Day 13: May 19, 2016 Burgos to Hontanas

 Hontanas, Spain

May 21, 2016
Hontanas
El Pundito Albergue
20.9 miles, 46521 steps, 58 flights, 7:54 hr

As a child I was fascinated/obsessed by time and distance, I still am. Perhaps it was too many Star Trek episodes dealing with disruptions in the time-space continuum. But, think it was more likely related to childhood vacations. My maternal grandparents lived in Southern California, and not the good part. Every other year my parents packed four children into the back seat of a small, non-air conditioned car and drove across the American West for three days to El Centro, CA.

As you might imagine this was a boring experience for a young boy. When I could see through the cigarette smoke, I occupied myself with the map. I would look up the distance to the next town, check the speedometer and mentally calculate the time of arrival... Then do it again, again and again (I'm embracing my compulsive disorder). Thanks to this experience, I can now read maps easily (@Lisa- what is the first step?) and I understand the numbering and signage system of the American highway system. I have many hidden talents.

I find that I still subconsciously do this: calculate time required for travel/tasks. In the past days, I have found myself mentally calculating times and positions of towns, with estimated arrival times. If the town did not appear at the right time... something was horribly wrong.

Today was the first day in the Meseta, the middle segment of the Camino... A high, flat plain with no distinguishing features. Rather than sitting proudly on hill tops, towns are now hidden in river and creek gullies. It is disorienting to say the least, because you don't see the town until you are literally on top of it. So, calculating time and distance becomes more important to figure out where the towns should be. Time becomes a measure of distance.

But the space- time and distance continuum on the Meseta, and on the Camino in general is distorted. I am not sure of the appropriate unit of measure. As the cast of Rent asks... is it minutes, seconds, heartbeats... For me is it days, miles, footsteps, albergues, blisters, packages of Compeed, pilgrim menus, blog postings, experiences or new friends? I don't think there is an answer, or perhaps the answer is relative to the moment and the mood. Units of measure depend on perspective.

But life is like that for all of us; we use different measures for different times.

At this point in the trip I have walked 220 miles, 488 Km. I have taken 52,1973 steps and climbed 675 flights of steps. I have been walking for 13 days.

There are 480 Km to go according to Google Maps; so, I am almost half way to Santiago.

But perhaps I am looking at this the wrong way: more important than looking at how far there is to go, I think is to celebrate how far we've come.