water

Water and I have a complicated relationship here on the Camino. It´s like the final test, the most profound symbolic expression of letting go. It´s been three weeks now, and it´s time to take that test.

As many of you know, I drink water. I drink a lot of water. I might even drink more than a lot of water. Walking along for hours at a time without immediate access to fresh water makes me nervous. Most days, though, there is water available at least every two hours or so. If there is going to be a longer stretch than that between towns, I´ll know ahead of time. Still, I can´t keep myself from carrying about 2 liters of water with me. 2 liters weighs over 4 pounds. My pack weighs somewhere around 20.

I have tried tricking myself into carrying less water, but then I make up for it by carrying a little supply of emergency water. Here´s the thing. There´s no emergency. At most, I´ll be an hour or two without water. I´ll be fine. I ran 8, 9, 10 miles without any water at all. It´s entirely psychological. If I stick some gum in my mouth, I´ll be just fine. I´ll probably walk with a lighter step.

Tomorrow is the magic day. I drank my emergency water today while walking around town. I´ll carry no more than a liter tomorrow. I´ll walk from town to town and pause to drink at the lovely fountains. I´ll even take my lighter pack off for a bit while I slurp away. Wish me luck.