I’ve written about a lot of things on this blog over the past three years, but I’m not sure I’ve ever gone back to the basics and explained how I got here in the first place. (Or if I did, it was so long ago and is so buried in the archives that it’s worthContinue reading “Why I Walked the Camino de Santiago”
Tag Archives: travel
How to Thru-Hike Without Suffering: My Ignite Seattle Talk
The book is launched, the book tour is happening, and right now I’m just trying to keep up with it all. We started with a bang last week, when I had the gift of sharing the Camino with a crowd of 600 people at Ignite Seattle, “the largest open submission public speaking event in the Pacific Northwest.”Continue reading “How to Thru-Hike Without Suffering: My Ignite Seattle Talk”
Camino del Norte, Days 9-10: Cantabria
Pobeña to Castro Urdiales: 15 km Castro Urdiales to Liendo: 25 km “I’d forgotten this part of Camino life,” I wrote in my journal on the 9th day of walking. “When the magic becomes normal, the feeling that walking is the way that I live now. The steady pattern of walk-eat-sleep-repeat. Take care of your feet.Continue reading “Camino del Norte, Days 9-10: Cantabria”
Camino del Norte, Day 3: The First Beach and Convent
San Martín to Zumaia: 16 km We woke up in a cow barn, walked on a beach, and fell asleep in a convent. Which, when I think about it, sums up a lot of the Camino del Norte in a single sentence. There are a lot of ways that pilgrims decide how far they willContinue reading “Camino del Norte, Day 3: The First Beach and Convent”
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”
Le Puy-En-Velay
On the Monday after Easter three years ago, Eric and I arrived in Paris after an overnight flight. We took a train to Lyon, and then another one to Le Puy-en-Velay, one of the oldest starting points of the Way of Saint James, according to the twelfth-century guide for pilgrims—considered one of the earliest travelContinue reading “Le Puy-En-Velay”
Why Walk to Finisterre?
When Eric and I approached Santiago de Compostela two years ago, the crowds of people around us grew by the day, as did their anticipation. Together we counted down “the last hundred” kilometers to Santiago, where the remains of Saint James waited for us in an enormous cathedral. On the morning of our arrival inContinue reading “Why Walk to Finisterre?”
7 Camino Gratitudes
It’s Thanksgiving week here in the United States, a time set aside for family and feasting, and hopefully a time to reflect on the gifts we’ve been given. In that spirit, I’ve been thinking about my Camino Gratitudes: the things I now appreciate (or appreciate more) because I have been a pilgrim to Santiago. InContinue reading “7 Camino Gratitudes”
Saint James Matamoros: the Fake News of the Last Millennium
It’s impossible to walk the Way of Saint James, the Camino de Santiago, without encountering images of Saint James. Which makes sense – we are on a journey to his recognized grave, after all. Without James the Greater, brother of John and the first of Jesus’ disciples to be martyred, there would never have beenContinue reading “Saint James Matamoros: the Fake News of the Last Millennium”
My Summer Camino Packing List
“All my bags are packed, I’m ready to go…” Well, almost packed. I’ve been working intently on The Book all month (that’s a mild way of saying I’ve been up until 2 or 3 every night for at least two weeks), but yesterday I finally let it go, sending it off to a group ofContinue reading “My Summer Camino Packing List”
