I'm just trying to walk myself home.
Camino de Santiago Day 11: Villafranca del Bierzo to Las Herrerías 22.5 kilometers 14 miles There were three ways out of Villafranca del Bierzo. I had studied all three before going to bed and had chosen the one I would take. I got an earlier start and the morning air was fresh and cool. I …
Camino de Santiago Day 10: Ponferrada to Villafranca del Bierzo 25.5 kilometers 16 miles Sometimes the problem with doing a really long day isn’t just how you feel at the end pushing yourself that hard. It’s how you feel the next day. I struggled to drag myself out of bed, and I reasoned that I …
Camino de Santiago Day 9: Rabanal del Camino to Ponferrada 32 kilometers 20 miles Every once in a while on a hike, you schedule a day that you know is going to test you. You know when you schedule that higher mileage that it will push you to your limits. But you kind of want …
Camino de Santiago Day 8: Astorga to Rabanal del Camino 19.5 kilometers 12 miles When I got off the bus in Astorga, it was still dark. I walked through the town like a zombie in the cold morning air. I had gained elevation via the bus ride and the temps were significantly cooler. It was …
Camino de Santiago Day 7: Los Arcos to Logroño 28 kilometers 17.4 miles Anna’s last day of walking was our longest day yet. A bit daunted by the distance, we decided to get up and hike in the dark. We left at 6:15, after downing a cup of coffee and some toast at La Casa …
Camino de Santiago Day 6: Estella to Los Arcos 21.5 kilometers 13.5 miles We had coffee at our hostel before heading out on Day 6 from Estrella to Los Arcos. The day before, we enjoyed getting out early and doing most of the walking in the morning, but this stage was going to be our …
Camino de Santiago Day 5: Puenta la Reina to Estella 22 kilometers 14 miles We started early on our way from Puente la Reina to Estella to get ahead of the heat, and we were proud of ourselves for leaving in the dark. But then a coffee shop was open and the chocolate croissants were calling …
Camino de Santiago Day 4: Pamplona to Puente la Reina 23 kilometers 14.3 miles It was going to be a hot one on the walk from Pamplona to Puenta La Reina. At least that’s what we’d heard (and seen), so we set an intention to get our earliest yet start. Let’s try for walking by 7, …
Camino de Santiago Day 3: Zubiri to Pamplona 20.5 kilometers 13 miles It was still dark when I woke up from my best night of sleep so far on the Camino. I wrapped a blanket around my shoulders and went out to sit on our balcony under the stars. A little tiny sliver of a …
Day 2: Roncesvalles to Zubiri 22 kilometers 14 miles An alarm went off nearby at 5:30. I think it belonged to two young guys from Florence in the pod next door who then began to try to get ready quietly in the dark. I crawled out of my bunk and Anna asked me what time …
27 kilometers 15 miles At 6am someone’s alarm went off in the room where we were sleeping. No. Shhh Shhh Shhh.. I heard a man say to his alarm as he turned it off and went back to sleep.Now awake after a fitful night of sleep, I stuffed my sleeping bag liner into it’s tony pouch …
Camino de Santiago: Arrival in St Jean Pied-de-Port I stepped off the bus after its arrival in St Jean Pied-de-Port and immediately walked up into a small park that overlooked the road. I found an empty bench above the vineyard covered hills and sat down to breathe in the presence of this place I’ve …
Well friends, It’s that time again. I’m headed back to the Camino de Santiago. My hope is to walk 266 miles (428 kilometers) of the Camino this time around. My sister will help me get started in the Pyrenees, then I’ll walk for a week by myself. And Lord willing, when I get to the last …
Camping Trip to Porcupine Mountain State Park in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula So for our family vacation this summer, in addition to spending some time in the Shenandoah, we went camping for a long weekend in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to Porcupine Mountain State Park. Our connection to Porcupine Mountain began the summer Simon was …
Trail Angels and Trail Magic on Backcountry Hikes This summer when we were hiking a portion of the Appalachian Trail in the hot June sun, we came across two trail angels waiting at a spot in the road where the trail crossed Skyline Drive, the road that runs the length of Shenandoah National Park. . …
Shenandoah National Park A little over two years ago, (before the pandemic was even a whisper) Taido and I drove to Pennsylvania to attend the wedding of a dear friend. On the way there, we took a slight detour to take in the sights of Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. It was early April …
Every time we move, it takes me a minute to find my walk. My every day walk. Last year it was walking the campus of Augustana College. We moved a few miles away from the college in August, and I tried out several neighborhood walks. Sometime in October, I found Chippiannock Cemetery, and since then, I …
Learning to Smell Again after losing my sense of taste and smell from Covid. It’s been three months since my Covid test came back positive. In an attempt to write about the experience of having Coronavirus, I have been reviewing my journals. And dear goodness, there were some dark moments in there. I don’t think …
Walking in the Snow The Answer To “The Questions That Have Assailed Us All Day” Yesterday I woke up to a world covered in snow. I had gone to bed with a heaviness that is all too familiar. I am forever grateful that mercies are new every morning. And this snow that had come down …
2020 Favorites Happy New Year from Castle Bluff! We are staying at a cabin in the woods where the mood outside is matching all my feels about the year we just finished. I am happy to join in the collective sigh of relief that 2020 is officially over. For the final month of 2020, I …