Why My Camino?

I am a 66 year old woman who lives in Georgia. I have owned an adventure travel company, Southern Treks Adventure Travel, for 20 years and take walkers to 12 countries plus Alaska and Oregon.


In September 2008 I took a group of 10 walkers to Spain to do the last 100 miles of the Camino de Santiago or The Way of Saint James. I had heard of this trek from a young Catholic priest who had done it and it had intrigued me so I began research and soon began to work with Fresco Tours to set this up. I had 6 Catholics and 4 Protestants and when I began it I had NO idea that it would affect me so. I did it strictly as one of my business trips but within a few days the spirit of the trail began to affect me and before that 100 miles was over I decided that one day I would come back and do the whole thing and in August of this year, 2010, I will begin my personal Camino across Spain.


This time I will be doing it by myself but I will not be alone as millions have done this path in the past 1250 years and millions will continue to do so. I will begin in the French Pyrenees and go all the way across the northern part of Spain. According to Church history the Apostle James preached in Spain and after his death his bones were taken by boat to Spain and buried. Hundred of years later they were interred in the Cathedral at Santiago. It used to be that only Catholics did this pilgrimage but now all sorts of people and all sorts of faiths and some with no faith walk this path.

I plan to blog my training for this in the hope that it will show that my efforts will pay off!