I never kept a diary or felt the need to. But, while shopping for a backpack, I spotted the Write In the Rain All-Weather Journal, and could not resist buying it. I even bought a felt-tipped weather-proof pen. Carrying these was worth their weight in gold–I now have a trove of memories.
From the beginning, I wrote things that I would never say aloud. I recorded my feelings alongside the descriptions of the journey and the people I met. Writing in the journal each day was fun. I wrote whenever I was moved to do so; morning on arising, at breaks, or before retiring.
I kept my journal in my waist bag, always close by to jot something I did not want to forget. Now, whenever I want to remember the Camino, I just read my journal. What is amazing is that reading the journal revitalizes the joy and peace I felt while walking. As I read my descriptions of my fellow peregrinos, I recall the shared camaraderie.
Without this little yellow book, my Camino would not continue to live in me. I cannot urge you strongly enough to keep a journal.