Physical Challenges, Spiritual Tests & Camino Angels
Physical Challenges, Spiritual Tests & Camino Angels
by Vilma Packard | Lakewood Ranch, FL
“The Camino is tough! And for you, walking it alone makes it even tougher!” said my rideshare driver. The ride was to my accommodation after crossing the intimidating bridge in Viana do Costelo. I’d had enough walking after 25 kilometers. I felt the compounding strain on my aching body on the fourth day of my journey. The Camino Portugués coastal route has a variety of terrains—boardwalks, rocky trails, cobblestones—and contrary to what others have said, it is not all flat! The pressure of trail rocks and cobblestones macerated my feet. I regretted not wearing solid hikers.
Besides physical challenges, I’d heard of spiritual tests on the Camino. I experienced them, too. I sprained my ankle while sightseeing in Porto the night before I started my walk. I thought my pilgrimage was over. My knowledge in Physical Therapy helped because I was pain-free with weight-bearing the next morning! I completed the first stage from Porto to Matosinhos without issues only to learn about a power outage affecting the Iberian countries upon arrival at my accommodation. For a solo pilgrim with a sprained ankle, it was more than a minor inconvenience. Thankfully, power was restored the same day.
I walked for self-reflection, and I felt I received messages during my journey. Be it a humble storekeeper in Esposende offering me a ride without any compensation when I missed my hotel while walking in the rain or be it in the form of a dream of a white silhouetted winged figure in my hotel room in Viana do Costelo. Unbeknownst to me at that time, there were a myriad of images of angels in the church in front of the hotel where I stayed. Earlier, on my difficult walks, I’d summoned my guardian angels for safe deliverance to my destination. In Nigrán, when loneliness almost broke me, a voice in my head consoled me that I was not all alone and forsaken. God was present through a stranger’s kind words, a fellow pilgrim’s smile, or a branch of Maia from a stranger wishing me protection.
The Camino has gifted me a sense of confidence that, with God’s grace, there is nothing I cannot do. It has renewed my faith and belief in humanity. It delivered me safely to Santiago.
