by Paty | Sep 21, 2022 | Camino del Norte, Spain, Trail Journals
September 21, 2022 Route: Bolívar to Eskerika to Portugalete Distance: 40.9 kilometers (25.4 miles) Cumulative Distance: 171.6 km An amazing thing happened at the rural albergue where I slept last night. Seven pilgrims were sleeping in bunks, and not a single...
by Paty | Sep 20, 2022 | Camino del Norte, Spain, Trail Journals
September 20, 2022 Route: Bolívar to Eskerika Distance: 28.7 kilometers (17.8 miles) Cumulative Distance: 130.4 km After finishing my super early dinner in Iruzubieta yesterday, I had to walk the 2.3 kilometers back to my empty albergue. It wasn’t even 5 pm by...
by Paty | Sep 19, 2022 | Camino del Norte, Spain, Trail Journals
September 19, 2022 Route: Ibiri to Bolívar Distance: 25.3 kilometers (15.7 miles) + 4.6 km extra for food Cumulative Distance: 101.7 km As much as I loved staying at the old dairy farm last night, it had the same problem that every other albergue has: the early birds....
by Paty | Sep 18, 2022 | Camino del Norte, Spain, Trail Journals
September 18, 2022 Route: Getaria to Ibiri Distance: 22.9 kilometers (14.2 miles) Cumulative Distance: 76.4 km After exploring Getaria last night, I returned to the pensión and logged on to the internet to plan my itinerary for the next few days. Flying by the seat of...
by Paty | Sep 17, 2022 | Camino del Norte, Spain, Trail Journals
September 17, 2022 Route: San Sebastian to Getaria Distance: 24.4 kilometers (15.1 miles) + a bonus 5 km Cumulative Distance: 53.5 km After dinner last night, I spent some time looking at the Camino del Norte route. The route profile from Irun to Bilbao looked like a...
by Paty | Sep 16, 2022 | Camino del Norte, Spain, Trail Journals
September 16, 2022 Train Route: St. Jean-de-Luz, France to Hendaye, France Hiking Route: Hendaye, France to San Sebastian, Spain Distance walked: 29.8 kilometers (18.5 miles) Last night, I found myself in the tiny French town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz. I’d...
by Paty | Sep 15, 2022 | Camino del Norte, Spain, Trail Journals
September 15, 2022 Train Route: Amsterdam, Netherlands to St. Jean-de-Luz, France Distance: 1,294 kilometers (802 miles) I woke up this morning in Amsterdam – the land of tulips, canals, and Edam cheese. My mother and I just finished a 10-day trip in Europe, and...
by Paty | Sep 10, 2022 | Camino del Norte, Spain, Trail Journals
When I walked the Camino for the first time back in 2018, and it was a really big deal for me. First off, the Camino de Santiago was my first long-distance hike that ventured further than 150 miles. Yes, I hiked the 100-mile section of the Appalachian Trail that ran...
by Paty | Sep 1, 2022 | Cycling, Gear, Great Allegheny Passage, Mid-Atlantic
Back when my partner, Keith, and I were getting married, we were itching for an exotic honeymoon destination. Fiji. Turks & Caicos. Phuket. But, we’re not a couple who can spend a week sunning ourselves on a sandy beach while sipping fruity alcoholic drinks....
by Paty | Aug 23, 2022 | Cycling, Great Allegheny Passage, Mid-Atlantic
After doing my best to enjoy a “brew-hike thru-hike” along the Oregon Coast Trail last June, I was curious to see whether I could replicate this experience on my inaugural bikepacking adventure on the C&O Towpath and Great Allegheny Passage. Rather...