Ordinary People

We thought it would be fun to mention some of the people we have met along the way.
**One was a delightful 73 year old lady from San Francisco who has walked 8 Caminos. She has walked the Camino Frances 4 times, 3 Caminos in France, and one on Portugal. She recently had a double mastectomy and has to return for more treatment after her walk.
**Another was a teammate of Dean Potter, the pioneer in Xtreme sports, who was killed in early May attempting a wingsuit flight in Yosemite. The teammate and his wife were doing the Camino in Dean's memory because no matter how extreme the sports were that he did, he always planned to do the Camino.
**In Santiago, we met a blind gentleman with white cane and beautiful seeing eye dog who had just completed the Camino from Sarria to Santiago (the required 100 km). His wife was with him pushing their young son in a carrier.
**Just before the Iron Cross,we walked with a young mother carrying a six month old baby girl with her five-year-old son walking beside her. The little boy carried his own pack which held their food while Mom had a pack for the baby and the baby needs. The little boy talked or sang to her the entire day but never seemed to complain and no matter how many times she stopped to feed the baby, they made good time. Any other kids we have seen have had carriers but he walked in his tennies.
**Unfortunately, our friend Jurgen feel ill from food poisoning and had to abandon his Camino. We felt so sorry for him because we knew how much this trip meant to him and only hope he will have another opportunity to walk.
**Then there were the British schoolteachers who in 2002 were 10 months into their RV tour of the US when the were stopped in New Mexico and held for 10 days in a detention center. They had a valid visa but failed to understand that they had to validate it every 3 months and got caught up in the paranoia of that time. Amazingly, after that and thousands of dollars to straighten it all out, they had wonderful memories of the USA.  

We swear we met this guy only he had
added juggling pins and a guitar to his
pack which he used to entertain for
funds to continue his trip.