My planned stops along the Camino

So I've figured out that for me to walk from Leon to Santiago, I will need 14 days, and will be stopping at the following towns along the way (as long as my feet cooperate) :

Day	Stage	(mi)
Day 1 (6/9)	León to San Martín del Camino	15.4
Day 2 (6/10)	San Martín del Camino to Astorga	14.5
Day 3 (6/11)	Astorga to Rabanal del Camino	12.6
Day 4 (6/12)	Rabanal del Camino to Molinaseca	15.4
Day 5 (6/13)	Molinaseca to Villafranca del Bierzo	18.8
Day 6 (6/14)	Villafranca del Bierzo to Vega de Valcarce	10.4
Day 7 (6/15)	Vega de Valcarce to O Cebreiro	7.3
Day 8 (6/16)	O Cebreiro to Triacastela	12.9
Day 9 (6/17)	Triacastela to Sarria	15.3
Day 10 (6/18)	Sarria to Portomarín	14.0
Day 11 (6/19)	Portomarín to Palas de Rei	15.4
Day 12 (6/20)	Palas de Rei to Arzúa	18.0
Day 13 (6/21)	Arzúa to O Pedrouzo	11.5
Day 14 (6/22)	O Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compostela	12.4
Day 15 (6/23)	A day in Santiago to attend the Sunday Pilgrim's Mass	0.0

What girl doesn't need a new pair of shoes....

After extensive research, and some expertise help from a friend who is hiking the AT, my hiking boots have finally arrived.  I have never seen a hiking boot this light.  Thanks for the recommendation Eric, I would not have found them without your advice.  

Time to break them in so that my feet don't rebel on the Camino. 

A decision to take a little piece of home with me.

A couple of weeks ago while planning the journey, I have decided  to ask my dear friends and family to write me a letter to take with me and open every day along the Camino.  As I treasure each and every one of them, I thought it would be great to have a little piece of home with me, and be able to share each day with a friend or a family member.

I am looking forward to randomly opening a letter at the beginning of every day on the Camino, having that particular person share that day with me, and possibly help me focus my contemplative thoughts for the day.  

For those who have decided to take the time out of your busy schedule and write me a letter to take along, I thank you in advance, and I am looking forward to sharing my experiences of that day with you upon my return.

Nina

The beginning of my Camino journey.

My journey on the Camino began in early 2012 when one of my managers told me about his desire to walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain. He also told me about a movie that came out not long before about the Camino de Santiago, "The Way", and that I should watch it. A couple of weeks later, while packing for a vacation on a beach in Jamaica, I decided to make this movie my in-flight entertainment. For some reason, this idea appealed so much to me, that I decided that at some point in the next 5 years I need to take an extended vacation from work and walk the Camino de Santiago.

Up until this point in my life, I would have never thought that hiking 12-17 miles per day continuously for over a month would ever appeal to me, especially as a possible way to spend my limited number of vacation days. So you can only imagine the surprise of my family, who knows me well, when I declared that I am planning to spend my 30th birthday somewhere in a middle of a two week journey along the Camino de Santiago -- alone.

This being the year I leave my 20's behind and embark on a new chapter in my life, I decided that this has to be the year I make this trip a reality.  I believe that my primary motivation for taking this on now, was realizing that the Camino can potentially provide the ideal environment to allow me to reflect on the last 30 years of my life, and contemplate on which direction I want to take the rest of my life into.

So began the preparation stages of my journey. Not only do I need to buy all the gear I may need for the hike, but I also have to physically and emotionally prepare myself for this journey in order for it to be successful.

I will share my experiences with you as I move along this exciting journey.  

Stay tuned

-Nina