So there's no less than three halfway points:
• There is the halfway point mileage-wise on the trail that we passed unceremoniously yesterday leaving the next-to-last town. The exact point is pretty hard to pin down as the trail is an organic system and constantly undergoing little changes. So what may be the halfway point mileage-wise today may not be that tomorrow.
• There is today's geographical halfway point which is much less likely to change over time as it is the halfway point between Roncesvalles and Santiago de Compostela.
• And finally, there is the symbolic halfway point which is Sahag煤n and that's probably the most celebrated of the three as you can get a halfway certificate which goes back many, many years when people too sick to continue could at least turn around here.
Which actually turned into a real-life example. One pilgrim barely managed to get to the albergue. Her left leg was not functioning. An ambulance picked her up and brought her to the Le贸n hospital for care.
So yeah, it doesn't matter which one of the three you want to go by, we've passed them all.
Yesterday's walk was probably the straightest walk of the entire Camino. Today we had the pleasure of some very gently rolling hills and several little hamlets to dart in and out of. There is a bit of a slog on the approach to Sahag煤n, but it is also where you pass the geographical halfway point on the city's outskirts.
Tonight's lodging is a monastery. A little sparse but very clean and with surprisingly modern facilities.
So I'm going to take a minute to talk about one of the dynamics that makes walking the Camino special. My sister Lynne and I decided to walk up to the monastery to get our halfway certificate. Standing in line, who did I see in front of me but my good friend Charlton Slack from Wales. I know anyone following my blog knows that Charlton and I are meeting in Santiago on the 13th but are not necessarily walking together. For the past week, our paths had taken us apart and just like that our paths were back together again. So there's a saying: the Camino provides. That was one example of it.
Another dynamic about the Camino that makes it so special is the absolute spontaneity you are allowed. Charlton and I did the museum tour, decided to attend the 6:30 pilgrim blessing and while we waited, hung out in one of the local bars and had a pilgrim's favorite beverage — KAS Lim贸n. As the time got closer, we moved on to the chapel and attended the blessing. In your day-to-day lives, things are too structured, too rigid. Out here, you can pivot on a dime, completely change your plans and just roll with it because wherever you are is where you are and you need to be no other place other than in your hostel by door close.
Earlier in the day was another example of an interesting dynamic. I had brought our clothes to a laundromat for drying and I saw my Chinese American friend Hwa walking down the road. We were able to catch up and have a great chat before each of us had to go our separate ways. I told him about the pilgrim blessing and he was able to attend as well.
So there's been a lot of discussion amongst many people on and off the trail about the Camino and what it is. I found this:
馃毝♂️ What Walking the Camino Is
A pilgrimage first — spiritual, cultural, historic.
A long-distance trek — ~800 km on the Franc茅s, stage by stage.
Self-carried — everything in your backpack: clothes, gear, meds, but no tent (you sleep in albergues, hostels, inns).
Between hiking & backpacking — heavier than a day hike, lighter than wilderness backpacking (since food/bed is found each day).
A lifestyle on foot — wake up, pack, walk 20–25 km, eat, sleep, repeat.
馃ゾ Best way to define it:
“Walking the Camino is long-distance, self-supported trekking with a cultural and spiritual core — a pilgrimage where your pack holds your life, but roofs and meals come each night from the trail.”
And to make a good comparison where the Camino sits in the walking ranking system:
馃ゾ Physical Demands of Walking the Camino (ranked)
1. Day hike → lightest, small pack, out & back.
2. Multi-day hut trek → moderate pack, food + some gear, roof provided.
3. Camino → 馃毄 right here. Daily 20–30 km with a ~7–10 kg pack, repetitive stress on feet/legs/back. Lighter than wild backpacking, harder than casual hiking.
4. Full backpacking → tents, stoves, food for days, heavier loads.
5. Expedition trekking → high altitude, extreme loads, survival gear.
馃憠 Camino = middle tier: endurance challenge, not survival.
I hope that helps people get an idea what the Camino is, what it is not. One thing I do want to add is everything about the Camino always shows the highlights and never shows the day-in and day-out grind of walking to get someplace. A hot afternoon slog through the harvested fields with a long steep hill and not a cloud in sight. A telephone pole with a cross on top surrounded by a pile of rocks — it takes over a day of climbing to get there. The beautiful little village and a valley on the Meseta — that's after a four-hour slog with barely any corners.
So I guess one of the questions that comes up is, if it's so hard, why do it? And the answer is we do it because it is hard, but the rewards are greater. We do it because it is life simplified to its core needs without any of the noise. Get up in the morning, hopefully there's some breakfast. If not, maybe there's a place in town. If there's no place in town then you wait till the next town and rinse and repeat.
Some days are a short walk. Some days are a long walk. Some days you get to town and you get the last bed. Some days you get to town and find out you have to walk to the next town to get a bed. Some days, as in the case of a family we keep bumping into, you get to a town where you have verified your reservation only to find that the guy closed up shop the day before for the winter even after verifying your reservation — and now you have to walk with your tired kids on an extra-long journey to the next town.
When you finally find lodging for the night, the first thing you want to do is usually shower. After showering, usually your next priority is to take care of your laundry. Then you reset your pack for the next day before seeking out food. Sometimes there's a little bit of extra time in the day to go visit a particular site in town, some days you're spending your time reaching out to family back at home. Some days you are just so wrapped up with other pilgrims in the moment right then and there that time just flies. If you're like me, you try and squeeze in a little bit of time to get your daily diary done and then it is usually an early bedtime to start all over the next day.
Sounds horrible, doesn’t it? It's not! It is one of the most freeing and liberating things you can do in your adult life. And quite frankly, it's addicting.
And with that I'm calling it a night.
