Dreaming of the Camino: Reflections on a Path Not Yet Taken

The Camino de Santiago was something I initially only heard in whispers.

I don't recall where, but the words pilgrimage, Camino and and even Compostela were familiar to me before I stumbled across the famed Emilio Estevez film, The Way. Released in theatres in 2011, I first saw it years later, after it was released on DVD. It instantly had an impact on me.

"Nepal, Morocco, India, Papa New Guinea, Europe. I gotta go to these places, I gotta go, I gotta go." Daniel Avery in The Way, 2011

Having been bitten by the travel bug at a very young age, I was drawn to visiting and exploring new places, but walking the Camino seemed so much more. Following in the footsteps of pilgrims from thousands of years ago, it was rooted in history, with landmarks, ruins and beautiful natural landscapes. Created through religion, pilgrims walked the path to the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela in Spain, to behold the final resting place for the Apostle St. James. Along the way, they carried only the clothes on their backs, fed off the land and relied on the kindness of strangers.

Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Today, pilgrims of all faiths walk the Camino, carrying their clothes on their backs, collecting stamps along the way from churches, bars and albergues, and receive a Compostela (a certificate of accomplishment) once they arrive at the Cathedral. Sometimes alone or in groups, pilgrims walk the way of St. James for reasons far beyond religion. Truth be told, I don't know why I want to follow the shells (the symbol of the pilgrim), but I long for the quiet reflection.

"You walk the way for yourself, only for yourself." Captain Henry Sebastian in The Way, 2011

The route featured in the film is what is known as the Camino Frances, starting in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France and walking 800km to Galicia, Spain. I could never imagine a time that I would be able to step away from my day to day life to walk for weeks (or months) to complete that journey, but I hoped that one day, I would be able to at least walk part of it and collect a few stamps as a memento. Now, so many years later, a plan is in place.

Camino marker guiding the way.

In just over a year, my husband and I will be walking the Camino to Santiago. Not the Camino Frances but the Camino Portugués. There are, as we have learned, many different routes to get to Santiago. The Portuguese Way usually begins in the city of Porto in Portugal, and the route we will be taking will hug the coastline, crossing over into Spain by boat. Significantly less than the Camino Frances, it is still a challenging 280km.

The plan is to start the walk on my birthday in February 2027, a milestone birthday that ushers me officially over the hill, and walk for two weeks to Santiago. And after we reach the Cathedral, receive our Compostela, and (hopefully) witness a pilgrims mass, we will follow in the footsteps of the characters in The Way and continue on to Muxia. But unlike those characters, it will not be on foot.

It is both exciting and absolutely terrifying, especially because we are physically in the worst shape of our lives. It's been two years of heartache, loss and an overwhelmingly constant demand at work. We are both mentally drained, physically exhausted and beyond burnt out, but somehow we have to find the strength to get our bodies and minds ready for the Camino. We've gained weight, eaten terribly and moved as little as possible. Somehow we have to go from sitting in front of a computer, in the same position for hours without movement, to walking 15-25km a day.

In addition to the physical challenge ahead of us, we find ourselves bombarded by questions, nagging what if scenarios to which there are no answers. Will we enjoy the experience and long for more? Will the physical demand be too much, forcing us to give up without reaching Santiago? Will we be plagued by bad weather, injury or illness along the way? We will just have to prepare for the worst, wait and see what happens.

Along the Camino Portugués.

We have a route to follow and a date to begin. We even have our shells ready, mementos of someone we lost who we will be taking with us in spirit. Now we just have to do it. I'm not sure what we will find on the Camino, if anything at all, but it is calling to us, beckoning "Buen Camino".

I hope to post updates over the next 14 months on our progress.