Every Step Together On the Camino De Santiago (1)

In this color edition of Every Step Together on the Camino de Santiago, Ken and Kathy Privratsky detail their experience in walking the famous pilgrimage trail known as the Camino Francés. They took on this challenge to celebrate their 70th birthdays, knowing that they would be among the oldest on the trail and could confront additional obstacles. They explain how they trained in hills around their home in Anchorage, Alaska and choices they made regarding what to take and how to get to Saint Jean Pied de Port, France, the traditional start point for about 30,000 pilgrims annually. Then readers go with them during their daily walks, first about 500 miles over 38 days to reach the sacred city of Santiago and then another 60 miles over 6 days to villages on the Atlantic coast, where they spread ashes of loved ones onto the ocean. Readers follow in their footsteps day after day, experiencing the Camino as if they too were there crossing regions of northern Spain diverse in culture and rich with history and legend. Readers walk with them across vast countrysides, through large cities and tiny villages, inside small chapels and magnificent cathedrals, discovering these regions as if they were with the authors. Ken and Kathy provide a map of where they walked with a chart of distances traveled daily and include hundreds of pictures revealing the beauty, history, friendships, and challenges they experienced along the way. They conclude with suggestions for those interested in their own pilgrimage, lists of what they read, where they stayed, and what they carried, as well as some statistics regarding the Camino. Their commitment to each other over this journey was simple: "to take every step together." Their story will inspire others to follow in their footsteps. Read more