the 8 miles today.

It’s good to be back in Roncesvalles. It’s a beautiful little spot, and so full of history. There was a legendary battle here that in the year 778. The battle is memorialized and fictionalized in an epic medieval poem called The Song of Roland, which is one of the oldest pieces of French literature. It’s inspiring, even if the facts are mostly changed. It’s basically a story of self-sacrifice and honorable death.

It’s a good place to rest.

Distance hiked: 8.1 miles / 13 km

Total distance on the Camino 8 miles / 13 km

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