Why the Camino?
Pilgrims, as Camino travelers are called, come from all over the world and put themselves through physical hardship, subjecting their body to the rigors of walking between 25 & 30km a day –day after day. At a glance, the Camino is not physically overwhelming- hiking/walking is putting one foot in front of the other. The challenge is putting those feet in front of each other hour after hour & day after day. No stopping for snow (yes, snow), wind, rain, wind or heat (kind of like the USPS.) Ignore those blisters and sore muscles. The 40+ days of bodily stress and repetition are difficult to truly train for & many pilgrims are plagued with injuries along the way.
Mentally, pilgrims report the Camino is often mesmerizing in
its simplicity. The daily ritual of putting on your gear, following yellow
arrows for miles on end, arriving to your bunk to shower, do a bit of laundry
& enjoy communal meals with pilgrims at each day’s end, allows time for
reflection & thought. Minimal technology & news = nirvana. You tend to
your physical needs, wake up & do it all again, God willing. Others find significance
in the paring down their possessions to live simply using just the items in their
pack. Most past pilgrims tell tales of bringing too much “stuff” and end up
donating it or sending items ahead when they realize how little they need to
survive on the Camino. The ubiquitous
saying, “The Camino will provide,” provides a soft blanket of support for the
pilgrimage.
They say the Camino is part physical, part mental & part
spiritual.
Pilgrims, as Camino travelers are called, come from all over the world and put themselves through physical hardship, subjecting their body to the rigors of walking between 25 & 30km a day –day after day. At a glance, the Camino is not physically overwhelming- hiking/walking is putting one foot in front of the other. The challenge is putting those feet in front of each other hour after hour & day after day. No stopping for snow (yes, snow), wind, rain, wind or heat (kind of like the USPS.) Ignore those blisters and sore muscles. The 40+ days of bodily stress and repetition are difficult to truly train for & many pilgrims are plagued with injuries along the way.
Mentally, pilgrims report the Camino is often mesmerizing in
its simplicity. The daily ritual of putting on your gear, following yellow
arrows for miles on end, arriving to your bunk to shower, do a bit of laundry
& enjoy communal meals with pilgrims at each day’s end, allows time for
reflection & thought. Minimal technology & news = nirvana. You tend to
your physical needs, wake up & do it all again, God willing. Others find significance
in the paring down their possessions to live simply using just the items in their
pack. Most past pilgrims tell tales of bringing too much “stuff” and end up
donating it or sending items ahead when they realize how little they need to
survive on the Camino. The ubiquitous
saying, “The Camino will provide,” provides a soft blanket of support for the
pilgrimage.
While all pilgrims travel a similar physical path kilometer
after kilometer, each travels another spiritual or internal path, which is
personal and unique. In addition to the
connection with nature that the Camino provides, the anonymous nature of the
pilgrimage often strips away labels and conventions of society to create a
sense that all pilgrims are the same & are supporting each other in a
common quest. Pilgrims are encouraged to make their Camino what they need it to
be for them- going the speed, distance or path that works best for them. By
providing the time to reflect and reconnect to themselves, pilgrims often
experience personal transformative change that goes beyond a simple hike.
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