Teacher learns lessons from 500-mile trek
Upon reaching a pivotal age in life, what do you do? For Columbia native Beth Pierce the answer was take a 500-mile hike through Europe this summer.
The longtime educator said she started thinking about turning 60 when she turned 59; she was worried she would finish her life with remorse about what she didn’t do, and she changed her mindset.
“I didn’t want to have regrets when it was near the end of my time,” Pierce said.
The idea of doing the Camino de Santiago, which means “journey of James” in Spanish, came to her from a friend who was also considering it. Her friend was a little older so she said if he could do it, so could she.
The pilgrimage route dates from the Middle Ages and spans from France across Spain, ending at the Catedral de Santiago de Compostela where the bones of James the Apostle are said to be interred.
Once her mind was set she started on her first step, which was to get in shape. The route has multiple terrains from flatlands to mountains.
She set a goal of traveling 12 miles a day for 40 days and started building up the stamina to walk that far. Her next step was to add a backpack and then work her way up until she was carrying a full backpack for the entire 12-mile distance.
She said she waited until New Year’s Eve to tell everyone with the exception of one person, who already knew. She was afraid people would think she was crazy but quickly found out everyone was very supportive of her. Her mother, Jo Ann Ball of Columbia, was shocked but never doubted that Pierce could do it, Pierce said. People started walking with her to help her prepare for the trip.
“It took a life of its own,” she said once everyone knew.
When it came time to actually begin the Camino, she said she got nervous the night before but the fear just fell away. She was told not to over think, and she held on to that advice.
The hike began at St. Jean Pied de Port in France, which is in the Pyrenees Mountains. Pierce said the views were amazing.
The first day she traveled with her daughter, and it was hard to say good-bye.
“I cried when she left,” Pierce said.
There are three sections of the hike, the first part was full of hills and mountains, the second part was flat and the final part had mountains.
Pierce said she thought about quitting briefly three times. The first time was on day three when she lost her phone. She said she went to take a picture and realized her phone had fallen. She had stopped about 15 minutes earlier for a rest and figured that is where phone was. She met two men from Australia who were also doing the pilgrimage and together they found her phone. On day eight her left knee became an issue. She felt like she had too much in her bag so she got rid of some items to lighten her load. The third time she became ill on the middle section and had to stop for a day.
“The blessing about being ill was it gave my knee a full day to heal,” she said.
Along the way she was able to attend masses, which she really enjoyed.
Though her daughter, Grace Ann Pierce, traveled with her for the first day and friends Dal Murray and Allen Williams joined her for the last 60 miles, the rest of the journey she traveled alone or with friends she met on the way.
“About halfway I met a walking buddy, and we walked together to the end,” she said.
Pierce said she would meet others on the pilgrimage and talk and even though some people walked faster than her, she would still meet up with them along the way. She ate at cafés along the way, and at night she would stay at hostels, which are more of a communal setting with rooms full of bunk beds than a hotel.
Most of the hostels and cafés were very modern and provided Wi-Fi, which allowed her to update her journey and check in with friends and family on social media. She said friends would post things showing they are walking with her, which she said was a great encouragement knowing so many supported her.
She said the people she met was her favorite part of the trip and traveling through the cities. She traveled through Pamplona, known for the running of the bulls, Burgos and Leon.
Murray said it was quite an accomplishment for Pierce and that Pierce really worked hard to prepare herself physically, spiritually and mentally.
Murray said they would plan the day, but it was exciting because you never knew what you would see or how the day would end. The camaraderie with the other people making the pilgrimage was wonderful, she said.
“It was a trip of a lifetime and really allowed a reflection of life,” Murray said. “It was exciting to see what you could do.”
Overall Pierce said it was a time of great growth for her spiritually and mentally. She overcame fears and insecurities. Pierce said there was time when fear would try to set in but she chose to be brave. She also learned not to be judgmental and be more loving toward people; love has become the center of her life, she said.
“If I was in a café and I saw a guitar, I would ask the owner if I could play it and then I would start singing a song; that is something I would have never done. In one of the masses I attended, the preacher asked if anyone wanted to sing a hymn from their language and I stood up and sung ‘Amazing Grace,’” she said.
Pierce also said she learned no matter how hard something may be just take little steps at a time before you know it those baby steps have you at the top of the mountain.
“Life itself is one big ‘camino’ for all of us,” she said.
Pictured Above: Beth Pierce, left, is seen with her daughter Grace Ann Pierce at the beginning of the “Camino de Santiago” in the French town of St. Jean Pied de Port. Beth Pierce, a longtime Columbia educator, walked 500 miles to Spain this summer over the route that pilgrims have traveled since the Middle Ages. | Photo submitted
