What I learned hiking 70 miles with strangers
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Hello friends,
Thank you: Julie, Bob, David, Vivian, Elizabeth, Maricon, Lori, Arleigh, Arty, Molly, Kiya and Stephanie! You all rock and are good humans. You are welcome on future trips with us!
Many of you know we hosted our first group hiking trip on the last 100km of the Camino Frances in Spain this month. It was a dream come true as we had been wanting to do a group trip on the infamous trail for years, but logistically it seemed impossible. It was NOT impossible and frankly, the smoothest trip we have ever run. If any of you watched Avalon’s LIVE talk at the Hero Round Table conference (I will share the link once it is on YT) this week you heard her speak about failure. Well, I am glad the fear did not win and we decided to take the plunge. IMHO it was a grand success. Often the fear of failure prohibits us from even starting, thank you Avalon for the wisdom.
Many of you know we hiked the entire Camino Frances in 2018 with Avalon and Largo, as well as daily vlogged 44 episodes. It is one of our most treasured experiences and contributed to the memory bank tenfold. If you are looking for a binge-worthy series check it out here.
If you are not familiar with the Camino Frances it is a hiking path stretching 780 km (485 miles) from St Jean Pied de Port on the French side of the Pyrenees and finishes in Santiago, Spain. Once solely a religious pilgrimage it is now home to some who are looking for spiritual enlightenment, but also others who focus on physical exercise, connection to themselves or others, and still many at a crossroads in life taking a long walk to find their next path. We are huge supporters of everyone taking a nice, long walk at least once in their life to think about where they have come from, where they are currently, and where they want to see their life go. Those who cannot find the time for the full 780 km (485 miles) hike opt for the last 100 km to give them a taste of hiking and for others to obtain the desirable Compostela. The Compostela is the document that certifies a pilgrim has completed the Camino de Santiago and it is authorized by the church.
So, what did I learn from hiking 70 miles with strangers who are now new friends?
I’ve done a lot of hiking in various parts of the world. Sometimes only for a day, sometimes for a weekend, and even sometimes for 44 days (ok, only did that one once). Each time I learn something new about myself and/or my family as I am often hiking with them. It is important for me to take time in nature for myself, for our family bond, and for my need to understand and learn about others. Sometimes a hike only focuses on one area of the three and other times it touches a little on each. This Camino with a pre-established group touched a little on each of the three areas. I loved the balance.
In no particular order:
People are good. I know this from a decade of full-time WorldTowning travel, but it is always good to be reminded. Our 44 days on the Camino Frances back in 2018 was the most profound experience we have ever had to confirm that people are good, but we have since (and before that) seen the goodness in pockets here and there. There is this saying on the Camino that “it provides,” and it does, but more importantly, the people provide. Those you hike with, those you pass, those who keep you warm/feed you/house you, those who share a Compeed (for non-hikers this is magical blister care), those who listen to you when you need it and so much more.
And I haven’t even mentioned our group trip guests who continually looked out for each other and shined their goodness daily. How’s ______ blisters? Is _______ doing okay today, I know she said she did not sleep well last night. ______ took a taxi today, is she ok? Continually checking on one another and offering a physical or mental reprieve from what was ailing their fellow hiker. It was magical to watch unfold.
People change us. Even if you are hiking with a group on the Camino you will still see new people and varied conversations will evolve. Maybe you will chat about a common interest or over the best blister care. Maybe you will share a community meal together or borrow a phone charger when yours is buried in the bottom of your bag. Or just maybe you will recognize a patch on someone’s backpack that causes you to pause. During any of those or other encounters, you will likely learn something from another person that changes you and becomes part of your mental travel bag as you proceed on. It could be a story of triumph, a story of loss, a story of crossroads, but whatever it is you will be changed by the exchange with another human whether you realized it at the time or a week, months, or years later. I still have conversations from our 44 days on the Camino that pop into my head when they “need to provide” which gives me guidance. And then I am changed forever, by the words and actions of one human.
I am where I need to be. I am meant to host group trips and share the world with others. I am most alive doing this and I believe in the power of connecting and traveling for change. Period. It is always confirmed on every group trip, but often I do not have time to process it until after the trip is over and the dust has settled. But, not on this group trip, because there were many profound conversations with others while hiking I had the opportunity when walking alone to digest what we had shared and reaffirm this is what I do best. I connect people with each other and with cultures different from their own. Walking with a dozen strangers and digging deeper showed me why I do this even when it is not always easy or stress-free.
We are more capable than we think. Several of our guests messaged me before the trip expressing their concern about maybe not being able to do it. The good thing about this hike is that there is an opportunity to take a zero day (a day off in hiking speak), but the fear was still there. Fast forward, we all finished, yes there were some zero days, but no one had to drop out as some anticipated. Why? We are more capable than we think. We are not giving ourselves enough pats on our backs for what we have accomplished as our therapist often points out. As humans, we are so self-critical and often don’t stop to pause and honor our accomplishments. Hiking for 70 miles with strangers showed me that we all have a chance at doing better than we anticipated in almost all situations. Of course, if I decided to hike Everest today I would have some serious issues, but you get the idea. I witnessed 14 amazing humans achieve more than I think most of them thought they could handle. It was magical!
A long walk fixes a lot. I am the receiver of stories. I hold them in a special place in my mind and heart, they are safe with me. Many of our guests came on this hike with something heavy in them. Some shared, some did not, but I know when guests are carrying a lot mentally. We have carried a lot mentally and we can recognize it in others. Many came with a heavy gait and left with a lightness and a confidence that they had either figured something out or they grew to recognize that “this” heaviness within them would not kill them. When you are responsible for over a dozen other humans you look at them deeper than you would anyone else you run into. You can almost see into their souls and what changes in them also changes in you.
The world is flat. HA!!! JUST JOKING on this one. I wanted to make sure you are still awake. Just to clarify I DO believe the world is round. The reason I mention this is that it was once thought that Finisterre (means the end of the world), Spain, the very end of the Camino was considered the end of the world when people had no proof the world was round.
I love each and every group trip in a different way on a different day. We can host a trip in one location and gain something from it and then gain something completely different in the same location with different guests the next year. I am also grateful that Will and I get to do what we love with the coolest and kindest people ever. We have a dream job. Is it hard, it can be at times, but 95% of the hard work is done before we even meet our guests on day one. The actual trip is the reward for all the logistics that are put in place for up to a year beforehand.
Thank you to everyone who joined us, shared their journey with others who are now on the 2024 trip, and to all of you who cheered us on from the sidelines. It takes a village. We welcome your thoughts in the comments below! And, who wants to join us in 2024?
xoxo,
Jess
Come walk 70 miles with us in 2024!
The next Camino group trip is September 30-October 6, 2024. We will hike the gravel paths with a group of humans ready to take a nice long walk for physical, mental, and/or spiritual enlightenment. We have space for 6 people left! Check out our discounts here. And who our trips are ideally for here. If you want to repeat this hike with us again you automatically get a $350 discount (no other discounts apply), please reference this newsletter. For all the details you can go here! And of course feel free to message us at jessica@worldtowning.com with additional questions. You can come solo, with friends, or bring a group, we welcome any configuration.
Where are we now?
In Hyéres, France. We moved here years ago to experience a bit of village life in the south of France. It was magical and to this day feels like our European home. A warm blanket. So far we have had our nose to the computer, but starting tonight we will be hanging with friends, laughing and hopefully eating loads of cheese. Life is good. We will be hosting a France trip (more details coming soon) and we will spend several days in this amazing place. I know you will love it as much as we do. Next stop…Paris. Where it all began in 2013!
To learn more about us, our mission, and our business you can visit us at WorldTowning. To view our most recent group trip offerings head on over to WorldTowningvoyages.com. If you are interested in booking a coaching session to realize your travel dream, schedule it here. If you want to follow the travels of our WorldTowning family, you can find us on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok
I love this! Our Camino de Santiago journey last year with two of our teenagers was without doubt the most impactful and memorable thing we have ever done, both as individuals and a family. It was a wonderful experience and I will be forever grateful to you and Will and Largo and Avalon for walking it and sharing it, and inspiring us to do it! x