"Yes, we did. Are you thinking about walking it?"
"I am," she answered. "I'm walking the Portuguese in April."
"That was our first Camino in 2022. It's a good one," I replied.
We stopped on the trail and introduced ourselves.
Curiously, I asked Claire, "How did you know I had walked a Camino?"
"I saw the shell on the back of your backpack," She pointed.
There is an actual shell that often swings from the back of a pilgrim's backpack, symbolizing the walk of the modern-day pilgrim toward the Cathedral of St. James in Santiago, Spain where Saint James the Apostle is laid to rest.
My backpack doesn't display a scalloped shell, but I do have a Camino pin that displays the yellow shell above the yellow arrow, symbolic of directing pilgrims along the hundreds of miles of collective paths on the Camino, called the "Way."
Since that random meeting on the hiking path, Claire and I have joined a local Camino Chapter of 801 members who have had meaningful experiences walking the many Camino paths across Spain toward Santiago. They are a wealth of information for anyone considering a pilgrimage. We have gone to Camino meetings and hiked with a few of our 801 friends in Arizona. We have introduced our husbands during one hike and introduced another couple to Claire and her husband.
She leaves in April to solo walk the Portuguese Camino, and we leave in September to walk our third one, the Camino Ingles, which is a new one for us.
Now, when Claire and I hike, we talk about her solo Camino plans and I share our past experiences.
What is the significance of a Camino pilgrimage? The route's origin is synonymous with a religious trek finishing in either Jerusalem, Rome or Santiago, Spain. Pilgrims often start walking in nearby countries and walk for days and months toward their goal city. Pilgrims can set their own pace and mileage per day. They walk to experience new surroundings, to meet new friends or perhaps to mourn a loss. However, for many, despite their emotions when they begin, the walk becomes a spiritual journey.
I was hiking solo on that mountain that day, and so was Claire.
My friend is Catholic and I am Baptist, yet we share the common faith that calls so many to walk this spiritual pilgrimage. She is not ashamed of the gospel and neither am I.
I did not need to be convinced to continue the hike back to the start of the trailhead. It was a warm day and I had already finished six miles, so walking and talking with someone along the way, only shortened the two miles back down. Her welcomed inquiry resulted in a good friendship.
Jesus knew who would ask That One Question of Him - He invested in twelve followers who asked, "Where are you staying?" His reply was "Come and See." They asked one question that profoundly brought about a deep spiritual kinship with the Messiah, resulting in surprising and blessed opportunities beyond expectation. They walked with Him.
That One Question opened so many unexpected blessings for me. Claire's attention was drawn to a small, yet definable pin on my backpack. From that question, a Christian friendship has developed.
Jim and I have That One Question. Read about it in That One Question: Part 2
Keep Looking Up!
J:m and L:nda
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