The feet are the most important thing for the hiker. I realize that when I buy shoes and practice for the *Camino, but the real importance only gets through to me when I walk the Camino. I am going to feel them in ways I didn’t know I could.
I will develop rituals to protect the feet like:
Taking off my shoes and socks immediately after walking
Washing and drying my feet after a hike
Rub my feet with petroleum jelly to keep them supple
Feet up after a hike
Rub my feet with Vaseline in the morning against blisters.
I will be in awe of those feet that are having a hard time during such a hike. My feet become such a Saint that I treat them with a lot of care. They determine the rhythm and the length of my path. Unfortunately I forget that after a while when I am not hiking so often anymore, and they become holy off those feet.
*I hiked the camino to think about what I wanted further from life and Databeet, not to party like some do on the Camino. I talked while hiking with my fellow hikers, but did not party with them or others. I am not a party animal and liked the quietness and calmness of the camino.