Richardson Rambles

Why the Camino?

With the opportunity to travel at will and without time constraints, we considered where to go. A new continent? A new country? A new city? A remote beach? An adventure trip? We thought about what we wanted out of the trip. Dave wanted an epic adventure. He wanted to mark the end of his career with an equally exciting and meaningful journey to herald a new beginning. After much reflection, our love for Spain, for the outdoors, for historic towns and cities, and for walking, led us to the Camino de Santiago.

Why a pilgrimage route anyway?

Along with the obvious advantages of walking through a gorgeous country, known for its outstanding cuisine, fine wines, charming villages, and gorgeous countryside, the idea of walking a pilgrimage route really appealed to Tish. Traveling along paths that millions of people have walked over thousands of years would be a powerful experience unlike any other. Pilgrims have travelled the Camino for many reasons over the centuries, to attain religious, spiritual, and philosophical awareness, seek community with others, and/or simply undertake a long and adventurous hike. We decided we wanted to become part of that incredible history.

Our route.

Spain has several pilgrimage routes. One, the Camino Frances, stretches from St. Jean-Pied-de-Port in France over the Pyrenees and across the northern part of Spain for about 500 miles. Most Spaniards prefer to start on the Spanish side of the mountains, in Roncesvalles, and we chose this option. Our route will cover 450 miles, although we will only hike 250 of those. When not walking, we’ll take cars and trains to bypass certain parts of the route. Rather than a tour, we are doing a supported walk, which means that while we’re walking independently, our hotel and dinner reservations have been made, and a luggage service will transfer our suitcases from hotel to hotel, enabling us to travel lightly with daypacks.

What did we do to prepare?

We did a lot of research! We scoured the internet; we bought several books; we joined the Albuquerque and Miami chapters of American Pilgrims on the Camino. We got together with other people who have already hiked the Camino or will be doing so soon. These new friends provided spiritual support and practical advice. We went on long walks and tested our shoes and equipment. And we bought stuff – lots of stuff!

Bye for now, we’ll post when we start our 2023 journey in mid-April. Sign up below to receive a link to new posts as they are published. Buen Camino!