Enjoying my last full day at home in Asheville before heading to Durham for a few days then launching off to Europe for 6 weeks, most of which will be spent walking the Camino de Santiago. The Camino is a network of pilgrimage paths that lead to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela where the remains of the apostles are supposedly buried. There are several routes starting different countries but the most popular is the French Way, starting at the base of the Pyrenees, which is what I’ll be walking. The Camino Frances is 491 miles and take at least 4 weeks. It goes through several cities and villages and there are an abundance of albergues for sleeping and eating affordably along the way.

I’ve been wanting to do this long walk for a while, mostly attracted by the opportunity to slowly explore the countryside and culture of Northern Spain, getting to meet other pilgrims from all over the world (many of whom are at interesting junctures in life), and not having to carry my shelter/bed/dinner on my back. The Camino gets flack from hikers of long backpacking trails like the Pacific Crest and Appalachian trails for being overrated or too softcore for reasons including:

• You are in or near civilization almost the whole time without many occasions to experience more remote nature.
• There is a lot of walking on paved roads and pathways, sometimes across unshaded, monotonous terrain.
• Frequent encounters with people, bars, and ice cream shops create distractions from being removed from the “real world” to be on a spiritual journey.

While all of these may be true facts about the Camino experience, I don’t think comparing it to a backpacking thru hike is a legitimate comparison. I, and I believe probably most others who’ve opted for this particular journey, am primarily interested in participating in a communal walking meditation while gathering perspectives from others about how to live a happy and meaningful life. The scenery, tapas, and wine along the way are secondary (but a pretty nice perk I think).

I’m going to attempt to regularly log my experiences here. Though I anticipate being too tired at the end of some days to write much, hopefully there will be at least a photo or two to share.