Camino del Norte

Last month, my friend Jeremy and I walked a portion of the Camino del Norte (The Northern Way) from Irun to Bilbao. We were on the trail for a week.

Distance: 67.1 miles¹
Elevation Gain: 12,821 feet

Scattered reflections from my travel journal:

Flow

We’re falling into the rhythm of the Camino. Early caffeinated mornings, breakfast, grueling ascents, breaks, even worse descents, lunch, new friends, the next town emerging around the hill, mile by mile, inch by inch, every last piece of territory gained.

Odyssey

A monument dedicated to those who first circumnavigated the globe. I thought of those men and the expedition they took on. With all its perils and the uncertainty of an unknown, pre-modern world. I though of their bravery and then I thought of Jeremy and I and how in some small way we keep their legacy alive.

Pain, endurance, and rest

Simply putting one foot in front of the other.
That the mind shouldn’t give up while the body is still going.
But knowing your limits and having no shame in stopping to rest, even for an entire day.

Modern conveniences

The feeling that you earned your day. The dinner, shower, clean sheets. Reading at the launderette.

Nature

That it ought to be protected.

Pilgrimage

Walking into the fog.
The many paths that lead to Santiago.
The unexpected joy in not being able to finish the norte all at once.
Journey over destination.

Communal Living

How a common ideal can bind strangers.
The spaniard rhythm to life. Open plazas and social connection.
Small towns with familiar faces everywhere.
Albergues, and the community effort it takes to run them.
Well wishes from strangers - ‘Buen Camino!’

Friendship

How grateful I am to be walking with Jeremy. Alternating positions. Equally comfortable in conversation and silence. Comrades, each walking his on path but walking together.