On Being Unfinished
Two years ago, I sat in the dining hall in the pilgrim hostel in Roncesvalles, Spain. For many pilgrims on the Camino Francés, this marks the completion of their first day’s walk, having just crossed the Pyrenees. For my group on this occasion, though, it was just the opposite–we were celebrating (and mourning) our last […]
Day 5 – 5/13 – Glouster to Logan – 24 miles
Jason runs a small business in Logan, Ohio, a small town best known as the stepping-off point for visits to Hocking Hills State Park and its famous Old Man’s Cave. He anticipated that 2020 would be his best year ever; instead, he’s been sitting around idle for much of the time. Since he doesn’t have […]
Days 3 & 4 – 5/11 and 5/12 – Belpre to Glouster, OH – 61 miles
And suddenly, I was back to where I started. Way back in August, I flew into Cincinnati to start my journey on the ADT, leaving Ohio twice over the course of that day, first going into Kentucky and then Indiana. That said, I can’t claim to have made any real, lasting impressions of the state–that […]
Day 2 – Petroleum, WV to Belpre, OH
A cold night makes for a very effective alarm clock. We emerged around 5:30am, just as pre-dawn light repelled the dark of night, and awkwardly fumbled through the deconstruction of our sleeping set-ups with stiff and uncooperative fingers. It was good to be moving, blood flowing, and back on the trail. While we had a […]
Day 1 – Pennsboro to Petroleum, WV – 20 miles
I woke up in Marietta, Ohio. The town held no appeal beyond proximity to Parkersburg and its position on the Ohio side of the river; across the way in West Virginia, hotels announced strict limitations to essential workers, so it seemed better to circumvent than test those. Yesterday’s flight from Portland was met with an […]
Day 0 (Part 3) – Fear and Loathing
The drive home from Parkersburg, West Virginia took two-and-a-half days, replacing a walk that should have lasted another four-and-a-half months. I took the most direct approach. At times, that brought me in line with towns I would have encountered along the walk–Logan, OH, North Platte, NE, Twin Falls, ID. The whole final approach, along I84 […]
Comparing the Challenge of Different Caminos
A common question on Camino discussion forums involves the relative challenge of different routes. This is a difficult question to answer! Even if the responder has experience with the different routes involved, each is walked in a distinct context–different age, potentially different levels of conditioning or health, perhaps varied weather. A hard walk in a […]
The Camino Podcast – Episode 42 – The CoronaCamino
Well, I’d rather be walking across the USA right now, but it’s still good to be back at the microphone. Here’s a surprise new episode on the impact of the Coronavirus on the Camino: Episode 42 – The CoronaCamino: Seemingly every aspect of life has been upended by the Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic and that includes pilgrimage. […]
Day 22 – West Union to Pennsboro, WV – 12 miles
When I was a kid, I remember mourning the historically boring moment into which I was born. The Cold War was on its last legs and then concluded before I was politically aware. Sure, the US would continue to participate in hot wars and other military engagements, but these were largely abstractions; nobody I knew […]
Day 21 – Clarksburg to West Union, WV – 32 miles
After so many strenuous walks, today was a mellow, relaxed stroll by comparison. After passing through central Clarksburg, a sizable town that was the home of Stonewall Jackson, I spent the bulk of the day in quiet countryside, low rippling hills still often flanking me on either side but rarely having much impact on the […]