Walking The Way - Why?

Part of my interest in walking the Camino de Santiago stems from perennial questions that drive environmental history regarding human exploitation of natural resources. Layered on the natural Iberian landscape are tens of thousands of years of human occupation shaped by diverse cultures, religious traditions, beliefs and values towards nature, and ideological forces. My main interest is in bird species of Northern Spain particularly vultures, storks, and raptors - birds that are deeply embedded in human legend and mythology as well as tangled  in our environmental missteps.

Study of a black vulture. Acrylic. P. Eppig 2015

People walk the Camino de Santiago for many reasons. Generally these can be lumped into three broad categories: religious/spiritual, recreational/adventure, and health/learning. I definitely can claim space in all three groups as I am sure many pilgrims can! For my hike I want to emphasize environmental history, so I'm doing a lot of reading and research about the route, talking to naturalists in Spain, and trying to become familiar with Spanish wildlife (particularly birds) with a number of cool apps. To that end, and for anyone interested in the same background reading, I've included a Reading page in the navigation bar. I'll post links to my research materials there with some brief notes. 

Scored these at a used book store for $3

I understand that some people prefer their Camino experience to be fresh, immediate, and in the moment - without a lot of pre-knowledge - to let the Camino unfold as it may. How a person prepares (or not) depends on their reasons for doing the hike. Some come to the Camino experience through the framework of particular religious or cultural traditions. Some are atheists, evangelicals, humanists. Most are Christian, some are Buddhist, others are Muslim. People of all ages and abilities are on the trail.

A group well worth joining!

All nationalities are represented on the road to Santiago. It's been said that the tradition of doing a pilgrimage on the Camino is like participating in a grand experiment for how human society  should exist together - as fellow travelers sharing the road together. There is a vast network of Camino pilgrims out there!. Some are organized as formal fraternities, others as informal social media groups. I became a member of the Fraternity of American Pilgrims on the Camino (APOC) and from there a whole new world opened up with a ton of forums, regional chapter hikes, events, a conference! I received my official credential from APOC - which is like a hiker's passport - that I'll have stamped every day. I'll present my credential to the Pilgrim's Office of Santiago to receive my Compestella Certificate to confirm my completion of the Camino.  http://peregrinossantiago.es/eng/

My credential.

The other day an acquaintance questioned me about the conditions I might encounter on the Camino. She made faces when I told her I was walking the whole way. She almost fell over when I told her I was staying in hostels and albergues at night ("sleeping with strangers?!") and she just couldn't wrap her head around any kind of international trip that did not involve a resort, tropical luxuries, guided tours by air conditioned bus, and fancy dinners out. Sorry, I said, I'm no tourist. I explained that a pilgrimage is very different and that the experience is meant to open your heart and mind to new ways of looking at the world - that it is not always comfortable or fun or what you expected or wanted - but it always provides. She was really interested to know what I will take for six weeks of hiking. This turned into an hour-long conversation, so I'll save that for my next post.