Category: Camino

On the Camino, there is an ancient greeting that is exchanged between pilgrims. Oh, those not on pilgrimage – hospitaleros, townsfolk, random people on the Way – will often shout out a hearty “¡buen Camino!”, but that’s not what I’m talking about. In a tradition that was first recorded in the venerable Codex Calixtinus in the eleventh century, the pilgrim […]

Well, the Alsa web site is much better than it was three years ago. For one thing, it’s pretty clear that they have a new English translator, and that he or she knows English. There are still occasionally blocks of Spanish text, but that’s manageable. Trying to interpret Spanglish was not. As I said, much improved. And we are now […]

Slowly but surely, we’re ticking things off of our pre-Camino “to-do” list. Today, I purchased our travel insurance. As in our last Camino, we purchased the “standard” package from World Nomads. What I love about these guys is that they have an exhaustive list of all activities covered under their plans – and that list goes from abseiling (rappelling) to […]

Our Camino training has begun in earnest. We’re taking smaller walks throughout the week – some for speed, some for hills.  On the weekends, we’re taking longer hikes with full packs. Today, that’s 12k. Over the coming weeks, this will ratchet up to 24k. Of course, the real “training ” for the Camino is in Navarra! one of the locals […]

With any luck, this is the first post to this blog using the WordPress app on my phone.  If this works properly, that’s one more thing I can check off my to-do list! (Originally posted to Pilgrims on the Way.)

The number of days to our next Camino continues to drop precipitously. Less than three months to go! At this point, equipment and footgear is all acquired. For shoes and socks, I have stuck with Keen. Their “garage” store is in downtown Portland, and it’s well worth a drop-by if you’re in the area. The shoes are rugged and comfortable […]

Since the rain and the early sunsets have curtailed much of our hiking schedule, little progress has been made in the training arena. We hope to address that this coming weekend. Since we’ve already celebrated our Thanksgiving, we plan on getting out and about on this coming four days off. In other news, my new passport has arrived! Huzzah! Logistical […]

Francine injured her foot a ways back, and we have not been training as we ought. Yesterday, however, we had a nice hike with full Camino packs through Point Defiance Park. There was some trouble with water. At some point in transit to the trailhead, Francine’s backpack water bladder leaked about a liter of water into her pack. After a […]

My annual camp/cabin trip was this past weekend. Basically it’s the same group of guys every year, with the occasional comings and goings. Back in the day, we camped. One particular weekend, about seven or eight years ago now, it rained so hard that it put out our campfire. Since then, it’s been U.S. Forestry service cabins. This is the […]

Of all the photos I took on our 2013 Camino – and I took thousands of them – this is the one that for me best sums up the spirit of the pilgrimage. Francine in the Mists of Galicia It was taken as we walked through the Galician forests on our way to the Royal Monastery of Samos. It reminds […]

Our credencials arrived from Santiago a couple of weeks ago. I’m starting to compile updated albergue and Mass information. I’m checking airline tickets every Tuesday. I’m still trying to find all of the bits and bobs to complete my gear. In some cases, I know that what I’m looking for is “around here somewhere”, but I’ll be darned if I […]

The Road to Roncesvalles The time has come where I’m checking flight prices every Tuesday. Today, for the first time, I found a round-trip ticket to Madrid for our dates for less than a thousand dollars. My goal is $800 or less. That should happen sometime near the middle or end of July. Once we have flight times in place, […]

On this day, just two years ago, Francine and I ended the walking portion of our first Camino. This photo was taken that afternoon, as we walked into Santiago de Compostela. Next year: Santiago! (Originally posted to Pilgrims on the Way.)