Walking Across Italy

Today we hiked 12 miles from Ponte de Lima to Rubiaes, Portugal. The distance wasn’t so bad, but the elevation was challenging. It took us over 5 hours to climb 533 meters in elevation (about 1/3 of a mile in altitude). The good news was that the trail was mostly dirt paths and farm roads through the woods, a welcome change from the uneven cobblestone walkways of just a few days ago.

Unfortunately, since it is Saturday, we had to share the path with tribes of mountain bikers. Every time a group would come by, we would have to move to the side and wait for the dirt to settle before restarting our hike. They don’t seem to understand that this is the “caminho” (hike), not the “passeio” (ride). My only consolation was thinking that this rocky trail must leave them with a very sore behind at the end of the day. Revenge is sweet!

At about mile 9, we really started to climb. Steep inclines and big rocks in the 92 degree heat made the trek arduous and hard. I began think about what was hard in life, and quickly came to the realization that this hike, while difficult, was not “hard”. Marriage is hard. Raising children is hard. Walking with ALS, as my buddy (Ed Rapp) must do everyday, is really hard. So by comparison, this hike wasn’t hard. This may be the most challenging incline on the Road to Santiago, but by comparison to the things that really matter in life, this is not hard.