Mi Camino, Part B: What?

21 days, 366 km, 2 size six-and-a-half feet. One ample dose of crazy?


El Camino de Santiago - "The Way of St James" - is a journey of lore. Beginning in the 9th century A.D., Christian pilgrims traveled to the city of Santiago de Compostela, a route of import rivaling that of journeys to Rome and Jerusalem at the time. Popular belief holds that the remains of James the Apostle (Santiago, or Sant Iago, is the Spanish language equivalent of Saint James) were transported by ship from Jerusalem and interred in this city in northwest Spain. Most pilgrims started on foot from their front door, resulting in a network of paths that coalesced at Santiago de Compostela.

Today, the token symbol for El Camino is a scallop shell, due to the destination city's proximity to the sea and as an allusion to the web of footpaths fanning from Santiago de Compostela. Many modern pilgrims (peregrinos) carry or wear a scallop shell to show that they are on this pilgrimage, and images of shells are used throughout the route to guide pilgrims along the path. The many foot paths have been whittled down to a handful of most common routes, the most popular of which is the Camino Frances - the French Way - which begins in western France. This is the route I will hike with my camigas (amigas on the Camino), starting halfway along that trail, in Sahagun.

All pilgrims must carry a credencial, a passport of sorts that identifies an individual as a peregrino. This is required for admission to hostel-style living areas called albergues, which only offer housing to pilgrims traveling on foot or by bicycle. All albergues have a unique stamp (sello) that the pilgrims receive in their credencial to mark their progress along the route. Once they reach the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, they present their credencial as proof that they did indeed complete at least the last 100 km of the journey by foot, in order to be eligible to receive the compostela: a certificate confirming the pilgrim's completion of the pilgrimage "with spiritual or religious intent".

The popularity of El Camino has grown very quickly in past years, so the Camino Frances route is somewhat crowded. We'll have ample opportunities to meet pilgrims from all walks of life!

So, in the spirit of El Camino and in appreciation of you joining me on the journey - Buen Camino!