Two days after what would be Nan's 100 birthday (April 1, 2017), the Heinl family trekkers start their ascent of the Pyrenees and begin their 500 mile journey to Santiago de Compostela. Perhaps they should be singing...doe, a deer, a female deer...
Three members of this group are Barbara Coles, Heidi Marino, Mark Lambertsen. Two other women (Kristine Gianasio and Deborah Benson Steinbeck) will join them and who knows how many other new friends they will meet along the way. The beginning of the route is rather uncertain and the weather will determine the route they take to get beyond the Pyrenees. They will not know this until they check-in.
Each of the "pilgrims" will come well equipped to handle what lies ahead of them. With backpack, sleeping bag, cold weather and rain gear, trekking poles, and most importantly, good walking shoes, they will take on this long journey from the French border at Saint Jean Pied de Port, and continuing across the northern part of Spain, to Santiago. Along the way, they will see such sites at Pamplona (where the bulls run and known for having the best tapas in Spain), Burgos, Leon, and Ponferreda. To find out more about the route, check out some of the links listed below.
NOTE: To navigate the journey the easiest, pull down the Camino menu (above) and select the page you want to view.
Preparation
Heidi -testing her backpack.
Barbara - with backpack.
March 30 - Heidi leaving for Madrid
Building stamina in Hawaii.
Barbara - up in the clouds.
Barbara and Kristine
Heading east!
Meeting in Madrid
From left: Kristine, Barbara, Heidi, Deborah
8 hours of touring Madrid
They called this a broccoli tree.
Connecting with Mark
Ok! Now it's a party.