I love travel and adventure. But recently I have been yearning for something more. Time to reflect, time to find purpose, time to search for meaning, and time to re-evaluate priorities.
This led me to the Camino.
Camino means “path” and there are many of them across Europe. Â It started out as a pilgrimage for Catholics; seeking a closeness to St James, one of the 12 disciples of Jesus found in the crypt of the Santiago de Compostela close to the end of many of the trails. Â Â
Today, many take these walks….for religious reasons, as well as spiritual….others come for clarity or maybe just a love of a peaceful walk in nature.
I came to the Camino with my friend Carol, a fellow yogi who like me, was searching . We signed up for a group tour with 11 others walking a portion of the Camino – the French Way – almost 800 km starting in France and moving across Spain. We choose to take 6 days to walk the last 120 km – from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela. Our days were full of waking, walking – alone and with our new friends – and celebrating our trek each night over a group meal. Carol and I had more paella than a human should consume! Some of peers were closing in on completing the entire 800km, others had traveled this section of the camino before. Some have done other trails across Portugal, and several were brand new like me. But everyone was there for a reason, and many were solo travelers.
We built a bond though our shared love of the outdoors, and at times bearing our souls about what brought us here. We inspired each other, taught each other, and cheered each other on.
At times, we had 10 miles under our belts by 10 am. We walked through forests full of oaks, sycamores, pines, and. eucalyptus trees; and other times it was the shoulder of a highway. Some days were sunny and bright, and others the rain fell for hours. We let the blue and yellow camino shell and arrow guide the way.
In order to earn your certificate on the Camino, you have to achieve at least the last 120km, and have a record of that by stamping your pilgrim passport a minimum of 2 times a day at lodging, cafes, and churches all along the route.
There were injuries along the way. I came to the trek with a mean case of planter fasciitis which I treated with KT tape, multi day stretching, and inserts. Keeping my focus on the trail and talking to others helped get me through.
By the time we got to the last kilometer, the sound of bagpipes filed the air. Just that beautiful, deep, processional lull brought tears to my eyes as I turned the corner to the first glimpse of the Church….towering over the plaza, filling me with a sense of accomplishment and peace. The icing on the cake was mass in the cathedral in Spanish, in the beauty of the church where St James lays.
Many carry a symbol of their trek, that they release on their final day. I picked up a chestnut on my first day, which reminding me of my home in Ohio…a Buckeye. And let that go at the last marker on my walk.
Some are saddened when they reach this point, the end. But our guide said it the best….the Santiago de Compostela isn’t the end, it is just the beginning.
Buen Camino!
