October 1-15, 2023. SJPP to Burgos

The Camino de Santiago or the Way of Saint James is a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Since the 9th century, pilgrims have journeyed to the north of Spain to see the remains of St. James. I chose the French route (Camino Frances) since it offered varied terrain and the most pilgrim infrastructure.

I arrived at the start in St. Jean Pied de Port (SJPP) in worse shape than I had hoped. My travels in Zanzibar proved amazing, yet left me with a terrible case of traveler’s sickness. I had also formed small blisters running around Amsterdam and Paris. Not the most auspicious start to a 500 mile trek. I bought trekking poles, new socks, lots of Compeed (fancy blister bandages), and stomach medication.

The excitement of the Camino absorbed me. The first night I stayed in a lovely albergue (pilgrim’s hostel) where the owners served a delicious homegrown vegetarian dinner and where I met my first other pilgrims. The most memorable pair was a recent college graduate with her uncle. They had hiked the Camino a few years before, and told a story about the day they hiked over the Pyrenees Mountains. They separated on the way up, and the uncle got stuck in a bad storm. He waited it out in a mountain shelter, not reaching his accommodation until 11 pm. Yikes! Not the story I wanted to hear since the first part of the Camino is crossing the Pyrenees.

I tried to ease myself into hiking by splitting up the first day. I stopped in Orisson after a surprisingly difficult uphill from SJPP. This albergue also hosted a group dinner and I enjoyed seeing a few of the same faces from the previous night while also making new friends. The group dinners were a highlight of the Camino for me.

Fog covered the Pyrenees the next morning and it only cleared once I started to descend into Roncesvalles. Roncesvalles has been hosting pilgrims since the 900s. Each evening there is a pilgrim blessing which hasn’t changed for over 1000 years. The priest was very enthusiastic and musically talented which made for a memorable and moving ceremony. He was just one of the many who went above and beyond in caring for the pilgrims (me).

The path was supposed to get easier but it still was hilly and challenging for me. The unseasonably warm weather (85F) did not help either. Eventually, I made it to Pamplona.

I fell into the rhythm of walking, eating, and sleeping. My body still hurt but I was enjoying the journey. Talking to people from around the world, exploring tiny Spanish villages, eating fresh figs and blackberries along the path, and indulging in delicious meals along the way. It was such a simple life that required very little.

Each day I would wake up, have a small breakfast, walk 5-10km, stop for a “second breakfast”, walk another 10-20km, arrive at the albergue, shower, wash my clothes, rest, eat dinner, and then go to bed so I could wake up and do it all over again.

My favorite time to walk was dawn. Watching the sky light up and hearing the birds sing filled me with such gratitude for life.

I arrived in Burgos after two weeks of walking. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and to me it felt like everyone was out enjoying the fall day. I walked into town along the “green river route” which was gorgeous. A geologist from Texas accompanied me and we chatted the whole way. It felt like such a triumphant moment. I had walked 283km, including a total of 6103m elevation gain and 5460m elevation loss. My body had mostly held up, except I developed chaffing and my right knee was irritated. Time to give my body a rest before continuing on to Santiago de Compostela.