Camino De Santiago

– Hendaye, France – Santiago de Compestela, Spain –

Distance (KM)

Days

Km / Day

About My Camino

The Camino del Norte is the second time I’ve walked one of the Camino de Santiago’s pilgrimage routes.

My first Camino experience was on the Camino Frances and Camino Finisterre back in autumn 2018, during which I trekked across the entire country of Spain from St. Jean Pied de Port, France, to the Atlantic Ocean (Fisterra, Spain). That original Camino was a pivotal experience for me, helping me to mentally transition from my decades of military service to the chapter of “life after the Army.”

I’ve hiked a number of other long-distance trails in the intervening years since completing that first Camino. Yet there was something special about the journey calling me to return to Spain in 2022.

This time around, I decided to walk the Camino del Norte, a 520-mile northern route in Spain along the Cantabrian Sea. I hoped this coastal route would bring new memories and personal growth similar to what I experienced on the Camino Frances. But I would soon learned that walking the Camino after Covid-19 would be nothing like my pre-pandemic Camino.

Below is my daily trail journal from the Camino de Norte – along with some additional random thoughts about this wonderful Camino route.