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Skyler

@skyler_walks

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🇺🇸 📍 Walking the Camino Frances May-June
🏠 Washington, D.C.
🐱 Motivated by snacks and cats

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Day 34: 11 mi

Stage 33: O Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compostela

Every pilgrim starts the Camino thinking they know the destination - Santiago de Compostela. But the reality is, many pilgrims don’t make it there. Many stop walking in the first week after realizing this isn’t their thing. Some stop later on - whether that’s due to personal choice, physical limitation, or external circumstances. Some die - 3 pilgrims died walking since I started the Camino. But the hardiest persist, and the 5 of us today joined the 2633 pilgrims who arrived today in Santiago.

We walked together as a group and dragged it in as long as possible, both excited to finish and reluctant to relinquish the pilgrim title. When we arrived to the plaza outside the cathedral around 2:15, bagpipes were playing. While many people had their emotional moment, I didn’t- because for me, this was always more about the journey and the existing outside one’s comfort zone for a while than about destination.

So with the conclusion of day 34, it’s time to lay down the title of peregrina (pilgrim) and become a tourist once again. Tomorrow I’ll wake up, and for the first time in over a month, I won’t walk. My dad flew in to Santiago to spend a couple days with me and we’ll explore Santiago, Finisterre, and then the surrounding area. And then it will be time to pack my backpack for the last time… and go home.

Buen Camino, Peregrino.

Todays highlights:

1. The cathedral at Santiago
2. A video of our entry into the plaza
3. Licking the post for good luck 😂
4. Friends lift friends up
5. Pikgrim mass
6. 779 km on each pair of these babies
7. Arriving in Santiago
8. Last of the selfies
9. Entering Santiago in the rain
10. Going to miss these wooded paths 🥺

#caminodesantiago #camino #caminofrances #americanpilgrimsonthecamino taken in Santiago de Compostela, Spain by @skyler_walks

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2 years ago

Day 33: 14 mi

Stage 32: Ribadiso to O Pedrouzo

Knowing that today was my last full day walking, I was hoping for some kind of epiphany or clear moment that wrapped up the whole journey. Today was that golden hour before everything changes - when you can see the conclusion on the horizon but it’s not there yet, when you’re as comfortable with the present moment as you’ll ever be, all the possibility of novelty laid out before you but you’ve not yet experienced the loss of what you hold.

The rhythm of the Camino is seductive. It’s all present moments, no difficult decisions, no expectations. Every day becomes much like the last. There is minimal responsibility and you never see the same place twice. The only difference between a nomadic vagrant and a pilgrim, really, is that the pilgrim has a clear end destination - something to walk towards. A goal.

Now confronted with the loss of such a routine, I found myself getting really anxious today. I came here with a purpose - to know what changes I needed to make in my life in order to become fulfilled. The idea of going home and having nothing change, of just putting my old self back on like a dirty pair of hiking shoes, felt like a big NOW WHAT. If nothing changes, what was the point of all this?

I had a good chat with @laura_chartrand about this at a café - Laura is really excited to go back to Australia, even though she has her share of challenges. I want that - a life I can’t wait to get back to. But Laura has a vision of what she wants her life to become. For a long time, I’ve just been drifting along and letting life take me in a direction I chose at 18, without reevaluating if decisions I’m making align with where I want to go. Laura helped me reframe things to start small and instead of trying to make big changes overnight, to just start with step 1.

Kind of ironic that a journey of so many miles culminates in one step.

Tomorrow: Santiago.

Todays highlights:

1. Way of the Pilgrim
2. Snack show and tell!!!
3. Sunrise over Ribadiso
4. 33rd day, 33 km left
5. Last of the cafe con leche stops
6. The VIP pilgrim mode of transit
7. Galician tree tunnels on the Camino
8. 🌹
9. The crowded Way taken in O Pedrouzo by @skyler_walks

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2 years ago

Day 32: 16.5 mi

Stage 31: Palas del Rei to Ribadiso

You know what a pilgrim’s best friend is? Substances. Thanks to a potent combination of ibuprofen, topical ibuprofen gel, and 3 coffees, today’s walk was GREAT comparatively.

I’m enjoying the last 2 days of country air and small villages, both of which I am really going to miss in Santiago and when I return home. It’s really sinking in now that we’re down to the lasts - last times waking up in an Albergue, last morning café breaks alongside the Camino, last hand washings, last pilgrim dinners. Although there are some things I am looking forward to about no longer being a pilgrim - like private bathrooms, bed sheets, and time off my feet - most of these routines have become second nature and will be very missed.

The walk today was our last 15+ mi day and I took 5 breaks just to stretch it out as much as possible. Along the road, I met an American woman who was stamping credencials and selling her book, a fiction novel written about the Camino. She moved to a small village in Spain with her husband from Seattle 6 years ago and is now living my dream, apparently, while her son lives in the DC area. We had a conversation where I told her that the longer I was in Spain, the less I understood why I live in the US, and she said she’d had the same thought when she’d walked the Camino so she just decided to make it permanent 😂 So tempting!

After settling into our Albergue in Ribadiso, we all went down to the creek to soak our feet in the numbingly cold water. I sat there trying to memorize every last moment. I welcome any sudden epiphanies (haven’t had any yet, but if there are any in me…now’s the time, let’s go!) before we close the 42km gap between us and Santiago.

Today’s highlights:

1. The bridge outside Furelos
2. Pilgrim feet
3. A small church where I lit some last candles today
4. Galicia is incredibly green and beautiful
5. The view from the bathroom (!!!) window at the Albergue
6. 2nd to last night of communal sleeping…we’ve come so far since night 1 at Roncesvalles 😂
7. All mountains and fields
8. Relaxing at the water’s edge
9. Going to miss these pristine rural streams!
10. 🐸 sounds taken in Camino De Santiago - Ribadiso by @skyler_walks

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2 years ago

Day 31: 16 mi

Stage 30: Portomarin to Palas del Rei

I was up early this morning, around 5, to try and beat the crowds. This was a futile attempt though because, as I’ve learned, the new pilgrims are FAST and there are so many of them 😂 hundreds of people wearing athleisure, perfume, carrying LV mini backpacks, with perfectly good and healthy feet. I can’t compete with my painful hobbling and ripped clothes so for tomorrow, I’ve decided to sleep in a bit and take a lot of breaks for my feet and just enjoy one of the last days of the Camino.

The crew is all falling apart a little bit, with 4 of us fighting over the ibuprofen pain gel I got in León. 3 more walking days - we just have to keep it together until then! Today’s views were some of the most beautiful I’ve seen, with a gorgeous sunrise over the foggy valley and rolling mountains in the distance. Galicia is quite hilly country, with most days having about 1500-2000ft for elevation gain. It’s also known as the octopus capital of Spain, so I got to have my first octopus dinner of the Camino and it did not disappoint.

I think the crew is mourning the loss of the magic that was more prevalent in the earlier Camino, where it was so quiet that you could talk and sing to yourself on your walk, the cafes were never crowded, and the sense of peace was overwhelming. We’ve had to find that magic in different ways in recent days, mostly in each other - in the shared moments of having a family on the trail, in the delirious laughter, and the absurdity of how disheveled we seem next to fresh pilgrims on e-bikes and horses. I’m really going to miss this time and this feeling of having a family on the Way, so I’m trying to enjoy every second of our last couple nights together.

3 days until Santiago!

Todays highlights:

1. Sunrise leaving Portomarin
2. Rio Miño at dawn
3. A cow with some huge horns
4. A graffitied trail marker
5. Octopus (el pulpo) for dinner
6. Fog in the mountains
7. Crossing the bridge back over Portomarin to get back on the Way this morning

#camino #caminodesantiago #caminofrances #americanpilgrimsonthecamino #elcamino taken in Camino De Santiago, Palas De Rei by @skyler_walks

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2 years ago

Day 30: 14 mi

Stage 29: Sarria to Portomarin

When the alarm went off at 5:30 this morning, I absolutely did not want to get out of bed. The Albergue was very busy this morning - lots of new pilgrims primping in the bathrooms (some were putting on full faces of makeup and heat styling their hair!! 🤦🏼‍♀️). I don’t want to start earlier, but it’s looking like these last few days are a race to be on the Way earlier.

It was a very foggy morning leaving Sarria. I walked 11km without stopping before getting breakfast, and was joined by a friendly Canadian, Manfred, who had also been walking since St. Jean in France. We got news around 12:30 that there had been a death on the Camino earlier that morning, about 10-15 km outside of Sarria. When @laura_chartrand texted the group chat later that she’d be arriving late, I had a feeling she’d somehow been involved given her profession as an ED nurse in Australia. Turns out she’d stumbled across the scene on her walk that morning and helped manage the emergency and perform resuscitation efforts until the paramedics could arrive. Unfortunately, efforts to resuscitate failed. It was a sobering reminder to enjoy every day, even when you’re going up hills and through mud - every moment on the Camino is a gift and tomorrow isn’t promised.

We reconvened at our house for the evening to cook dinner and talk about our days, with @fairyprincesswhale thoughtfully asking everyone what their favorite part of the day was. Everyone had very different answers. I’m so thankful to have a bed with real sheets tonight! Hoping to get up very early tomorrow to beat the wave of fresh pilgrims.

Todays highlights:

1. Morning fog leaving Sarria
2. Double digits! Less than 100km left!
3. Cool moss and plants growing on stone walls
4. Appreciating the moss wall at peak weirdness
5. A bagpiper on the Way!
6. Walking with friends today (Manfred not pictured) breaking my promise to walk alone 😂
7. Santiago Cake at breakfast + coffee
8. Entering Portomarin
9. I’m a STAR
10. These rolling hills will never get old

#camino #caminodesantiago #caminofrances #americanpilgrimsonthecamino taken in Portomarin, Galicia, Spain by @skyler_walks

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2 years ago

Day 29: 0 miles

Stage: REST DAY

We took our first rest day in Sarria!! A much needed day off for everyone after 420 nonstop miles, we spent the day mostly eating and sleeping. I stayed in my luxurious hotel suite until 11 when I sadly had to check out, and then met up with @ymursiukaiev in a park by the river as we waited for our Albergue to open. After getting settled in, I got some lunch and went exploring.

The gang reunited for dinner at a vegan restaurant, where we had some much-needed vegetables (lunch was a very typical Spanish lunch of chorizo sandwich, chocolate croissant, and coffee 😂). Tomorrow is a short walk to Portonarin, where we will be staying together as well.

Everyone seems to be fully recovered from illness 🙏🏼 and ready to walk tomorrow, which is fantastic. Sarria is swarming with new pilgrims, and we were reading out loud today advice on how to handle the change in atmosphere - apparently there can be some ~ pilgrim drama ~ when the new pilgrims with their fancy gear show up to do the last 100km, and the “veteran” pilgrims who have been walking for hundreds of kilometers don’t want to engage. I have seen quite a few bus tours today dropping off large groups of pilgrims, some with matching t shirts. For these new groups, the Camino from Sarria is a fun 5 day walk. For those who have been walking the full Camino, it’s a complex spiritual journey that is nearly complete.

I’m planning to walk as many of the last days alone as I can, to really reflect on this month and everything I’ve learned. 111 km to Santiago 🙏🏼

Todays highlights:

1. @laura_chartrand and @ymursiukaiev enjoying their veggie burgers
2. SLEEPOVERRRR in our little family room at the Albergue
3. The river in Sarria. It’s lined with lots of little cafes and restaurants
4. SARRIA
5. Comparing ice creams
6. Resting on our rest day 😴

#caminodesantiago #caminofrances #camino #americanpilgrimsonthecamino taken in Sarria by @skyler_walks

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2 years ago

Day 28: 11.5 mi

Stage 27: Triacastela to Sarria

I made it to Sarria today!! Sarria is the last push - the last 100km to Santiago. Many pilgrims start here and just walk the last 100km because it’s the minimum needed to receive your Compostela, or certificate indicating you have completed the pilgrimage. This also means it can get quite crowded and attracts a different kind of pilgrim than the ones who started in France or even further. There are 5 more walking days left in my Camino, for which my feet and body are very relieved but my heart is sad. When you strip life down to its essence, the looming prospect of returning to all those extra layers and complexities is overwhelming. When I’m walking through the villages and I see older people living in very rural towns, enjoying their daily lives, I’m a little envious of them. From where I stand, it seems like they have what’s important figured out.

In other developments, norovirus is sweeping through the Camino - the sick friend the other night did NOT in fact have food poisoning. Many pilgrims are down with it, including another of our group today. Colloquially known as the stomach flu, it’s very common in hiking and school environments and also highly contagious. Please send good vibes for good health as we are so close to Santiago! 🙏🏼

Todays highlights:

1. Video of me almost being trampled by a herd of cattle in the Camino
2. The steep descent into Sarria
3. The first fat!!! And happy!!! Cat I’ve seen
4. Entering Sarria - a huge milestone. From here on it’s 2 stamps per day on my passport to prove I am a pilgrim
5. The nicest bathtub I’ve ever seen at the hotel I treated myself to tonight 😍 taken in Sarria by @skyler_walks

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2 years ago

Day 27: 15 mi

Stage 26 (???): La Laguna to Triacastela

I woke up in La Laguna nearly on top of the mountain, and it was a short climb up to O Cebrario to the summit and breakfast. I got a later start this morning and I was all alone on the path to the summit, and it was so incredibly still and beautiful - the mountains at sunrise and the small villages in the distance. I tried to imagine living in one of these towns and waking up to this every morning.

As I walked into O Cebrario, I was greeted by a bagpiper on the path which was a first!! As I walked toward him, I crossed into Galicia, the final province in Spain on the way to Santiago.

Today’s walk was mountainous, with a 3000ft descent (done in my sandals hehe). As I’ve acquired shoes on the Camino - 1 new pair running shoes, 1 new pair sandals- I’ve refused to get rid of my old ones (what if I need them??) so I’ve developed a reputation as The Shoe Girl. This is ironic on many levels because the Camino is all about shedding what you don’t need and here I am taking 4 pairs of shoes to Santiago 😂

With the end in sight now, things are starting to feel a lot more sad. I’ve created a little family on the Way and we all have our roles and personalities now. These friendships, for the first time, aren’t based on where we went to school together or what our hobbies are - or even what country we live in. They’re based in heart. That’s what I’m going to miss most about the Camino, everything here is stripped to its very essence - including the people - and what we build with what remains endures. I am not Skyler the employee, the daughter, the partner, the colleague - I am just myself. And you are just you.

Todays highlights:

1. Clouds in the mountains today
2. Crossing into Galicia
3. Bagpipes on the Way
4. Shades of mountain today
5. Statue of a pilgrim searching for something at the peak
6. This albergue has a puppy! Caught mid snack
7. Cows!?? On the Camino today

#caminodesantiago #caminofrances #camino #americanpilgrimsonthecamino taken in Tríacastela, Galicia, Spain by @skyler_walks

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2 years ago

Day 26: 16.5 mi

Stage 25: Villafranca to La Laguna

As promised, today was a steep climb but honestly not as bad as we were expecting- maybe it’s the better fitness levels, maybe it was the company but today’s climb was very similar in elevation gain and distance as Day 1 in the Pyranees but it felt much easier than that climb did a month ago.

We left very early to beat the heat, on the Way by 6:15am. In a small town on the mountain at our breakfast stop, I met an Aussie, Cathy, who gave me some arch support inserts that helped a lot with the foot pain I’ve been getting from wearing out my shoes and hiking in sandals - so yay! Might have a solution there!

Laura and I were the last of the crew to arrive at the albergue, probably because we motivated ourselves up the mountain with frequent stops to snack on chocolate. The town we are staying in tonight is very small, only the one albergue, and we arrived to @ymursiukaiev leading a yoga session on the lawn.

I got some sun in the garden with Anders, a Danish student I met today, and we talked a lot about the cultural differences between Scandinavia and the US. Despite the physical fatigue, the sunny afternoons relaxing are my favorite and I really think I could do the Camino forever. Who knew the key to happiness was as simple as 8 hours of exercise a day, 12+ hours outside a day, spirituality, and community??

In less good news, one of us in the crew has some bad food poisoning or a stomach virus. We’re trying to work out how best to look after her in a small town with no doctors - not the easiest feat. Good vibes welcome 🙏🏼

Today’s highlights:

1. Summit pic!
2. Layers of mountains at the peak
3. Electrolytes in one hand, wine in the other.l @laura_chartrand
4. Shady incline
5. Castle on the hill
5. Selfie with Brad, our latest Camino amigo
6. Villafranca at dawn
7. Starting out this morning
8. Another summit selfie
9 a very large lizard taken in La Laguna de Castilla by @skyler_walks

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2 years ago

Day 25: 15 mi

Stage 24: Ponferrada to Villafranca

The grandma squad staggered out of the albergue early this morning, stiff-legged and limping, in an attempt to beat the heat. This was the earliest morning yet - I was on the Way by 6:15, others even earlier. After yesterday, I think all of us were looking forward to an easier day. I got some new sandals (more new shoes!) last night in Ponferrada and walked in those today, and @laura__theexplorer_ caught me before the first village, where @ymursiukaiev met up with us for coffee.

It was a hot one today but we kept it interesting with a group walk and a lot of discussion about our various faiths and beliefs, as well as some serious discussion around what animal best embodies each of our personalities in an attempt to motivate us up the hills.

Now that we’re single-digit walking days away from finishing, it’s starting to sink in that this experience is going to end sooner than later. And after so much planning, and so much walking, to now see the end in sight - I am asking myself: did I get what I came here for?

Tomorrow is a 3000 foot climb, and I’ve got some time to think when I get to the top of the mountain. As much as I want the answers to be easy and obvious, they rarely are.

Todays highlights:

1. This very large turtle that somehow got into a courtyard?? With very high walls??
2. Rest stop #3
3. Sunrise leaving Ponferrada
4. WE WALK AT DAWN
5. Bird hat
6. Shoe twins (for now)
7. The scenic route (slightly longer, but scenic as promised)
8. Roses in the albergue garden

#caminodesantiago #camino #caminofrances #americanpilgrimsonthecamino taken in Villafranca del Bierzo, Spain by @skyler_walks

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2 years ago

Day 24: 17 mi

Stage 23.5: Foncebadón to Ponferrada

When I left for Spain my dad gave me a card to open when I was having a bad day. I hadn’t had any bad days yet, so it had remained in my pack… until today 😂 This morning started out strong with a beautiful sunrise on the mountain and a short climb to the Cruz de Ferro, which was silhouetted in the sun. People had some emotional moments. The tradition is to leave a rock there to symbolize leaving a burden or a prayer - I left 5 rocks 😂 3 for me, and 2 for others.

After a short climb to a second summit, the descent began. The path was very rocky and steep today, and after a week of being spoiled by the Meseta, this was a fun surprise for tired feet. I’ve been alternating between my runners (blisters!) and my chacos (foot pain!) and I switched quite a bit today. By the time I rolled into the city of Ponferrada at 4:30, I was so over ALL OF IT. The paper sheets. The discomfort. The no privacy, ever. The not understanding Spanish. The ham. The insanely strong sun. The cyclists. I even started to fantasize about calling a taxi and taking some mode of transit besides walking for the first time in a month.

But when I got to the women’s dorm and most of the gang was there, and we were all in a similarly rough place and bad mood, we started to laugh about it. We are all just so tired at this point, and everyone’s feet hurt. Hearing that one of us ripped a rose off a bush, one of us knocked a rock with an inspirational quote on it off a trail marker, and another was fantasizing about whacking someone with a stick today (extra points if you can guess which one I was) made it feel less isolating. Apparently there are 3 “difficult” rated days on the Camino and one was today (with the 1st being Day 1s’s big climb, and the last being day 26) was validating.

Today’s highlights:

1. Leaving my rocks at the Cruz de Ferro
2. Sunrise at the albergue
3. On the way up to the summit
4. The gorgeous mountains today - it was a beautiful hike! The scenery was 💯
5. An easy flowchart for tired pilgrims
6. The cross against the sun
7. Descending into a village for a snack

#caminodesantiago #camino #caminofrances taken in Ponferrada by @skyler_walks

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2 years ago

Day 23: 16 mi

Stage 23: Astorga to Foncebadón

The Camino was full of wisdom today! I spotted so many handwritten signs, graffiti phrases, and notes throughout the walk to Foncebadón. Which was honestly much needed, since today was a long day - I left at 7:15 and arrived at 3:45. At mile 14, I was met with a SURPRISE MOUNTAIN, as I’ve started living dangerously and not checking the elevation for each day before setting out. Today’s elevation gain was 2,000 ft. We are officially out of the Meseta!

Tomorrow I will pass the Cruz de Ferro, or iron cross, which is supposedly a medieval Camino marker and now indicates the highest point on the Camino. People traditionally bring rocks from home, carry them on the Camino, and leave them at the cross to symbolize giving up their burdens to God. I missed the memo about bringing a rock from home, but I did pick one up a couple days ago and I told it all my burdens (heavy stuff like “I need vegetables, my feet hurt, and wtf is going on with inflation in America and globally??”) so I’m hoping that counts.

I’ve heard a lot of stories about the cross: that people have felt an electricity there, that miracles have occurred after placing a rock at the base. It will be the first stop tomorrow, about 2 km in and all uphill, and I’m looking forward to seeing it in person.

10 walking days to Santiago.

Todays highlights:

1. Back in the mountains again! The mountain in the distance is snow capped
2. The quote I randomly chose from a jar of blessings
3. Paulo Coelho quotes on blue window shutters
4. Nothing but blue skies today ☀️
5. A beautiful quote about making something good from our failures
6. Down to the last 250 km
7. The best dinner I’ve had so far! Albergue family dinner at Alberge Monte Irado
8. Evening on the Camino: music + crickets + people talking

#caminodesantiago #camino #americanpilgrimsonthecamino taken in Foncebadón, Castilla y León, Spain by @skyler_walks

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2 years ago