El Camino de Santiago
Let's walk and talk. Scratch that, this baby is not a walk, it's an experience you have with yourself, a backpack, and, hopefully, a lot of cool strangers! Stretching a total distance of roughly 500 miles from St. Jean-Pied-du-Port near Biarritz in France to Santiago in Spain. This specific route is only the most popular one among adventurers. There are many more trails one can take, some much shorter, some much longer.
Courtesy of the picture pages of the Camino
Thanks to the 1987 book, The Pilgrimage, by Paulo Coelho, and the 2010 drama/adventure film, The Way, el Camino de Santiago soared in popularity.
Starting on the border of France the popular route gets crowded typically around mid-summer. The trip itself is a renowned pilgrimage among its travelers, some of which are there for religious purposes while others are there for the trip and the exercise (and typically find some religious take away). Whatever your reason for taking the time to backpack the Camino you'll definitely take one thing away from it. You'll never again be so close to your feet.
The trip itself is supposed to be an enlightening experience. You'll pass through rustic villages every day, you stay in albergues that house all the pilgrims, and the social experience isn't comparable to any other long distance backpacking trip. You can experience the bells-and-smells churches along the way and hear stories from every hiker you pass. As you hike the trail is typically near a paved road and it's wide enough for comfortable conversation and travel with partners you may randomly pick up on the way! Through out the trip you receive stamps at each of the inns and they serve as confirmation that you've traveled the path! It's kind of like how the branding on the Fuji hiking sticks works!
Courtesy of Luis Hernandez and Qbit
The trip is also a very safe one. Francis Tapon, an avid hiker and author, decided to rip the Camino apart in the article he wrote about it, but he does describe its safety net. It's rarely ever away from a paved road, which is both good and bad. You also have resupply stations available to you every hour or so, depending on how fast you walk, so you really don't have to pack heavy at all. It's also a very practical long distance trip on foot (or as practical as one can get). It takes anywhere from a week and a half to a month and people over the age of 65 still take the trip! So no excuses! ...unless you're broken.
Although you receive a certificate of completion in Santiago the true finish is said to be at Fisterra, the westernmost part of Spain. It's a great view of the Atlantic and worth the extra time! This is actually where John Adams landed before taking the Camino backwards to Paris to ask the French for help during the American Revolution! Or so it's said.
Courtesy of Alex Camara and aherrero
My recommendation depends on the reasons you decide to take the hike. For hiking purposes take one of the less traveled trails, like the Camino del Norte, during a less traveled (and less hot) season and maybe detour to Los Picos de Europa. Francis Tapon offers a beautiful trip on his website (linked above) if you're up for it. For the social butterfly or if you want the full experience of el Camino de Santiago, take the trail itself. It may not be the most beautiful one and maybe it has a little to much asphalt for your taste, but you won't regret it!
Happy Hiking!
Courtesy of the picture pages of the Camino
Thanks to the 1987 book, The Pilgrimage, by Paulo Coelho, and the 2010 drama/adventure film, The Way, el Camino de Santiago soared in popularity.
Starting on the border of France the popular route gets crowded typically around mid-summer. The trip itself is a renowned pilgrimage among its travelers, some of which are there for religious purposes while others are there for the trip and the exercise (and typically find some religious take away). Whatever your reason for taking the time to backpack the Camino you'll definitely take one thing away from it. You'll never again be so close to your feet.
The trip itself is supposed to be an enlightening experience. You'll pass through rustic villages every day, you stay in albergues that house all the pilgrims, and the social experience isn't comparable to any other long distance backpacking trip. You can experience the bells-and-smells churches along the way and hear stories from every hiker you pass. As you hike the trail is typically near a paved road and it's wide enough for comfortable conversation and travel with partners you may randomly pick up on the way! Through out the trip you receive stamps at each of the inns and they serve as confirmation that you've traveled the path! It's kind of like how the branding on the Fuji hiking sticks works!
Courtesy of Luis Hernandez and Qbit
The trip is also a very safe one. Francis Tapon, an avid hiker and author, decided to rip the Camino apart in the article he wrote about it, but he does describe its safety net. It's rarely ever away from a paved road, which is both good and bad. You also have resupply stations available to you every hour or so, depending on how fast you walk, so you really don't have to pack heavy at all. It's also a very practical long distance trip on foot (or as practical as one can get). It takes anywhere from a week and a half to a month and people over the age of 65 still take the trip! So no excuses! ...unless you're broken.
Although you receive a certificate of completion in Santiago the true finish is said to be at Fisterra, the westernmost part of Spain. It's a great view of the Atlantic and worth the extra time! This is actually where John Adams landed before taking the Camino backwards to Paris to ask the French for help during the American Revolution! Or so it's said.
Courtesy of Alex Camara and aherrero
My recommendation depends on the reasons you decide to take the hike. For hiking purposes take one of the less traveled trails, like the Camino del Norte, during a less traveled (and less hot) season and maybe detour to Los Picos de Europa. Francis Tapon offers a beautiful trip on his website (linked above) if you're up for it. For the social butterfly or if you want the full experience of el Camino de Santiago, take the trail itself. It may not be the most beautiful one and maybe it has a little to much asphalt for your taste, but you won't regret it!
Happy Hiking!
This sounds like an incredible place to visit, especially with what seems like an air of mystery. Based on the photos, it looks absolutely beautiful, and I'm sure would be a hike full of self reflection. I also like the idea of the stamps as you go along the trail. It's almost like a passport of the hike.
ReplyDeleteWow this seems like such a cool trip! I'm planning on taking a backpacking trip with my friend this summer in Utah, so this post had a quite a bit of appeal for me. I don't have too much experience backpacking, but the one trip I was on for Orion (PSU program this summer) was really fun! I do think I'd have a tough time deciding though whether to take the normal route and meet some cool people or take a different path.
ReplyDeleteWhat, not Australia? In all seriousness, I had never heard of this trip before. Generally, I find that I am unaware of destinations outside of the United States that aren't incredibly obvious locations like the Pyramids. I also tend to not take vacations that require significant travel, especially on foot, but you do make this trip sound appealing. Though I'll probably never travel it, at least now I know where in the world Camino [de] Santiago is.
ReplyDeleteThis is so cool! I love hiking, and the opportunity to meet a diverse group of people while traveling on a beautiful path sounds like heaven! I don't know if I'd be able to make the entire trip, but I would definitely be interested in one of the shorter ones. Great post!
ReplyDelete