Zack and Kat Make a Trip...: Pilgrims, Pensions, and Pain(s) by Zach

I struggled to come up with a clever title for this blog (you be the judge of whether or not I succeeded) since Blisters and Bliss had already been used for a guide to Vancouver Island's West Coast Trail. However, as I write this I realize that the title might not have done justice to the famed Camino de Santiago. There were certainly blisters (anyone who knows my hiking and treeplanting past will not be surprised to learn that my feet were so mangled under the weight of our oversized packs that I trekked the last three days in my Birkenstocks) and, given the beauty of Galicia and the grand and intricate cathedral that marks the completion of the journey, it would difficult to deny that there were moments approaching bliss. But the moments to remember took on a different form than other treks Kat and I have tackled.

Generally, it is access to the world's wild and untouched places that render the trekker wide-eyed. The third day of a trek in Gros Morne National Park brings you to the top of Newfoundland's highlands where you can see for hundreds of kilometres and quickly realize that you are one hundred percent alone. The West Coast trail offers slightly less-isolated but equally stunning views of the rugged coast of Vancouver Island, and the technical nature of the trail itself challenges every ounce of balance and coordination.

The Camino de Santiago in Northern Spain (or at least the final 110 km stretch from Sarria to Santiago) offers little of the above. There are stunning views to be sure, but rarely is one out of sight of a small town or (I'll get to this later) a cafe-bar catering to pilgrims. Since the full Camino starts in France and extends some 700 kilometres, it is possible that the tourist-oriented aspects of the trek kick into high gear as the end approaches and the number of pilgrims swells (we were not the only ones skipping most of the hard work and absolving our sins in the last 100 kilometres) but a rugged back-country trek this is not. Similarly, the trail is, by hiking standards, not so much a trail, but a road. The path is wide, mostly smooth, and always compact. Never do you worry about getting your feet wet or stuck in the mud. The hills and (many) downhills are invariably gradual and, although long, make the Camino accessible to all manner of would-be Pilgrim.