The First Step: Deciding to Take the Journey

I have decided to walk the Camino de Santiago.
This blog is my personal, though public, journal about my pilgrimage. It's about my preparations, my research, and my thoughts. Once I'm on the Camino proper I may even update this blog a few times from Internet cafes on the route. If you're reading this, and if you're so inclined, I welcome you to join me (in a sense) by following my postings and by leaving comments.

The Camino is an ancient pilgrimage that leads to the (Catholic) cathedral in the city of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain where the remains of the Apostle James are believed to be interred.

Over 200,000 people will walk the Camino this year, and I estimate that the number will be close to a quarter of a million in 2015. Everyone has their own reasons for walking the Camino: some still walk it for religious reasons, but most do not. My own reasons will be a topic of a future post.

The most common route starts in France, and is about 500 miles of walking. There are other starting points and other routes depending how far you want to go, and how much time you have, though it seems that 100 km (just over 60 miles) is the minimum to be considered an actual pilgrimage by the Cathedral. As of right now, I am not sure where I will start.

I've also decided that the late Spring of 2015 will be the time for my trip. I want to give myself time to prepare, both physically and financially. The extra time will also allow my employer to better plan to cope for my extended absence.

So that's it. The metaphorical first step has been taken. The only thing to do is to take the next step.