I hadn’t even heard of it until I saw the movie The Way, a 2010 film about a father losing his son on a hike across Spain. (It’s a sad movie, but I guess I’d recommend it?)
Said hike is called El Camino de Santiago, or El Camino for short. It’s a network of treks that cross Spain westward to the city of Santiago de Compostela. And I found out firsthand that hiking El Camino de Santiago is also the perfect post-college graduation trip!
About El Camino
El Camino de Santiago has several routes that have been walked as catholic pilgrimages since the middle ages. Like I said, they all end in Santiago, where pilgrims, or pereginos, would go to visit the tomb of the apostle St. James. I took the most often-traveled path: The French Way. (Here you can find out about the other routes to El Camino de Santiago.) The French Way starts in St. Jean Pied de Port, France, then crosses the Pyrenees Mountains and goes into Spain. It cuts across the northern part of the country to the Spanish coast. Technically, the path ends in Santiago, but many travelers like to continue three days onward (you can also take a bus) to Fisterra, on the coast, for I imagine a more cathartic experience. I heard all along the trail that when hikers reach the coast, they burn their clothes, then dive into the Atlantic naked!
My Pilgrimage
At this point, full disclosure, I should tell you that I was unfortunately unable to complete the entire Camino. The full trek is about 500 miles, and I only had time to hike about 300. I still count this as a worthwhile accomplishment, but certainly hope to complete the Camino someday. (I had to return to the States for a family vacation to Colorado — so sad, I know!)
I do however have tons of stories from the three weeks I spent on the trail. I’ll share some with you here, in hopes that you will be inspired to pack a backpack, and walk ~15 miles a day for a month straight:)
