Three Hearts: Day Two of Two
This morning started very much the same way yesterday did. I was actually awakened by an alarm from one of the nearby tents just before five. The Templar chant started five minutes later, and my backpack was already half packed.
I was completely ready to go by 6. Last night, I discovered I had a hotspot on my left foot. I slapped some Compeed on it and also took about half the weight out of my pack. They have this very clever system where heavy equipment is sent ahead in big tubs on U-Hauls. If today is anything like yesterday, I am carrying far too much weight for the distance. Almost 40 km yesterday! Craziness.
The various chapters were lined up at about 6:45, and we started at about dawn.
After a prayer and a blessing, we set off to the sound of Pipers and surrounded by banners.
We started road walking, singing the rosary. On the way, we passed some forest cows, the first I had seen since France.
We took our first break at about 8 AM. I thought it was slightly early for that, but it turned out to be perfect.
It was mostly road walking after that through the same sorts of terrain as yesterday: Hills with wooded lots and pasture with cows, horses, and donkeys to either side, with houses every so often. The conversations, though, were amazing.
I was definitely hobbling a little bit after yesterday’s walk, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I feared it might be.
I had the umbrella out by now, but with long stretches in the shade of trees, I often had it folded up.
We had a long break starting just after 10 AM. I took the opportunity for a very early lunch – or perhaps a particularly hearty second breakfast. It was a long, leisurely break, unlike those of yesterday. I found a nice shady spot, and I even managed a short nap.
Thus fortified, the 3,000 moved out just before 11:30 AM. For more road walking. At least it was shady.
We soon turned onto a soft gravel road that ran beside a dry creek bed. Although we still had trees on either side, they were set far enough from the road that they provided no shade. The sun was high in the sky.
The road crossed over the creek, and the trees closed in. The creek was Clear Creek, and this was the final road to our destination: Clear Creek Abbey.
I entered the monastery grounds at 12:26 PM. Just inside the gate, we took our final rest break. There was intermittent cloud cover while we were there, which was a joy.
We started the last mile just after 1 PM. We walked in silence.
All the chapter banners led the procession, followed by the clergy and then the rest of us. At some point, we were joined by a boys’ choir. Bagpipes serenaded us at the top of the hill, and the Abbey bells were ringing constantly as we approached.
Walking into the Abbey church was a magical experience. We walked through the arched doorway under the magnificent carved tympanum as the boys’ choir chanted. High Mass followed, celebrated by Bishop Athanasius Schneider. The monks chanted, the choir sang polyphony. It was absolutely heaven on earth.
During the Mass, I kept thinking about how much Francine would have loved being here. Maybe not the 40 km in one day, but basically everything else about the experience. I’m not ashamed to say that I wept through much of the Mass.
I was in the front pew with no kneeler, and I had a hard time kneeling. Not to mention getting up!
The abbey church is unfinished, but they seem to be building it in the Romanesque style, with a large choir for the monks. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many monks in one place before.
Afterwards, it was sort of a party on the lawn in front of the church. There was food and beer and pilgrims reminiscing about the past two days and past years. I’m camping one night in one of the fields here, before going down to the monastery guest house for the following two days.
Noah set up my tent with the help of Francis, as I was too beat to do much of anything.
On my thousand-mile Camino in 2023, I did not get a single blister. I currently have two from yesterday’s 40 km day. It’s pretty clear that I need to do a lot more training. I was not ready for this pilgrimage.
After the Copeland boys left, I got the rest of my campsite ready and then headed down to the nearby oratory. This was the original monastic church on the site. It looks like it may have been converted from a feed storage barn.
The arrangement and decor – especially the statues – very much remind me of some of the small village churches I’ve seen in France. Other than the drop ceiling tiles, obviously.
I prayed Vespers there and spent a little additional time in prayer and reflection.
By the time I returned to my tent, it was dark. There are a handful of groups camping here tonight—the boys’ school from Kansas and what appears to be a couple of scouting troops. There are also a few scattered individual tents like mine. I don’t think any of them are less than 50 yards from me in this field.
(Continued in the Monastery Diaries on my other blog)
Date: 11 October 2025
22.0 kilometers
Today’s Photos!
