After a 10-day intensive trudge forward, scaling over countless mountains and rolling hills, wandering through endless broad and beautiful green and flowery fields, rain or shine, step by step we walked nearly 300 kilometers or 190 miles and arrived in ancient city Burgos today!

The official guideline divided this distance from St Jean to Burgos into 13 days of walking.  That averages to about 22 kilometers a day.  We have been pushing ourselves hard each day and always taking that additional 10 kilometers or a bit less.  Many days we ended up as the only pilgrims on the trail, most of them are done by early afternoon.  With scorching sun and high temperature, every mile seemed to be like ten miles long especially toward the end each day.  We literally were dragging our hurting feet forward like a snail. We had gotten lost a few times and ended up somehow alongside of the highway with cars flying by.

I’m happy to learn that I am more fortitudinous than I thought. I start to believe that, actually, I am a pilgrim who’d endure the hardship and journey long distance to a sacred place. The sacred place in a way is in my own heart.

We made it over the Pyrenees today on our first day of this long journey of 800 kilometers in distance!

We walked a total of 16.8 miles, or 27 kilometers. Or more precisely, it was not walking, rather, it was constant strenuous climbing and brutal descending the whole way.

We set out from the beginning point of St Jean Pied de Port, a beautiful French town in the foothill of Pyrenees, at 200 meters (650 feet) above sea level. Immediately, we started a straight steep climb for the first 21 kilometers or 13 miles until reaching the top of Pyrenees, which is over 1400 meters high above sea (4600 feet).  At which as if without any transition, the route was followed by a sharp descend of 7 kilometers or 4.3 miles to Roncesvalles.

We were on the road for more than 9 hours. We made a brief stop at Orisson, a town at about 8 kilometer from St Jean. We bought sandwiches and got our passport stamped at the crowded place full of weary pilgrims. Almost all the pilgrims took a break here, some of them actually chose to stay here for the night to ease into the long journey ahead.

There was rain and fog from time to time, we put on and take off our raincoats a few times to accommodate the changeable weather.  The hiking was hard. My feet were sore, my shoulder was strained, and my whole body was really exhausted.

But the unbeatable film-like scenery surrounding me was stunning and made it all worth it.  The magnificent mountains made me feel tiny and humble. I often felt I was melting away with the serenity and peace. My heart was filled overwhelmingly with joy from the wonder and beauty of the nature, even at the hardest times.

Henceforth I ask not good-fortune—I myself am good fortune;

Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,

Strong and content, I travel the open road.

–Walt Whitman

My trip officially starts today.  I’m both super excited and at the same time nervous.

As the preparation is getting more and more intense, the long-anticipated trip is getting more and more real, at the same time it is actually getting more and more unreal in a way – like a dream.

Sometimes I’m seriously doubtful if I’m strong enough to walk thirty plus kilometers or 18 plus miles a day for a month straight; but sometimes I’m very confident that I can do it.

Even feeling the fear and uncertainty, I want to do it anyway. It is like many things in life.

The belief of the rich reward of the adventure dominants more than anything else in my mind.  I yearn for the spiritual experience more than the physical experience. To get close and be able to talk to my own soul excite me. I am looking forward to meeting the best of myself along the way.

Life becomes un-ordinary when you are bold to experience the unusual.

I’m ready to let my soul fly and sing.