Barefoot on the Camino Frances

[amado]

I only have two months to go before starting my Camino (July 15-August 7). I am making my final preparation running/walking 2-3 hrs a day (mostly barefoot) in the mountains of Cebu (Philippines) where I am living as hermit for over a month. I run on different surfaces - grassy, rocky, gravel, soft soil, asphalt, cement. By 9 am, the hot asphalt road becomes unbearable that I have to wear sandals or Vibram Five-fingers. I want to do the whole Camino barefoot (from SJPP to Santiago de Compostela) but I don't think I can do it if the road becomes too hot. So, the most that I can do is 2-3 hrs in the morning before it gets too hot and then wear my sandals, unless there are sections with a lot of trees and shades.

I read Dr. Machi's account of walking the Camino Frances barefoot during the month of May (spring time). I wonder if there are others who walked the Camino barefoot especially during the summer months (July-August). I also need information which part of the Camino is best for running/walking barefoot, which part are tough (rocky, asphalt, etc). I will be bringing a pair of sandals, and a pair of Vibram Five-Fingers KSO which I can slip when my feet complain.

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Hi Amado

There have been accounts of people walking barefoot on the Camino Frances but there aren't all that many of them I suspect. It will be hot when you are going so your plan of running in the early monring is a good one. The route is well marked so leaving before dawn is also an option.

Regards

John

 

[Anniesantiago]

I met a young man who attempted to walk the Camino barefoot last year. He had been barefoot for 2 years in the USA. He gave up as we walked out of Monjarin. His footsteps were bloody and he was making only a few kilometers per day.

The problem was not only the heat, which WAS a problem for his heavily calloused feet. They had blisters on the bottom just as though he had put them on a hot iron. But the larger problem with bare feet on the Camino is that much of the trail is small SHARP rocks, 1 inch or under, that cut the feet to shreds, even with a good layer of callous. And there are places where you cannot avoid the rocks.

Good luck! I am sure it can be done, at least most of the way, if a person is realistic enough to wear their shoes when it's a danger to the feet. I hope you are successful. However, I'd just suggest you take Teva walking sandals or a back-up pair of shoes... just in case.

 

[sillydoll]

Why don't you contact him? His name is Dr. Renato Alvarado Vidal - machi@telsur.cl
He will be only too happy to give you some advice.

You can find Machi's story of barefoot camino and a gallery of photos here: http://www.barefooters.org/gallery/pilgrimage/

These two boys also walked the camino barefoot.
http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/1517990.0/

There is a lot of info and a lot of links on Barefoot here:

http://tripatlas.com/Barefoot

And, lastly, a document that might be of interest to you.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I had an article somewhere about a man that walked backward; not from Santiago to St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port reverse/backward, but the regular way with his back to the west and little mirrors on his hat. I think the article said that he crossed rivers on a tightrope, and juggled three balls for much of the way. The writer made light of the accomplishment because he had not twirled a hola hoop around his waist for any of the distance. I found that to be a bit judgmental on the part of the writer. A Camino is not a stunt, after all.

 

[Anniesantiago]

roflol! This story sound like it should be a limerick!

I once met a man who was walking
The Way backwards, to catch people gawking.
With mirrors and three balls,
and a rope to cross falls,
He was much too busy for talking!

 

[sillydoll]

Amado, you'll be following in some very special footsteps! I the article I posted earlier, we are told that:

Jesus sent the disciples out two by two and barefoot. (Luke 10:1-16) "I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Take neither purse nor pack, nor sandals."
Saint Francis, Santa Teresa, Saint John of the Cross, and many others took bare feet as a literal command of Jesus.
Saint Clare of Assisi, founder of the the "Poor Clares", Franciscan, (also known as the "Barefoot Clares") went barefoot.
Santa Teresa walked barefoot from Spain to Rome to obtain the necessary patent to open her first convent. She started a contemplative order of barefoot nuns that came to be known as Las Descalzas, the barefoot Carmelites.
Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits and the patron saint of religious retreats, went barefoot even in winter.
On his trip to Miyako Japan, Francis Xavier walked (apparently by choice) for several days barefoot in the snow, leaving bloody tracks as he went.
Saint Dominic went barefoot as a missionary among the ascetic Cathars and Alibgensians. Later he walked barefoot for thousands of miles, preaching and visiting the houses of the order he created.
Saint Antonio Margil de Jesus, a Franciscan founded four missions in what is now East Texas. A Franciscan, he walked barefoot everywhere, including one trek from present-day Nicaragua to Texas.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

http://harvardscience.harvard.edu/found ... ning-shoes

 

[JohnnieWalker]

I wouldn't worry too much about pilgrim Amado. He is a serious academic and very experienced long distance athlete of many years standing having completed many marathons, cycled 5,000 kms as a peace campaigner and had the endurance to withstand considerable personal persecution in his homeland. His Camino to Santiago may be slightly different to others but I'm sure we all look forward to hearing about it.

 

[amado]

Thanks for the advice, caution and encouragement. I've been running up to 3 hours daily in the mountains of Busay. The most difficult surface that I run is a long segment with the tiny crushed/sharp gravel and the scorching asphalt road. After a week, my feet have adjusted. Today I ran from 10 am to 1 pm. Ithe sharp rocks are becoming more bearable, and I could run on asphalt up to 12 noon, but I had to wear my sandals between noon and 1 pm.

I wouldn't force myself, I will keep on listening to my body and my feet. The feet have some censors that will dictate my running form and will tell me when to stop running barefoot. I carry a pair of vibram sandals - just in case.

Why do I want to run/walk barefoot? I want to follow the example of Francis of Assisi and many other pilgrims who walked barefoot in the past. I consider the Camino a sacred path, a sacred ground. Thus, as a sign of respect and reverence, I want to take off my sandals and walk on it barefoot as far and as long as the Camino and my body allow me. It is not just a penitentia act, I enjoy running barefoot. I just love the feel of the earth, the rock and grass under my feet and I feel energized. Since I started running barefoot, I have had less injury and muscle pain.

By the way, there is an emerging movement of barefoot runners all over the world. Many runners have stop wearing running shoes and have realized that the most healthy and enjoyable way of running is barefoot. For hundreds of thousands of years, our ancestors ran and walked barefoot. Our feet are designed for running barefoot

 

[sillydoll]

As children, we never wore shoes when running at junior school. It was only when we got to high school that we had to start wearing shoes. One of our top runners, Zola Budd, didn't wear shoes even when competing in the Olympics.
You'll be able to feel the souls of pilgrims past through the soles of your feet!

 

[Nandy61]

You'll be able to feel the souls of pilgrims past through the soles of your feet!

LOVED THAT ONE!!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Well, sort of, as Zola says in 2008 of an upcoming race:

"Will she wear shoes?

"Yes, she said, smiling, explaining that she always wore shoes to train and race on the roads. Only when she ran track and cross-country did she go barefoot in a career forged and fissured by family tension and tragedy, by the racial policies of South Africa and, of course, by the infamous collision with Mary Decker Slaney at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles."

Very few runners run barefoot, though I agree with Anatole France, “If a million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing.” Joining the majority has no guarantees.

 

[sillydoll]

That's what I wrote.

One of our top runners, Zola Budd, didn't wear shoes even when competing in the Olympics

She ran track and cross country barefoot.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

And she showed a great deal of common sense about when to wear shoes!

 

[alexwalker]

I met a young Bulgarian last August. He had been walking from Bulgaria mostly barefoot. He slept outside each night and cooked his own. He had a daily walking distance of ca. 40 kms. I was not able to follow his walking speed.

 

[amado]

Sil, thanks for the links. I already checked them out and found them helpful. I wonder who is the author of "The Barefoot Path" -very inspiring and scholarly. Those two college students walking barefoot for a cause were supposed to do it during the summer of 2007 (July-August), I wonder what happened - were they able to do it successfully?
I will try to get in touch with Dr. Machi and ask for information - especially about walking the Pyrenees (how rocky us the surface), the Mesetas (is it soft soil?) and the Galicia region (is the path lined with trees and shaded). I also want to know how much of the Camino is paved (asphalt/ cement).
I am not worried about walking on sharp, rocky roads - I am used to that now, doing my training on the worst possible surface. I am worried about walking on scorching pavement/road under 40*C.

 

[KiwiNomad06]

- especially about walking the Pyrenees (how rocky us the surface), the Mesetas (is it soft soil?) and the Galicia region (is the path lined with trees and shaded). I also want to know how much of the Camino is paved (asphalt/ cement)..

Amado, I think you will be surprised by how 'easy' the surface is across the Pyrenees, although you might still get temperature extremes on the mountain. A large part of the Route Napoleon is actually on a narrow sealed road, which came as a huge surprise to me. Quite a large part of the climb is behind you when you finally strike out on a mountain path. I gather from some recent blogs that some people turned back at about this point in the blizzard conditions, as the path ahead was no longer visible. The surface even here though was not too rugged under foot. I was wearing shoes with a decent sole, so I possibly wouldn't remember rocks, but I really think it was relatively smooth. There is a lovely section under trees once you are in Spain, where there were some very thick squishy black mud sections when I walked! I have put three photos below that give you an idea of some of the terrain.

I am not a fan of John Brierley guides- for me his 'brand' of religious thinking is too intrusive- but he does give a useful breakdown for each section of the route in terms of how much of the route is on path/track; quiet road; or main road/city.
Margaret

 

[sillydoll]

"The Barefoot Path in the Western Contemplative Tradition" by Ken Rice

Brieley's guide gives a breakdown of the camino frances route but not the condition of the paths.

St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago 798km

Paths/Tracks 505km 63.3%
Quiet roads 202.6km 25.4%
Main Roads 90.4km 11.3%

 

[oursonpolaire]

I never measured it exactly (although I did count the trees in the stage after El Burgo Ranero—2,127 if you’re interested), but I recollect that a great deal of the Camino is paved, particularly after Mansilla las Mulas and León. I found this a bit irksome as gravelled path is much easier to walk on for those of us with knee problems—there is too much foot traffic for much of the Camino to be on the bare earth—it could easily become the Camino of Mud in wet weather, with resulting ecological from path-braiding by walkers trying to escape from the muck. How sharp the stones are in the gravelled portion would vary from place to place, depending on how recently it was re-gravelled.

In four Caminoes, I have only seen one barefoot walker (in 2005) and he did not look happy. I think that there are stretches where it might be possible but would-be Zolas might want to think of carrying a decent pair of shoes in their packs.

 

[gregdedman]

Hey there,

I have a friend who walked the Camino in July and August 2007, the hot months.
He finished about 19 days after us, so about 6 weeks, but he did it.
He said that after a while it was easier without his shoes giving him blisters although he vastly overpacked which slowed him down.

Here is his email, he may be able to help.

sebrounds86@hotmail.com

Beun Camino

 

[amado]

I have two more weeks to go before I start my barefoot pilgrimage on the Camino. I have been experimenting on a home-made protection for my forefoot, that I can use when the road/trail becomes too rough or too hot. It is made of inner tube put together with duct tape. Here it is:

 

[amado]

Tomorrow, I finally fly to Madrid for the start of my pilgrimage on the Camino Frances. I am filled with apprehension and doubts if I can really do the Camino barefoot. What was I thinking? It was probably just a crazy idea. Just to be sure, I am bringing a pair of sandals and a pair of running shoes - in case my bare feet will rebel. What is more important is reaching Santiago de Compostela on foot and experiencing the inner journey. I won't be hard on myself- I will walk barefoot as much as I can, wear my sandals or running shoes if my feet hurt due to the summer heat or harsh road.

Here is my itinerary:

7/10 Sat: Rome- Madrid (plane)
7/11 Sun: Madrid
7/12 Mon: Madrid
7/13 Tues: Madrid-Lourdes (train)
7/14Wed: Lourdes
7/15 Thu: Lourdes-St. Jean Pied de Port (train)


1. 7/16 Fri: St. Jean Pied de Port – Roncesvalles (25.5 k) albergue 6E
2. 7/17 Sat: Roncesvalles – Larrasoana (27.6 ) albergue 6E
3. 7/18 Sun: Larrasoana – Uterga (31.6) camping
4. 7/19 Mon: Uterga– Ayegui (30.9) albergue 6E
5. 7/20 Tue: Ayegui- Viana (36.9) albergue D
6. 7/21Wed: Viana – Ventosa (27.8) camping
7. 7/22Thu: Ventosa – Santo Domingo de la Calzada (31.5) albergue D/ or camping
8. 7/23 Fri: Santo Domingo de la Calzada – Tosantos (28.1) algergue D
9. 7/24 Sat: Tosantos – Cardenuela Rio Pico (31.2) camping
10. 7/25 Sun: Cardenuela Rio Pico –Hornillos del Camino (33.7) albergue 5E
11. 7/26 Hornillos del Camino – Itero de la Vega (30.7) albergue 3E
12. 7/27 Tue: Mon: Itero de la Vega- Carrion de los Condes (32.7) camping
13. 7/28 Wed: Carrion de los Condes – Moratinos (29.4) albergue D
14. 7/29 Thu: Moratinos – El Burgo Ranero (27.2) albergue D
15. 7/30 Fri: El Burgo Ranero – Arcahueja (29): camping
16. 7/31 Sat: Arcahueja – Villar de Mazarife (31) albergue 7E
17. 8/1 Sun: Villar de Mazarife – Astorga (29) Redemptorists
18. 8/2 Mon: Astorga – Foncebadon (25.9) albergue D/camping
19. 8/3 Tues: Foncebadon- Ponferrada (27.2) albergue D
20. 8/4 Wed: Ponferrada-Trabadelo (32.3) albergue 6E
21. 8/5 Thu: Trabadelo – Fonfria (30.4) camping
22. 8/6 Fri: Fonfria- Sarria (33.6) camping
23. 8/7 Sat: Sarria- Gonzar (30.5) albergue 5E or camping
24. 8/8 Sun: Gonzar – Melide (31.3) camping
25. 8/9 Mon: Melide – Santa Irene (30.7) albergue 5E or camping
26. 8/10 Tue: Santa Irene – Santiago de Compostela (22.1) albergue 12 E

8/11 Wed: Santiago-Madrid (train)
8/12 Thu: Madrid
8/13 Fri: Madrid-Rome (plane)

 

[Anniesantiago]

Just do the best you can, and the Camino will take care of you.

I look forward to reading about your journey/adventure!

Please begin a blog at http://www.blogspot.com and we'll follow you?

Buen Camino!

 

[ksam]

It is made of inner tube put together with duct tape. ]

Love them! Small, light, eco-friendly and fairly easy to replace! Thinking of you as you get ready to start your Pilgrimage...and wishing you all the very best, Buen Camino, Karin

 

[Manny D]

Fr. Amado,

May God be with you as you start the Camino and may His angels keep you safe along the way. Be assured of my prayers.

Buen camino,
Manny D

 

[amado]

Greetings from Roncesvalles. I started my Camino this morning (a day ahead of schedule) from St. Jean Pied de Port at 7:10 am and arrived here in Roncesvalles before 4 pm. I walked the whole way barefoot - there was no need to put on my sandals. It was cloudy and cold up to 2 pm. I walked on the grassy shoulder of the asphalt road. The most difficult part was ascending the rocky path up to the highest peak (Loederer) and descending to Roncesvalles. But at least the final two hours to Roncesvalles was on a forest so the path was cool enough to walk on. (My cellphone was lost or wast it stolen yesterday - so I couldn´t take any picture of my journey. There is must be a message here - not to rely on technology, and to imprint the whole experience on my brain, not on photographs. Thanks for the prayer and support. Another 25 days of barefoot walking - I hope. What I learned today - to walk gently, this is not a race but a long journey.

 

[annakappa]

Hello Amado, I have just been reading your proposed route to Santiago and considering that you will try and do most of it barefoot, have you considering taking the alternate route into Burgos? This is a pleasant route going first along a track alongside the airport boundary and then shortly after, entering a large park which follows the river all the way into the city, bringing you within 500 mts of the Cathedral. I posted the details earlier this year (in March I think), and I'm sure that I can fish them out again for you, if you are interested. Buen Camino. Anne

 

[amado]

Greetings from the Camino! I have reached Itero de Vega after hiking the Camino for eleven days. I hiked barefoot for two straight days (SJPDP-Roncesvalles, Roncesvalles-Larassoana). The first day was fairly easy - I could do it the whole day. The second day was very difficult - there were many sharp crushed gravel - but I was still able to do it slowly, but I arrived at 7:45 pm in Larassoana and by then the Albergues were already completo and I had to pay 20 euro to stay in a hostel. The third day I was able to walk barefoot from Larassoana up to Pamplona but as I hiked towards Cizur Menor after 2 pm the pavement became too hot that I had to wear my sandals for the first time.
Since then I am have been able to walk barefoot only a few hours in the morning when the road is not too harsh or too hot. Today, I was able to walk barefoot from 9 am to 2 pm at the Meseta and wore my sandals when it became too hot. What has complicated matters is that I usually walk 30-34 km a day and it will take 10-12 hours if I walk the whole stage barefoot and will have a problem finding an albergue that is not completo or close already. I have made some changes in my schedule for the last week in the Galician region (20-24 km per day in 5 days, instead of 30 km in 4 days) so that I will walk it entirely barefoot. Meanwhile, I do barefoot intermittently - mixed with sandals. I am careful that I don't hurt my feet, otherwise I don't reach Santiago de Compostella.
My greatest lessons in barefoot hiking so far: be humble enough to accept my limitations, not to be rigid or fanatical but rather flexible.
Summer is not the best time to go barefoot, and 30 km per day is too much. Six months of barefoot training is not enough.

 

[DylanRomero]

Amando, I'm amazed at your perseverance. I walked the Camino last year in Five Fingers and it certainly was a challenge - there's no way I could have completed it barefoot, even for half the day!

I'll be following this thread, so keep up the posts and keep up the good work!

Buen Camino,
Dylan

 

[amado]

Greetings from the Camino! I am now in Moratinos, half-way to Santiago, and staying at the Peaceable Kingdom! Lovely place! warm welcome from Rebekah and Patrick, the best dinner I´ve had since I started the Camino.
I´ve been troubled by an ankle sprain which I got when I used the sandals more often. But the pain goes away when I walk barefoot - so I do a lot of barefoot walking in the mornings now - out of necessity. It is still very difficult to walk barefoot in the afternoons due to the heat at the Meseta. I hope I can do that when I get out of the Meseta.

 

[amado]

Hola, I am now in Martin del Campo after hiking 27 kilometers, mostly barefoot (until 11 am when the surface got so rough and hot).
While hiking, I kept on singing the song I composed yesterday while hiking 37 km from Burgo de Ranero to Leon. Here it is:


Pilgrim's Song

We are pilgrims on a journey
Across the mountains & plains of Spain
We're on our way to Santiago
To the field of stars.

Chorus:
Ultreia, onward must we go
Ultreia, to the tomb of St. James

We're hiking across the Pyrenees,
The mesetas and Galicia.
We do not mind the cold & the heat,
The blisters & the muscle pains.

Chorus:
Ultreia, onward must we go
Ulreia, to the city of St. James

As we make our own Camino
We are not all alone
We meet friends & companions
On the road & the albergues.

Chorus:
Ultreia, onward must we go.
Ultreia, to our final destiny.

We are pilgrims on a journey
Within our mind, heart & soul.
And we grow in the Spirit
In faith, hope & love.

Chorus:
Ultreia, onward must we go.
Ultreia, to our final destiny.

We are pilgrims on a journey
from darkness to light
to the kingdom of justice,
and peace and of freedom.

chorus:
Ultreia, onward must we go
Ultreia, to our final destiny

We are pilgrims in life`s journey
to our final destiny
to the home of our Father,
his Son and the Holy Spirit.

chorus:
Ultreia, onward we will go
Ultreia, to the our final destiny.

 

[ivar]

Hi Amado,

I was there when they applauded you past the line at the pilgrims office... you should be very proud!

Congratulations!

Saludos,
Ivar

 

[jurohorsky]

Dear Amando,
fantastic!! God bless you!

Juraj & Daniela

 

[ksam]

Hi Amado,

I was there when they applauded you past the line at the pilgrims office... you should be very proud!

Congratulations!

Saludos,
Ivar

So if I read this correctly .... You are done!! Great job!! Buen Camino!

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Oh yes. He´s here, safe and sound and without a blister.

Have a look: http://johnniewalker-santiago.blogspot.com/

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Excellent. Awesome in 21st-century-speak.

Let the trend to barefoot pilgrimage begin.

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Steady now Falcon

I admire him but I ain´t gonna follow in his foosteps. Forgive the north american accent.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

My son and his wife have taken to barefoot trail running and marathons. They actually use FiveFingers shoes that give a little sharp object protection (but no arch support). Let the arthritis begin.

 

[DylanRomero]

I think FiveFingers are a great alternative to what amando did... there's no way I could have completed it barefoot, but in my FiveFingers it was a breeze (relatively). And quite the conversation starter too (photo taken somewhere in Galicia - forget exactly where)...

 

[amado]

Greetings! As you may already know, I finally made it to Santiago de Compostela after hiking for 27 days mostly barefoot and at times wearing my sandals when the road got so hot and harsh and on days when my feet needed to recover.

Walking barefoot, inspite the difficulties and pain, has been an extraordinary and profound experience for me. It became a prayerful, meditative and contemplative act. It enabled me to focus my attention on the present moment - on every step I took, the sensation of my feet caressing the ground, and the smell and beauty of nature around me. It was for me an expression of my reverence for the sacredness of the path that I was walking on and my connection with past pilgrims who have walked the Camino for over a thousand years. It made me more aware of the Divine presence, especially that time when in my most painful moments I prayed for healing and felt energy rising from the ground and suddenly taking away the pain in my swollen ankle and shin.

I felt somewhat embarrassed when my fellow pilgrims gave me a warm applause as I reached the pilgrim office and allowed me to get my compostella without lining up. It was not meant to be a performance that merited an applause. Yet as someone told me, it was an expression of their appreciation for my extraordinary effort to give witness to the religious and spiritual dimension of the Camino. I reluctantly agreed to go to the front because I did not want to be late for the noonday mass which I concelebrated barefoot, a fitting ending for my barefoot pilgrimage.

 

[hel&scott]

Safe and sound and without a blister.

I guess this just goes to show that Jimmy looks after his own...

Loved how he went bare-foot, but took a mobile phone... we go phone-less but shod.

 

[amado]

Loved how he went bare-foot, but took a mobile phone... we go phone-less but shod.

In my first blog post on the Camino (from Roncesvalles) I reported that my cellphone was either lost or stolen. It was just misplaced deep inside my backpack. I found it later.

The mobile phone was useful as an alarm clock and for taking photos (I didn't bring a camera) and for making notes for my journal. Couldn't use it for calling friends or blogging regularly since I didn't buy any Spanish SIM card. Anyway, I'm posting a link to youtube for the photo-movie of my barefoot piglrimage, with the song I composed on the background. The second youtube video with me singing my composition was also recorded with my mobile phone. Walking barefoot does not imply rejecting 21st century technology.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=027c1O7TxmA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uJJ7RzwY98

 

[ksam]

Showed my hubby your post...and Raymond (ever the Reluctant Pilgrim) answers .... well he's way younger...To which I could only laughingly answer :wink: no we're in the same age group!! Thanks for the inspiration.

Nice posts and enjoyed the film. Well done, esp. with only a cell phone!

Enjoy the rest of your sabbatical! Karin

 

[amado]

Buen Camino, Karin. If you or anyone out there have problem downloading the video file of the Camino Pilgrim Song to your ipod or mp3 player, I also have an audio MP3 file. Just send an email message to amadopicardal@yahoo.com and I will send you the mp3 file and the lyrics of the song.

 

[Anniesantiago]

I enjoyed your song! It made me want to walk again!

 

[nathanael]

Bare foot on the Camino, I saw a French guy on my first Camino in 2007 at the old Albergue in Burgos the one that was in the park as you leave the city. I could not believe how swollen where this guys feet he could hardly walk, That short rude hospitalero would not give him a bed because he didn't have the right change. I offered to pay so he could wash up and settle in and he re-paid me later. We went to the grocery store but he wore shoes, he only walked barefoot on the Camino. Personally I believe he was doing himself harm in the conditions I saw his feet.
The next year I went to Burgos again because I had gotten sick the year before and couldn't complete the Camino. At the new albergue saw the same hospitalero and he was as rude as ever and a real bully..he shouldn't be in that position. Nevertheless the new albergue is very nice.
n.

 

[grayland]

Thanks for resurrecting this great thread. It is actually timeless and is as wonderful now as when it was started last May.
Maybe Fr. Amado will see this and let us know of any new adventures he has had.

 

[ksam]

http://www.amadopicardal.blogspot.com

If your interested, Fr. Amado is up and running again! This time he's making his way across the length of the Phillipines on foot, to promote peace and as a ProLife statement. He's doing essentially marathon lengths each day! :shock: It's been an inspiration to follow his progress.

Buen Camino All, and Happy & Joyful Easter, Karin

 

[amado]

Easter Greetings! I am now in Legazpi City after walking/running for 24 days covering 940 km from Davao City. I started my solo Run/Walk Pilgrimage for Peace Across the Philippines on April 1 and will hopefully reach the northernmost tip of the country by May 28 (over 2,100 km). This is a continuation of my pilgrimage after the Camino. The end point of my journey is an old pilgrimage site of our Lady of Piat started during the Spanish era. This time I am using pair of sandals and at times a pair of running shoes. I''m averaging 42 km a day with 60 km as the longest in one day. Barefoot running/walking is not possible here since the cement/asphalt highway gets hot as early as 8:30 in the morning. If Spain was near I would be doing the Camino again but since it is on the other side of the world from here, I am just doing my own Camino in my country. I am calling this El Camino dela Vida y Paz (Pilgrimage for Life & Peace). Hopefully, I will do the Camino again in the next Xacobeo in 2021.

 

[amado]

Greetings! It's been a while since I visited this forum. I would like to inform the members that I have posted my "Camino Barefoot Pilgrim's Diary" on my blogsite. It actually forms a chapter of my autobiographical manuscript entitled: Beloved: Memoirs, Letters & Diaries of a Priest which I hope will be published next year. This diary records the three phases of my pilgrimage: the preparation, the journey itself, and reflection. here's the link: http://amadopicardal.blogspot.com/p/cam ... diary.html

 

[Deleted member 3000]

It is good to hear from you again. Yours was a remarkable achievement.