saddle-butt (n.)- 1. The condition obtained when one spends entirely too much time on a horse, usually identified by soreness and walking like a cowboy. 2. What I will be "enjoying" for the majority of Summer 2009.
I'm taking a really unorthodox approach to my summer break.
In place of working, sunning myself on some exotic beach or sleeping in, as I'm sure many of my peers will do, I'm going to be a pilgrim. But not the buckled shoes and hat wearing type of pilgrim. I'm not going to be doing any turkey-killing or colonizing.
Instead, I'm going to be trekking 600 miles across Spain on horseback. Seriously.
Three weeks ago, my lovely professor of Spanish history showed us a Powerpoint of a 1,000-year-old pilgrimage route stretching from several points across Europe, across the Pyrenees Mountains and into the western town of Santiago de Compostela. El Camino de Santiago is often represented by a seashell due to its many routes fanning out across Europe. Essentially, one could start anywhere and still be a Camino traveler, as long as one ends up in Santiago.
Anyway. For some reason I just couldn't get the Camino out of my head. I don't know what it is, but something about taking a month-long adventure in a foreign country appeals to me. I don't know anyone else who's even considered doing something this insane.
The situation only got worse the next week, when my teacher reminded us that our semester projects were due soon and that one of the options was to plan a trip to Spain. "Oh boy," I thought. "Here we go."
Here we go, indeed. Out of that tiny egg of an idea has hatched an absolute monster. I'm doing the project, oh yes. But instead of the five-page essay that was originally required (and from which my angel of a professor excused me after seeing all the other planning I'd accomplished), I've drawn out a budget, flight information, and a schedule that takes me 601.5 miles across the peninsula in the span of a month. Alone.
The pilgrimage of Santiago has evolved over the centuries into the mother of all backpacking trips. As a rule, it must be made without a motor. That is, the only ways one can make the journey as a true pilgrim is by horse, by bike, or on foot. I'm opting for the horse. Cool, right?
Possibly. But whether the idea appeals to you, reader, or not, the fact remains that I am neither financially, emotionally, nor physically prepared for this trip. Yet. But I've got the planning down.
Following tradition, I'll be starting off in the French town of St. Jean Pied de Port and picking up my official pilgrim's passport, which will make the rest of my journey significantly cheaper.
From St. Jean, I'll walk/hike/climb/despair over the Pyrenees Mountains to Roncesvalles, Spain. After staying one night there I'll cut out to Larrasoaña, where I'll finally be able to stop walking and pick up my first horse. I'll be changing animals about five times to cut costs and fatigue of the horses themselves.
Out of Roncesvalles I'll be spending 27 more days going across the country, staying in monasteries, family homes given over to weary travelers and places called albergues, which are basically hostels that ask only for a small donation to keep and feed you for a night as long as you can prove that you're an actual Camino traveler. Needless to say, I'm bringing bedbug repellent. Ugh.
Aside from hanging out with insects, four-legged mammals and the occasional fellow pilgrim, I'm going to be spending a good deal of time talking into a voice recorder to be purchased immediately before my flight out of America. This will be for more than personal benefit. I'm looking to be picked up by a publishing company for being one of the youngest people to travel the Camino alone in recent memory.
So look out for my book and more updates on this trip in next year's issues. And next time a seemingly ridiculous idea pops into your head, give it another chance before pushing it out. Like I told my understandably distressed mother: You're only young and crazy enough to do something like this once, and it could turn out to be pretty awesome.
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