There are no fixed demarcations for those three stretches of the Camino, body, mind, or soul, but for me, it was the first 260 kilometers, to Burgos, about a third of the way to Santiago, that I would feel most in my body. In the guide book I use (John Brierley’s A Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino de Santiago (Camino Francés): St. Jean Pied de Port • Santiago de Compostela), the route is divided into 33 stages, each one approximately what the healthy, hearty — and younger — can cover in a day. The first covers 24 kilometers from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Roncesvalles, beginning with nearly a 1,300-meter ascent and a 400-meter descent of the Pyrenees. I knew that if I could clear that stage, I would pass a critical test and could then manage the rolling hills and shallow valleys that cover most of what follows in that first stretch. What I had not counted on was the intense heat, with many days over 100 degrees. It was far more than I had ever experienced, and it would take its toll, especially since I would stay faithful to my cardinal rule on the Camino, to walk every step and always carry my pack; with water it weighed about 20 pounds. He (my pack is a he) is my companion; it would feel like a betrayal to have someone else carry him, particularly in a taxi. Having him with me throughout the walk gives me the freedom to stop whenever and wherever I want, and the peace of mind to know that he won’t get lost or misplaced. But now, nearly ten years since my last walk on the French route, I already anticipated that I would be going at a slower pace than I had earlier.