2024 Planning MY Camino

 

 The Way, MY WAY

The Camino de Santiago translates as The Way of St James.  And there is a strong Camino culture that everyone does the Camino that is right for her or him.  

Some folks walk the Camino for spiritual reasons, which was the orginal purpose of pilgrimages. There is a 1000-year history of the Camino de Santiago.

(See this link for a history of the Camino:  https://americanpilgrims.org/history-of-the-camino/) 

Others walk the Camino for exercise, for fun, to get away, to meet others, to have a space apart from their everyday world. 

I'm walking because I like to walk.  I'm walking now because I've wanted to for so long.  I'm walking now because I might not be able to next year.   

And I'm walking my route from St Jean-Pied-de Port over the foothills of the Pyrenees so I can see the sun rise over these mountains.


I'm only walking for about 2 weeks.  

This is, I hope, my starter Camino. If all goes well, I'll come back next year to walk to Santiago. Or perhaps I'll walk part of Le Puy in France. Who knows.  This is my start.

I'm walking by myself, but I know I will not be alone. There is a large Camino community that will be by my side.  

I'll walk as far as I can.  I'm aiming for 16 kilometer days (about 10 miles) but a day might be more or less. I might take a rest day.  

I have a flight to France, a start day and 2 days of lodging reservations and a flight home.

If all goes well, I could walk about 100 miles.   I'm planning to have my luggage transported each day (to save strain on my neck and back) and just carry a very light day pack with rain gear and some essentials.

I have learned from other pilgrims and from my Cotswolds walk that you really do not need much on the trail.  

And the Camino provides.

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