This morning I spent a delightful hour talking with two authors I admire, Richard Frazer (Travels With a Stick) and Ian Smith (Stepping Out). They’ve both thought deeply about the meditative and spiritual aspects of pilgrimage, and were gracious enough to allow me to join them next week in a free, public Zoom discussion aboutContinue reading “Pilgrimage in a Time of Pandemic (and Hummingbirds)”
Tag Archives: hiking
A Walk Above the Ocean (#CaminoTuesday)
“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” Jacques Cousteau The climb was called Purgatorio for a reason. It was short—just 300 meters, but with 100 meters of elevation gain, it was less an uphill walk and more a hold-onto-tree-branches-to-pull-yourself-up ascent. But then I emerged from the trees,Continue reading “A Walk Above the Ocean (#CaminoTuesday)”
“Don’t Overthink It” and Other Advice Shared With Hike the World
One of the incredible, unexpected things that happened when I took my personal experience on the Camino and shared it with the world, is that other people started sharing their experiences and passions back with me. I’ve known and depended for years on the strong Camino community of former and future pilgrims, but in theContinue reading ““Don’t Overthink It” and Other Advice Shared With Hike the World”
Camino Shoes: Take 4
I’ve reached that part of my Camino planning when I’m buying all the things and simultaneously promising that I’ll pack lighter this time. You’d think by now, prepping for my third visit to the Camino, I’d have everything I need. But a new hiking shirt (and matching Buff headband) seemed justified, and, well, those pantsContinue reading “Camino Shoes: Take 4”
Progress (Almost Wordless Wednesday)
“If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.” — Barack Obama When Eric and I set out from Le Puy, Santiago de Compostela seemed impossibly far away. A thousand miles? It was easy to get discouraged and believe I couldn’t do it. But the thingContinue reading “Progress (Almost Wordless Wednesday)”
Cows of the Camino
When our thousand-mile Camino trek ended, Eric and I took a train east, from Santiago to Irun. The hills of Galicia and then the plains of the Meseta sped by in a blur of landscapes without details. This was the only way I’d seen the world for years, I realized, from moving metal boxes thatContinue reading “Cows of the Camino”
To Saunter in the Mountains
“People ought to saunter in the mountains – not hike! Do you know the origin of that word ‘saunter?’ It’s a beautiful word. Away back in the Middle Ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going, theyContinue reading “To Saunter in the Mountains”
Invincible Nature (Almost Wordless Wednesday)
“Nature is always lovely, invincible, glad, whatever is done and suffered by her creatures. All scars she heals, whether in rocks or water or sky or hearts.” — John Muir, John of the Mountains Photo taken just outside Fineroyls, France, in the remote high plains of L’Aubrac. This wasContinue reading “Invincible Nature (Almost Wordless Wednesday)”
It’s official! Camino 2.0: My Surprise Return to Spain
A few days after Eric and I started walking from Le Puy, with 10 weeks of walking still ahead of us, we were already talking about how to come back and do more of this. After all, “the Camino” isn’t a single trail, but a web of paths that criss-cross Europe, branching back as farContinue reading “It’s official! Camino 2.0: My Surprise Return to Spain”
“I’ll Push You.” (Video)
“I’ll push you.” Okay, when I say that, it’s usually a threat, not a promise. But I’m not Patrick Gray. Maybe you saw this profile on the TODAY show last week, about the two childhood best friends from Idaho who tackled the Camino Frances together. Two friends walking isn’t so unusual, but this is: oneContinue reading ““I’ll Push You.” (Video)”
camino times two 