Sisters on The Way

Pam and I hadn’t seen each other in over 40 years. We were both initiated at Georgia Southern in the late 1970s. I transferred to University of Georgia my junior year and after graduation work, marriages, and families took us on very different paths. We lost touch until a fellow Zeta suggested a small reunion at Hilton Head Island. As we organized that trip, I realized how fun and easy it was to work with Pam. We started scheming about our trek during the reunion, and while the pandemic slowed our travel, it also gave us time to research and prepare.

The Camino de Santiago is a network of pilgrimage trails throughout Europe that eventually all connect and lead to the majestic cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Legend says that the Apostle James took these roads in the years following the resurrection of Jesus, preaching and converting the people of France and Galicia to Christianity.

After the all the restraints and isolation of the pandemic, Pam and I were ready to get outside and walk. Most people walk the Camino reverently for spiritual renewal and a sense of adventure. The Camino is a rare place where you can find both.

We chose to use a trip outfitter as a safety net, since we were new to the experience and hiking in our mid-60s. The outfitter provided a luggage transfer service and made our hotel reservations, so we knew how far we would hike each day to pace ourselves and we had a guaranteed safe, clean place to stay each night. Most places we stayed were bare-bones basic, several without air conditioning or elevators. A few of the hotels were charming and worth a repeat visit if we’re lucky enough to go back.

We looked at trail options for distance and difficulty and chose the Coastal Route through Portugal that would take us along the shore. We started our journey is September 2023 with a few days in Porto to recover from jet lag and visit the Pilgrim’s Office to get our Camino “passport.” You can have the document stamped along the way at churches, shrines, and even restaurants and hotels.

An official Camino with the Catholic Church must be at least 100 kilometers, and pilgrims must get two stamps or more in their “passport” every day to document their progress. Pilgrims are not required to have this document along the Camino, but you need it to get a certificate of your journey, known as the Compostela, when you arrive in Santiago.

On the Coastal Route, even with the sea breeze, the weather was quite warm. We didn’t have much shade as we walked along the beach boardwalks, but the scenery was stunning, and we could eat at incredible little seafood shacks and restaurants every mile or so along the beach.

We realized very quickly that best feature of The Way is the people you meet on the road. I told Pam more than once I felt I was in a modern-day version of The Canterbury Tales. I have never encountered a kinder, more remarkable group of people.

We met a brilliant Muslim couple from Toronto who radiated goodness with all they said and did. They had hiked other routes of the Camino before and were walking guidebooks on where to eat and how to take care of our feet. They were history buffs and knew more about Catholicism and the legend of St. James than the Christian pilgrims in our entourage combined.

We also encountered a group we called the “Cincinnati 4” who walked almost the entire way with us. One of the women in their group was still recovering from spinal disc surgery, and we were amazed at her grit and determination.

Through them we met another group of hikers from California, all of whom were breast cancer survivors. Their strength and their concern for each other was touching. They checked each other’s heart rate and blood oxygen levels constantly.

Then we met Katerina, a retired physical therapist who carried everything in her pack and stayed in the auberges (small pilgrims’ hostels), not daunted with the challenge to find lodging every night. The only thing Katerina shared reluctantly was her profession. She didn’t want to be treating every hiker’s sprain or muscle cramp.

Rosa from Lodi was one of our favorites. She asked to join us on the trail after she crossed paths with a threatening man in a remote area of a regional park. She was covered in bed bug bites she’d gotten at an auberge, but she didn’t let her dermatology woes stop her from finding romance (more than once) along the trail!

We also found two trail angels on our journey. One was the nurse practitioner, Colette, who treated and wrapped Pam’s blister-covered feet at a small clinic in the village of Ponte. We were prepared to wait most of the day to be seen in the clinic, and we had no idea what the cost would be for the medical services. Less than an hour later and for only 10 Euros, Pam was literally back on her feet, out of pain, and able to make the rest of the hike without issues.

We found our second trail angel on the last portion of our hike. It was raining, cold and simply miserable. We wanted to start the last section of our hike early, move as fast as possible and get into our hotel in Santiago to get out of the weather. Before we headed out, we met two remarkable women, both 84 years old and friends since they were 19. One had bronchitis, and she clearly couldn’t finish the walk. She was going to need to take a cab into Santiago, but her companion, Joan, wanted to finish, and asked if she could join us for the last day.

Of course, we would walk with her. Of course, we would start later and walk much more slowly than we had originally planned. Of course, we would go a couple of miles out of the way to get her safely to her hotel and reunited with her friend. What a blessing she was for us. Her intelligence, humor, insight and resilience humbled us, and left us hoping that at 84 we would be half as active and determined as she was. She taught us a valuable lesson. Slow down, pay attention and be mindful of the miraculous people you are meeting.

My arrival at the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela was not the transcendent, mystical experience others experience. I was exhausted, soaking wet and cold. All I wanted was a hot shower and a rare hamburger. I was lucky enough to get both at the elegant Parador Hotel just across the plaza from the Cathedral. Pam and I treated ourselves to a couple of luxurious nights there at the end of our trip. It was worth every penny.

The next day we got to have our spiritual “ah-ha” moments. We attended the Pilgrim’s Mass, held at the Cathedral every day at noon. Even though the mass was in Spanish, the beautiful service soared above any language barrier. Just a few pews over from us, we found our wonderful Joan and we were reunited with several other people we’d met on the trail. After the service, we made our way down to the Pilgrim’s office to collect our Compostela.

The hike was over, but our journey continues. As the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hahn said, “Every path can be a Camino, and every step can be a pilgrimage.”

If you have ever considered making this Camino journey, we have these tips:

· Walk with a sister. Assault and theft are rare on the Camino, but areas of the trail are quite remote and cell phone service is spotty. If a trusty ZTA sister isn’t available, go to the Facebook page, CAMIGAS, to connect with other solo hikers.

· Have your sister’s back. And more importantly, her feet. You will hike 12 to 15 miles a day. Invest in supportive, stable and comfortable hiking boots and break them in well before you start your hike. As you train, find out which boots and socks are the best for you. Once you find your fit, stick with it.

· Speak up for your sister. Download the Google Translate app. The Camino takes you into the countryside to small towns and villages where few, if any people, speak much English. Trying to translate can be comical, but make sure you understand what your hosts say and what you’re ordering for dinner.

· Navigate with your sister. The directional signage on the Camino is typically pretty good, but in crowded urban areas or construction zones, it can be easy to miss. A good navigation app, like Camino Ninja, can supplement it. We never got totally lost, but one day we got off the main coastal route and ended up on the horse and mountain bike trail.

· Read with your sister. Look into guidebooks for each of the different Camino trails. The “bible” of guidebooks is the series by John Brierley. He takes each of the Camino routes and breaks them down kilometer by kilometer describing what you’ll see along The Way as well as locations of restaurants, auberges and not-to-miss sites.

· Flip a coin with your sister. Pam and I decided to play “lunch lady” on alternate days instead of each of us rummaging through our packs for change if we wanted a cup of coffee or a snack. It worked well, made things simpler and was an equitable way to split costs.

Follow these simple rules of the road, and I can almost guarantee you’ll have a magical experience and meet some of the kindest, most remarkable people you’ll ever encounter.