Packing List

One student in particular claims her locker is not big enough for all of her stuff. I asked her the last time she cleaned it out and she replied 'never'. I don't think the idea crossed her mind that she just might find some extra space if she got rid of all of those papers, water bottles, clothes, etc. that she doesn't need. This reminds me of the first time I packed my backpack to start walking with it to break in my boots that I will be wearing on my Camino. I needed to take out some of the extra/unneeded stuff because it was just too heavy. Some of you have been asking me what I am bringing with me for the trip. I will do my best to capture my 'packing list' for all of you. I think the 2 most important things to remember here are 1. I need to carry this stuff on my back while I walk for 500 miles. And the most important 2. This whole trip is about letting go of all the excess, unimportant things. Or in other words- cleaning out my locker. Living simply not only frees your soul, but it frees your backpack as well. With that said, if you are interested, here is a list of what I will be packing for a one month walk across Spain and 1.5 months traveling Europe.

Clothes: 3 t-shirts, 2 shorts, 1 skirt, 3 pairs each of under garments, long sleeve tshirt, rain coat.

Shoes: hiking boots, sneakers, flip flops

Toiletries: travel size shampoo, tooth brush/paste, contacts, solution, glasses, brush

Extras: sunglasses, visor, rosary, needle/thread, first aid kit, ziplock bag, trash bag, clothesline, towel, head lamp, spork, walking stick, 2 water bottles (1L ea.), knife, camino guide book, converter, camera/charger, iPad/charger

Pictured above is what that looks like in case you were wondering.

3 Weeks and Counting...

We are down to just under 3 weeks until I fly to Madrid. My plans are slowly coming together as the clock ticks and the departure day creeps up on me. School is winding down and that is exciting in itself- not to mention the fact I have an almost 3 month European adventure less than 20 days away. It's hard to believe I have been at St. Catherine's for two years already. Not a day goes by that I don't thank God for bringing me to such an amazing place and allowing me to work with amazing people. I also feel blessed to be able to travel the way I do and experience as much as I can that this awesome world offers. I think it was Confucius that said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step..." I may only be walking 500 miles, but the rest of my backpacking will definitely take me beyond the 1,000 mile mark.

So this my friends... is my first step- a blog. With the help of a fellow teacher and a dear advisee, I chose WANDER WOMAN as my theme complete with a picture. I like to think this summer adventure is in need of Wonder Woman's superhuman strength, flight, and highly proficient hand-to-hand combat skills. Please don't forget to note her bullet proof bracelets, lasso of truth, and her golden tiara that is used as a dagger yet with boomerang abilities to return to her head. I hope you can understand just how perfect this theme will be as the summer adventures begin.

Here is a ROUGH Guide to what I am planning for next 3 months:
 June 11- Fly to Madrid and spend a couple of days exploring...

 June 14- Make my way to St. Jean Pied de Port (France/Spain border town) to begin the Camino de Santiago or Way of St. James- a religious pilgrimage across Norther Spain...

 The next 33ish days I will be walking 500 miles across Spain ending in Compostela de Santiago...

 Followed by a month and half backpacking through Europe: Italy, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France, etc...

 Ending in Dublin, Ireland for the NOTRE DAME vs. Navy football game on September 1st.

 With that said, this is where I will be posting about my adventures, experiences, thoughts, and hopefully pictures to give you a glimpse of my summer as "WANDER WOMAN!"

 (Thank you Josh for the name and Virginia for the picture)