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My son and I saw the film, The Way, and now we fantasize about walking the Camino de Santiago. The Camino is an ancient route walked by religious pilgrims across Spain to the city of Santiago de Compostela, the supposed burial place of St. James. Thousands make the pilgrimage every year, some for religious reasons, some not; it is an inner journey as well as an outer one. We are completely caught up in the idea of walking almost 500 miles through a beautiful country and living so differently from our lives over here.
Now when we have a few moments, we “plan” our family trip in our head. “It’s a pipe dream,” I say. We compose an imaginary packing list, we read about the Camino in books, and we imagine ourselves walking 15-20 miles a day across Spain. My son dreams about taking his camera and filming a movie about our experience. I dream about stepping out of the minutia of our lives for just awhile to do something different.
Then I begin to wonder about the practicality of taking two young children on a 500-mile hike. Where would we sleep? Is it safe? What if one of us gets sick? Where are the bathrooms?! How much does this all cost anyway?
I read that a backpack for the Camino should be no more than 10% of your total body weight. So for my ten year old daughter that would be..... five pounds! My children are in better shape than I am; surely Julia can carry more than five pounds?
I know it’s just a dream but then Daniel asks why don’t just make the trip. Is this really possible? Maybe it’s not so far-fetched after all.
Anyone ever done anything like this? Comments welcome.
Marie Cinti lives with her husband and two children in Penfield. A former college academic advisor and school counselor, she is passionate about community service and blogs about life in Penfield, books, events, and more. She enjoys reading, writing, cooking, and geocaching. If you have an idea for her blog, please email Marie at sfinkels@rochester.rr.com.
