BLESSED ARE YOU PILGRIM, IF YOU DISCOVER THAT ONE STEP BACK TO HELP ANOTHER IS MORE VALUABLE THAN A HUNDRED FORWARD WITHOUT SEEING WHAT IS AT YOUR SIDE.

This kind of thing was happening constantly along the Camino. Sometimes you would be going back, or waiting for someone to make sure that they made it to shade and water. Kelly developed one of his famous quotes which goes, “Shade Thyself”. Which means protect yourself and and the guy next to you by extension.

Watching out for each other became an important activity especially out on the Meseta and the mountains and other remote places. Kelly kept me going and to town numerous times when I would be dilly dallying when I should have been walking distracted by something instead of getting out of the heat. Later, Rick would range ahead to get lodging and then walk back to carry my pack for a few kilometers at the end of some days. Angels they were. And sometimes I would be a help to them.

I remember one Korean woman what was alone and having trouble that Mary and Angela and I kept our eyes on. And people I didn’t know kept their eyes on me/us. And maybe we didn’t have a common language but we were communicating on the most important things.

Speaking of the other guy, I would love to talk with these other guys if anyone knows how to reach them. You can email me at [email protected] with contact info or have them just shoot me an email. And guys would be the trio of Helen, Linda and Milo. Or Alvaro who we sometimes called Big Al. He was from Madrid and heading to Peru I think. And finally Clara the teacher from Assisi. Oh and Emily from USA. These people were amazing and a big help to me.

OK, off to do my pile of paperwork. Wish me luck, love, Phil.