Day 5 - the end

I have posted all the pictures from Day 5 but there are a few more interesting, I hope, comments to make.

First, Day 5 was the beginning of foot trouble. I had blisters on the ball and little toe of my left foot and they got very bad during the day. My little toe actually turned black and I was more than a little worried. However, I taped everything and, using a needle, drained the liquid from the blisters. On June 20, the toenail of my little toe finally fell off. I now have a hard spot but no actual toenail. I have no idea whether or not it will grow back but in any case it should not be a problem.

Also I began to see why this is a Buddhist practice. My inner voice, that voice in the head that is constantly chattering, started to quiet down, and even when it talked it was mostly about what was happening at that moment - for example, where I should place my foot for the next step. I suspect that this began to happen because of the constant necessity for paying attention to your feet while negotiating the mountain trails. It was a state that, as far as I could tell, was the same as I arrive at when doing meditation.

One last thing, but it is only indirectly related to the Henro Pilgrimage. I am participating in what is called an Urban Retreat. For a week, I am joining meditation, thinking, and activities being organized worldwide by the Western Buddhist Organization. The timing is very good because my wife, daughter and granddaughter are all leaving this morning and I will be home alone, which means that it will be very easy to participate in the Retreat activities.

I will start publishing Day 6 pictures tomorrow.