Camino Cred
Leslie and Erik show off full 2013 Camino passports at the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
The Pilgrim credential is the folded “passport” that every pilgrim carries to have stamped at albergues (dormitories), hostels, cafes, churches, and historical points along “The Way.” For some, a full credential is the final trophy for a pilgrimage across one or more countries. Pilgrim pride takes all forms, and I love looking back at some numbers* that prove I earned my Camino credentials:
Two walks on the Camino Frances from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela, five years apart in 2013 and 2018, and both times with my son.
76 days on the Camino Frances. We walked 36 days on our first Camino with a few bus rides thrown in, notably from Santiago to the end of the world in Finesterre. I completed our second Camino in 2018 entirely on foot, all the way to Muxia on the Atlantic Ocean.
One emergency room visit, two trips to urgent cares, and one doctor’s house call at our St. Jean Pied de Port hotel room before we even started walking. None of the medical care was for me, although I did pay for them all.
1500 kilometers on foot if you count the times I got lost. I blame the Irish woman. We should have been looking for a yellow arrow. Instead, our eyes were fixed on an unused condom packet on the trail. That cost us a few kilometers, and then some.
Countless blisters on our first walk and at least three foot care treatments including a lanced toe, needle and thread, and moleskine blister covers. I lost six toenails on both Caminos, the same number Cheryl Strayed lost on the Pacific Crest Trail. They grow back.
150 cafe stops. Some pilgrims walk church to church and others walk cafe to cafe. Can you guess which group I fall into?
152 cups of cafe con leche. Could have been more. At less than two euros a cup, it’s the best coffee I’ve ever tasted before or since.
70 albergue bunk beds. I visited a few more than once. Some albergues and some beds were more comfortable than others. Pro tip: Claim old age privilege and you’ll never see a top bunk.
300 sheep, 45 goats, 18 horses (and a couple horse’s asses), two donkeys, 30 cows, 20 dogs, several cats, and one parrot. Some of the animals accompanied pilgrims. One pilgrim who called himself Peter Pan walks the Camino solely to save abused animals along The Way.
More nationalities than I can possibly remember, but only one couple from Wisconsin, which is where I grew up. Linda and Cary even know someone from my hometown, population 7000. What are the odds?
* Some of these numbers might be approximations. I’m an unreliable narrator that way.
Have you taken a long walk? Share your numbers in the comments.