Last weekend, after a final leg of a journey which brought me to the steps of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, I finished The Camino de Santiago Conqueror Virtual Challenge.
I started the journey last summer as schools, airports, and
borders closed, when people hid in their homes and behind masks and life as we
knew it was cancelled or postponed. Feeling a little adrift and wanting to fill
my days with meaning, I signed up for this virtual experience. For 480 miles I traveled as a pilgrim without leaving home, and it helped
me physically, mentally, and spiritually.
What is the Conqueror Challenge? How does it work? How did I
keep track of miles? I answer all these questions and more, including my
dramatic finish at Holy Trinity.
What is el Camino de Santiago?
The Way of St. James (el Camino de Santiago) has been a popular pilgrimage route since the 9th century. Travelers usually start in St. Jean Pied de Port, France and continue for 480 miles all the way to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain where, according to tradition, the apostle St. James is buried. (For more, go to my post Buen Camino: Finding the Way.)
The Virtual Challenge
The Camino de Santiago Virtual Challenge enables you to travel the Way of St. James virtually. After registering online, I established a timeframe to complete the challenge. Then, whenever I finished a distance-based exercise, I logged the miles and watched my personal icon advance on a virtual map pinpointing exactly where I was on the Camino route. I could access the map either on my phone or laptop; I used my phone to log the miles and my laptop to click on my icon (or avatar) and explore my virtual surroundings using the Street View feature. I could also “see” other pilgrims on the journey. The cost for signing up was $34.95 which includes tracking, use of the virtual map, virtual postcards, and a gorgeous medal that is mailed upon completion. Another price tier includes merchandise, but I stuck with the basic level.
(Note: there are a variety of virtual challenges you can select, including 1,968 miles on the Appalachian Trail, 46 miles up Mount Fuji, or 323 miles along the St. Francis Way which takes you from Florence to Vatican City). Go here to see all the challenges.
The Postcards
During the journey, I received 13 virtual postcards
describing a city or town I had just passed through. This really gave a sense
of traveling and, along the way, I learned some interesting historical facts.
Additionally, at various milestones the Conqueror Challenge donates toward the
planting of a tree. At the end of my Camino journey, I had planted five trees
that were added to the 450,000 trees the Conqueror Challenge has planted since
August 2020.
My personal Rules
When I signed up for the program, I established some personal rules: every mile I logged had to be done outside and every activity had to be designated as a “Camino” activity; in other words, running on a treadmill or counting my steps at the end of the day did not count as a Camino activity, but any mile I covered while biking or hiking did. This was something I decided to do to mimic the journey of the actual el Camino route.
The Final (Dramatic) Leg
The final destination on the Camino route is the beautiful Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, and I wanted a similar experience as I approached the end of my journey. So, I planned to bike the remaining miles from my house all the way to Holy Trinity Catholic Church downtown, a distance of just over 20 miles. I asked Joe to join me, and early last Saturday we set off. It was a cold morning, very sunny, and we made good time. Then, as we approached the Riverwalk (from the 5th street bridge) and just a few miles from our destination, we heard a loud hissing noise and discovered that Joe’s back tire had suffered a large puncture. What to do? Walk back home? Call Timothy at Publix to come pick us up? In the end, we called my father to come get Joe while I continued with my journey. I had started this Challenge alone and apparently I was meant to finish it alone.
And so I did.
I cycled along the top of the Riverwalk, down the ramp by
St. Paul’s Church, and then up and over several blocks to Holy Trinity. The moment I pulled up to the front steps, the
church bells started ringing. I kid you not. It was extremely dramatic. After a
journey of almost 500 miles, I felt as if I were in Spain arriving at the
actual cathedral. I felt triumphant, emotional, humbled.
Was it a Spiritual Experience?
People walk el Camino de Santiago for a variety of reasons: for
adventure, to lose weight, to look for the meaning of life, to find peace, to encounter
God. I always saw my participation more as a pilgrimage, so every time I set
out I did so with an awareness of God, and I let that awareness take me where
it would. Sometimes I was led to prayer, but mostly I was led to an openness
about what I would find along the way—silence, conversation with a stranger, appreciation
of nature, introspection. I also had an amazing encounter while on a hike in
North Carolina with a man who emerged from the fog and gave us a book entitled,
Finding Your Place in the Father’s Heart, before the fog swallowed him
up again. This really happened and you can read about it here: The Man in the Fog.
What did I Learn?
Big goals are achieved by a series of smaller goals. My first entry for the Challenge was 3.2 miles. At the time I remember thinking (a tad sarcastically), “At this rate it will take me forever to cover 480 miles.” But progression is movement, and movement (however tiny) is still taking you somewhere.
Flexibility is part of the journey. It is easy to become enslaved to a timeframe. Originally, I had planned a to finish the challenge on New Year’s Eve, but with everyone home for one week at Thanksgiving and two weeks in December I did not have large blocks of time to cover long distances. As a result, I got behind and had to move my timeline out. When my husband’s tire puncture ruined my plans for a triumphant final leg, we adapted. Sometimes we need grace and openness to be able to say not my way but yours and accept redirection to a new pathway, goal, or even an adjusted timeline.
Stop to smell the roses. It is good to be focused,
but do not let it give you tunnel vision. While a goal hovers in the distance
brightly shining and calling your name, it can also distract you from living
life in the present moment. Enjoy the process along the way—a wildflower field,
the snakeskin hanging from a tree branch, the couple taking wedding photos along
the canal, a conversation with a stranger—even if it makes the journey a little
longer.
Balance. The Physical, spiritual, and mental make up the whole. Nurture all three.
A Final Thought
A beautiful part of walking el Camino de Santiago is this: as people pass each other long the route they wish each other a buen camino. Translated literally, buen camino means “a good walk, or path.” Within the context of a pilgrimage the phrase takes on deeper meaning. To wish someone a buen camino is to wish them well in finding meaning and purpose on their journey, whatever that may be.
And since on some level we are all on a journey, that is
what I wish for you … a buen camino.
