Discovering Ancient Engravings: A Mountaintop Adventure Post-Camino | Day 270 of my 2023 Journal

Archeology at the mountaintop

Oh man, it is hardcore, this comedown. We are all overwhelmed, understimulated, exhausted, reborn, motivated, grateful, and melancholic. At the same time. AND excited about the next adventures to come.

There is a lot of work to do, all the things we pushed to “after the Camino,” and there is a lot of new inner growth to attend to, consciously or not, and we are facing poetic 100 days of separation after the soon-to-be goodbye.

In this context of emotions going everywhere, plans being made, and preparation for the next steps of journeys going in 3 directions before joining soon enough, Cheryl found a special place in a forest for us to hike to and enjoy.

Why not?

In the afternoon, we drove the short distance to the beginning of the hike. Information was scarce, and we walked a detour (some would say in the wrong direction and back) before we found the track, clearly marked and easy. 


It was lush and beautiful, the forest, in the beginning, with old stone watermills and tall trees and moss and creeds and birds. It changed a few times, and we found one of the stones, supposedly with thousands of years old engravings. But we did not see it, felt a bit disappointed and frustrated, and even considered going back.

Pushing to complete it, Cheryl and I voted for continuing and quickly regretted it, as the incline was brutal. At the top, we all decided to continue and do the loop in the hike, allowing us to find more stones with engravings.

The reward was not delayed. The next rock spoke to us; one by one, we were convinced the lines were actually there. Hands running over them was the trick, as they are hard to see and easier to feel. We all got very excited and found the reindeer, the man, the spiral - after the penis at the center had taught us the technique.

Stone after stone, viewpoint after viewpoint, we enjoyed the mountaintop until we embarked on the decline in the pre-dusk light, sprinkling magic over the entire forest.

It was like watching a game, movie, or piece of fine art; it felt unreal and overwhelming.

With love

Cecilie Conrad

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