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Travel Memoirs

A place for unique non-fiction stories based on travel memories.

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WALKING CAMINO

Lessons I Learned while Walking The Camino

Things I wish I’d known before the trek

11 min readDec 15, 2023

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Man wearing a cap, backpack and carrying hiking poles leans against a rusted metal sign with a cutout of the Camino scallop shell and the words Bom Cominho and Vila Praia de Ancora. (Good Journey and Village Beach of Ancora)
Me on the Camino Portuguese Coastal route — all photos by the author

Walking the Camino de Santiago is unlike any other hike I have ever done. It is one of the toughest physical challenges I have ever experienced. Mistakes were made but now I know better, and yes, I would do it again. It’s the adrenaline rush when you cross the finish line of a grueling marathon. It’s the thrill of victory.

A few weeks ago my sister announced that she was going to tackle the Camino next spring. The past few years have turned her life upside down, with medical issues and the trauma of losing a child. The devastation has torn her apart and she’s hoping the Camino will help her put her life back together. The Camino can do that.

Before I signed up for the Camino I also had some medical issues, including thyroid cancer, and a few surgeries, and I was still trying to wrap my head around my retirement.

I met some pilgrims along the way who had been dealing with more serious issues than I had. Like the young woman who I noticed was limping as she walked. When I asked her if it was blisters she told me that no, she had recently been diagnosed with motor neuron disease, like ALS. She said she had always wanted to walk the Camino and realized she had to do it now while she…

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Travel Memoirs
Travel Memoirs

Published in Travel Memoirs

A place for unique non-fiction stories based on travel memories.

Darren Weir
Darren Weir

Written by Darren Weir

I write about Travel, Photography, Music - Parasol Publications Editor - Publisher of Travel Memoirs - TV News Producer (retired)

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