In exactly 24 hours the plane I am scheduled to be on will take off from LAX.  We go to New York and then an hour later I’m meant to be on another  plane to Barcelona.  What seemed distant and almost ethereal a month ago is now very real and, frankly, a little bit frightening.

I know that tens of thousands of people do this trek every year and I know that even in rural Spain there’s help if I need it.  I also have Medevac Insurance so if I were to get hospitalized, unlike the guy I helped rescue 14 years ago, I won’t be sitting in a Spanish hospital for a month.  But, even taking all of this into consideration, I still have butterflies.

700km is like walking from San Diego to San Jose.  Not quite to San Francisco, but Tim’s family lives in the San Jose area and when his father was sick I made that drive a few times.  Now I’m trying to imagine what it’s going to be like walking that far.

I’m sure I will be fine and this trip promises to be a life changing event.  I think it would help anyone clear the clouds of their mind.  The last several years has been too heavily punctuated with awful tragedies or near tragedies and it’s passible that I might have lost my way a little it.  I know I almost lost Tim and that would have been the biggest mistake I ever made.  But that was years ago and now I am leaving with his blessing.  In fact, I think he’s a little proud that I’m not afraid to try this after what I’ve been through physically.  Frankly I’m surprised that my Spine is behaving itself enough that I do feel confident I can do this.

I can do this!

Your support, comments, and encouragement will go a long way towards making this less lonely.  Please,  if you are so inspired, write quick comments so I know that I really am not alone.  Of all the things I could be afraid of, loneliness is the biggest one.   Anyone can be in a room full of people and be lonely and even though  I am with a group, it will be my Partner and my friends that I’m missing.

So, 24 hours until countdown and all lights are green.

Joe Jeter     September 27, 2014

UPDATE
Sitting in the Admirals Club First Class Lounge at LAX.  Tim and I got up in plenty of time and I still have at least 30 minutes before I board my flight to JFK then connect to Barcelona.  I mentioned to the woman checking me in that I was going to Spain for a month and she immediately knew what I was doing.  How come everybody knows about this trek except me?  There’s even a movie about it that Tim and Linda are going to watch together.  Hopefully they won’t be making a movie from my trip.  LOL.  Anyway, “and so it begins”  09/28/2014