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The why of a 2nd, 3rd or 17th Camino

Why do you keep on coming back to the Camino?

  • To escape from daily life every now and then

    Votes: 35 31.5%

  • To feel the lightness and freedom of walk, eat, sleep, repeat

    Votes: 78 70.3%

  • To get closer to myself and to contemplate about my life

    Votes: 55 49.5%

  • It has just become my favourite way of spending my holidays

    Votes: 33 29.7%

  • I don't know, it is just an addiction

    Votes: 17 15.3%

  • Camino life: the albergues, the people I meet along the way, the food, just the whole experience

    Votes: 55 49.5%

  • I am just drawn to the kind of magic I feel on the Camino (and not on other hikes)

    Votes: 55 49.5%

  • To explore different routes, new landscapes, another culture

    Votes: 34 30.6%

  • I just like hiking holidays and the signage, facilities and albergues on Caminos are great

    Votes: 19 17.1%

  • Anything else...

    Votes: 14 12.6%
  • Total voters
    111

Luka

Veteran Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Next: Camino Sanabrés (May 2024)
I was just wondering. Many people decide to go on a pilgrimage at decisive moments in their lives: at crossroads, longing for change, loss of loved ones, retirement, identity questions, etc. But how is that for pilgrims returning to the Camino over and over again? Hardly anyone has decisive moments every other year. So what is it, that keeps on drawing you to the Camino? Apart from addiction of course.

I have followed lots of yellow arrows, but I notice a difference between my smaller Caminos (1 week/10 days) and the bigger ones. If I plan short Caminos, it is more because of a longing to walk, to see new landscapes, experience new things and meet new people. My favourite holiday is just anything with carrying a pack and staying in different places. But if I tend to plan a longer Camino, there is always something going on in my life that needs contemplation.

My longer Caminos were in 2015 (sabbatical from work, wanting to change my life) and in 2017 (quit my job, about to move to Spain, but still full of doubts and uncertainties). My next longer Camino (3 weeks) is planned for next month.

However I have walked various shorter Caminos in between, this year somehow I felt like a longer pilgrimage. I now realise that I have a certain restlessness in my body. After settling down in Spain I have a feeling of what's next? Where am I heading now? But this realisation came after I already planned my Camino. Like I was drawn to it without being aware of what drove me.

So how is that for other repeaters? Is the reason you want to go back similar to the reason you walked the first time? Or is it somehting else? The poll options are limited of course...
 
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This is a difficult one, as I feel the urge to tick all options It has to do with the simplicity of life on the Camino, being in my own “bubble of contemplation”, the food, the (local) people, the nature experience and the weather, the physical challenge; and this strange pull/call that I feel when pictures pop up in my head, pictures of long, dusty tracks disappearing in the distance, green mountains in sunshine and shade, quiet evenings in small pueblos, silent moments in ancient chapels….. so many reasons.
 
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To get closer to God... To be able to spend quality time with Him without all my normal daily responsibilities interfering... To retrain myself to see and appreciate Him in all the many blessings - small and large - that present themselves along the Camino, and in life... To remind myself to be humble by putting myself in a position where I *have* to trust, to maybe accept help, because I can not be 100% in control... To not just "pray," but to live prayerfully...
 

I totally forgot religious motivations, my bad... But I think it has to do with the question: why do many pilgrims keep on coming back? This can of course be for religious reasons as well, but somehow I assume that this more a motive for first timers.
 
I'm contemplating going on my third Camino after I swore I would never to another Comino. It's been 6 years since walking my second Comino, from Geneva Switzerland through France and part of the northern route in Spain in 2018. It was a very difficult year to walk due to record rain and the Way was muddy or washed out on many days. Never again, I said!

Two weeks ago I watched a Camino YouTube video and I started to long for walking the Camino Frances again. I'm now 71 and am still fit enough to walk although I do have some questions about whether I should I walk 500 miles and risk wear and tear on my body. But, as with the first time I decided to walk the Camino I feel called. I don't know why again but when I think I should walk I still feel compelled to train and start preparing my backpack.
 
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I'm contemplating going on my third Camino after I swore I would never to another Comino. It's been 6 years since walking my second Comino, from Geneva Switzerland through France and part of the northern route in Spain in 2018. It was a very difficult year to walk due to record rain and the Way was muddy or washed out on many days. Never again, I said!

Two weeks ago I watched a Camino YouTube video and I started to long for walking the Camino Frances again. I'm now 71 and am still fit enough to walk although I do have some questions about whether I should walk 500 miles and risk wear and tear on my body. But, as with the first time I decided to walk the Camino I feel called. I don't know why again but when I think I should walk I still feel compelled to train and start preparing my backpack. So I will contemplate this question of whether should I or shouldn't I go until I need to purchase a plane ticket. I have a sneaking feeling that I'll be on the train in September 2023.
 
So beautifully said, Karina! I would say that is what is drawing me back now at least from my side. I also have a hunch God has something He wants me to discover specifically and I just need to be open to receive it. Thank you for your post as it clarified some of what is stirring inside of me right now.
 
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The reason we keeping walking since our first camino in 2014 has varied over the years. I won't go through all the reasons, many of which you listed. Our current one is perhaps unique to us, but it should be something others think about. As a long term participant in a study on Alzheimer's/dementia at Johns Hopkins University, I have in fact improved my cognition and short-term memory since I first had a grueling test and brain scan. While we can't cure this tragic disease, we can prevent it. Exercise ranks number one, as it does for so many aspects of our health. A camino offers a full package of dementia preventing factors, as I will list now: 1. Exercise, 2. New challenges to the brain. Every step on a new camino is your brain working overtime to prevent you from killing yourself. In fact, your brain keeps saying to you "Why are you punishing me? Stop this, now!" but we fight that instinct and in the process creates new brain connections. It is these new brain connections, not new brain cells, which bypass strokes, amyloid placques and other physical causes of dementia. Brain scans of those over 100 who were still cognitive revealed that some had had as many as 20 strokes. They were healthy and cognitive because new brain connections bypassed them. 3. Socialization. Some walk along, which can indeed be calming and meditative, but that blissful solitude is often followed by delightful interaction in an albergue, especially if there is a communal meal. Sharing experiences on the camino produces chemicals that reduce stress, replacing it with a calm serenity.

I just took my latest test last memory test last week. I passed with flying colors. I credit caminos with playing a major role in this result. And they don't have to be new ones. We recently walked a stretch of the Frances we had walked back in 2014. While memories came back, new memories were produced.

Bottom line: The camino keeps you young, not just at heart, but of body and mind.
 
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Union777 said:
I'm now 71 and am still fit enough to walk although I do have some questions about whether I should I walk 500 miles and risk wear and tear on my body. B
Click to expand...
I am 79 and right now planning my 11th Camino for this September-October. But I walk very slowly and not far each day (14 - 26 km) and now only for a few weeks at a time. The first week is always tough. By the end of the third week I could walk forever if I didn't have other family obligations. Buen Camino
 
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Anniesantiago said:
I walk for my health
Click to expand...
Do you mean physicial or mental health? Or both? In case of physical, why do you choose to walk the Camino instead of walks in the park, dayhikes or long distance paths?
 
Thanks for your beautiful elaboration! That might actually answer my question to @Anniesantiago
 
I think that if a person goes with a checklist of specific questions you want answered, you may be disappointed at the end. Going with an open mind and open heart, on the other hand, allows you to discover the answers you hadn't realized you NEEDED. Buen Camino!
 
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In my case, being on the Camino forged a deep, focused CONNECTION that hadn't been present in my daily life. It made me realize that a lot of my anxieties, restlessness, etc, have been my soul trying to tell me that this connection is exactly what I've been missing. Once I found it, I feel a need to continue nurturing it, and another Camino is the best way!
 
So for me I am Catholic, but don't do the whole church every Sunday bit (and have quite strong views on why I don't). My acceptable method of worship is pilgrimage. So I do it for that and I do it for self contemplation and examination of myself, not to mention some peace and quiet away from people.

I like small groups of people in life, in general. So anything up to 10-20 is possible, but more than 10 and I tend to start having some issues, but I can tolerate bigger groups for a while. I like routes that are less walked (and quiet). Not a big fan of CF after walking several stages of it in 2016 and 2017. Just way too busy. I expect Norte is the same. If I ever walk either of those in full, I would probably do it off season (Oct-Nov ideally).
 
Luka said:
Do you mean physicial or mental health? Or both? In case of physical, why do you choose to walk the Camino instead of walks in the park, dayhikes or long distance paths?
Click to expand...
Both physical and mental.
However, I have Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and my doctor prescribed "long distance walking" to chelate the chemicals. The Camino is the best place I've found for that. I do walk in the park daily but the only "long distance paths" in the USA that don't require more $$$ and planning than I'm willing to do are the Pacific Crest Trail and the Appalachian Trail, neither of which I consider safe to walk alone.

When I start a Camino, I usually am feeling pretty sick and by the end of 6 weeks of walking, I'm feeling normal again...

It then takes 6 months to a year to need the long walk again.
So it's perfect.
 
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I walk for many reasons - primarily religious, but also physical and mental. However, my religious reasons aren't the same from Camino to Camino. For me, it's not a " one and done" thing - just as i still live, breathe, and change, so do my reasons . My needs and desires and prayers may change, but are explored and, hopefully, met, by similar acts.

Who was it that said, "You never enter the same river twice?"

Buen Camino.
 
Oh so many reasons.
I could have ticked all the boxes I think and some more.......
Though not the two related to 'holidays'
The Camino is never a holiday to me.
I don't think holidays are supposed to cause pain and tears amongst other things.

If I had to tick only 1 box. I think it would be

The Camino is where I find Peace......


Interesting to see the Poll results.

..
 
Last edited:
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Luka said:
Do you mean physicial or mental health? Or both? In case of physical, why do you choose to walk the Camino instead of walks in the park, dayhikes or long distance paths?
Click to expand...
I’ve been contemplating this for a while. We start walking the Gebennensis tomorrow and will carry on to do the Le Puy as well. 8 weeks of walking. And a daily hacking of our happy hormones. Oxytocin, serotonin, endorphins and dopamine. Those four natural hormones are possibly the root cause of everyone’s increased wellbeing and general feeling of joy when walking a Camino. A walk in the park won’t quite get those hormones pumping. And I think this is also the reason for the dreaded post Camino flop. Those hormones drop away leaving us feeling somewhat empty and pondering a quick return to the next trail.
 
The feeling of freedom, having the possibility to get away from every day life. Maybe most of all, to meet all these marvellous fellow pilgrims and share, make new friends. Friends for life sometimes.
I enjoy every minute spent on the Camino and the next one will be part of the Camino Norte for three weeks in September. That will be after 7 days of "duty" in the SJPdP pilgrim office.
 
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So it is all just chemical? Definitely true that walking does a lot of good things to your body, mind and soul, but that wouldn't explain why the Camino feels different from long distance hiking.

Buen Camino, by the way, sounds like a great adventure!
 
Every time that I go back to walk for few days, I just want to feel free, contact with nature, solitude, quiet time. I love to be out there, going from little town to another one. Makes me very happy every time that I see the top of a church, knowing that I am arriving to a new place!!!
 
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I have been on the way in: 2001, 2002 2x’s, 2004, 2014, 2019.

It’s the simplicity of life which keeps me coming back. All I need is a backpack, good shoes, a few clothes, a few euros, and I’m off.

I grew up in Los Angeles and have lived in NYC off and on over a few decades.

Although, I truly love both cities they are quite busy and noisy.

The way is like a hometown I never had but always needed: slow paced and quiet.

Looking forward to my next camino.
 
I love reading all these answers. There is a spirituality that connects us all with oneself, which is strapping that backpack and face the dusty road ahead, we will be passing towns, rivers, bridges, farms, climbing/descending hills all along greeting other peregrinos and locals alike. Stopping for a cafe con leche after the first 5-10 km of the morning, later stopping for a beer and a bite to eat while talking to other pilgrims some who you may have caught up to, exchanging a few laughs and moving on. The albergue experiences never fail to be exciting and all different but overall it is the simplicity of life ... at its core it is YOU with your backpack, it does not matter who you are back home ... you could be a sanitation engineer, a priest or a brain surgeon, it does not matter - the Camino is the great equalizer

PS: Having said all that I failed to answer the question, I am planning a second Camino in April 2024, breaking my solemn promise that the Frances would be my one and only Camino, which I did in Sept/Oct 2022. Why am I doing a second Camino? Because of the reasons I just gave ... Buen Camino to all here
 
Buen Camino
 
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So, I've been asked the same question sooo many times while walking.

1) It's the people I meet. Like minded. Generally cool.
2) I love Spain.
3) I like the exercise

And then they ask, "but don't you get bored? Like why don't you do something else?"

And then I say, "oh, I do, mostly Sierra hikes in California. But I tell you, every time I'm on the trail in Spain is different. Even if I've done a route like 8 times. It is the people I meet that make it unique."

And then they say, "So like we're the coolest people you've ever met here?"

And I say, "yes."
 
@Luka you missed Mallory’s “because it’s there” from your polling boxes.
I usually walk to Muxia, it, and Fisterra, have a non- Camino significance to me and mine. But I walk the Camino paths because they are there and they lead me to my destinations. As my tag-line suggests I walk the Caminos with a smile on my face and with some gratitude for the path makers.
 
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..and most obviously: Why not ..!!
 

Could not express it better
 
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Maybe I don't get the meaning of 'because it's there'... Disneyland is there, never been to. The Pacific Crest Trail is there, I think I'll never walk it. Cruise ships are everywhere, I have never been on any. Las Vegas is there, I think I'll never see it. There are marked hiking trails all over Europe, but they don't function like a magnet as the Camino does...
 
I know people that travel to Mexico and Hawaii every year like clockwork, yet seem puzzled I have been to a Spain six times!
But what keeps me coming back are the people we meet. Many from previous Camino's that we stay in contact with.
I live four hours away from some of the most pristine hiking anywhere in the world (Canmore/Banff), but still venture to Spain for it's rich history, interesting architecture... but mainly for the fellowship of fellow pilgrims.
The generally good Spanish red wine is also a bonus!
 
Mallory, reputedly, when asked why climb Everest replied ""
 
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Tincatinker said:
Mallory, reputedly, when asked why climb Everest replied ""
Click to expand...
Ah yes, I could have mentioned climbing Mount Everest as well in my list of things that I would never do although they are there...
 
For the faith
Because I can
Finished my 11th Camino this summer and looking forward to more until I no longer can
 
I agree, the experience to all those other places is not the Camino experience ... you could do 100 and all 100 will be different and yet exciting because the people, the albergues, the weather, the food.
 
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