Les Phillips Blog

Shepard and his flock on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, Spain, 2005

In August, 2005, my wife and I traveled by bicycle and train along one of the paths of the Camino, from Burgos to Santiago de Compostela. There are several paths that make up the Camino and we were on the Camino Frances, a path that pilgrims have followed for over 800 years.

The weather was hot and dry, except for the day I took the picture of the Shepard and His Flock. We were in the middle of the meseta, a flat empty area, where the sun and sky rule over the land like medieval kings.

This day had started like all the others, a breakfast of eggs, ham, dark bread and coffee, and then on the bikes. By mid morning, the clear blue sky had given way to a towering wall of storm clouds on the western horizon.

The storm approached rapidly. We stopped to put on our rain ponchos. Before I had my poncho adjusted an icy wind came up the road. The sweat on our bodies dried instantly and goosebumps appeared all over us. A steel grey wall of rain advanced toward us. We started to ride. The wind increased and the rain hit us with stinging force. Our light weight ponchos were shredded and we were submerged in icy waves of rain.

Luckily, the wind blew straight up the road and we could ride into it. Had it been from the side, it would have blown us off the road. We rode on in the storm, nearly blind from the rain, sometimes barely making headway against the wind. After 20 minutes the storm eased and in another 10 minutes stopped, leaving behind a flat grey sky.

We stopped in a small village, removed our ruined rain gear, and ate a couple of energy bars. The sun began to breakthrough the overcast and cast a theatrical light on the land. That is when the sheepherder appeared with his dog and flock.

My wife and I were both struck by the symbolism of the Shepard leading his flock along the Camino de Santiago de Compostela.

To this day, we talk about Shepard and his flock on the Camino, after the ferocious storm.