A Pilgrims Progress

Ardoch’s Wendy Higgins left home in May to walk the Camino, a 9th century pilgrimage in Europe, that ends in Santiago de Compostela; the presumed burial site of St James the Great, the Apostle. Tubes of mentholated rub for her knees, pots of Vaseline to ward off blisters, and numerous changes of merino socks; and with 15 pounds on her back for most part, she walked, then walked some more along the Portuguese coast and over ‘a few’ little mountains in Spain. Just shy of 400 kilometers and a whopping 691,126 steps, 19 different albergue’s (hostel); and supported by a gallon or two of café con leche, were just some of the numbers she racked up. Wendy had her credencial (pilgrim’s passport) stamped along the way every day, and after it being scrutinized and verified, Guendolinam (her name in Latin) received her certificate from the Canon of the Cathedral after floating across the finish line in front of the Cathedral after 16 days which was ‘such a big moment for me’. The people you meet (she calls them her Camino Family) along with the generosity and support I witnessed will stay with me forever. And this includes the dozens and dozens of messages of support and encouragement from friends and family at home via social media. Yup, she did it and she was still smiling when I saw her Saturday.