Day 0: May 8, 2016: Some facts about the Camino de Santiago Compostela

Saint Jean Pied de Port, France

The Camino Frances

The story of St James and the Camino is an odd one, and based on an unlikely protagonist. James was one of Christ's earliest disciples and part of the inner circle. He and his brother John were known for having hot tempers and earned themselves the nickname "Sons of Thunder" after they once suggested burning a town that had given the group a less-than-wonderful reception.

Upon Christ’s crucifixion, James went to Spain to spread the word, but returned after 10 years, with little to show for his efforts. Upon his return, he was promptly beheaded, and his body was sent back to Spain, purportedly in a stone boat...what could go wrong?

Here the tale becomes a little vague, and accounts diverge. Some accounts say the stone boat went down at sea, and that the remains of St James were washed up on shore covered with a protecting covering of scallop shells. Other accounts maintain that as the boat approached the shore, a passing bridegroom’s horse bolted at the sight of the miraculous stone ship, tossing the bridegroom into the sea, which then delivered him safely to the shore, encased in protective scallop shells. Later in the tale, there is some confusion about the roll of the local pagan queen who alternatively either sponsors the burial of St James, or chases the disciples of St James across a bridge that miraculously collapses, saving the disciples.

Either way, the remains of St James are buried in what is now Galicia, and then forgotten until the 9th; century, when a hermit follows a star, discovers the remains, and reported his findings to the local authorities. The local clergy immediately somehow divine that these must be the remains of St James. A basilica is erected, and was the genesis of present-day Santiago (Spanish name for St James).

At this time the Christians were struggling to regain control of Spain from the Moors. They were spurred on to an unlikely victory by the miraculous appearance of St James on the battlefield, decapitating Moors left and right (probably still upset about his own beheading). Thus, he earned the new nickname Santiago Matamoros (St James the Moor killer).

Stantiago Matamores

Similarly, St James appeared to Charlemagne in a vision, directing him to follow the Milky Way to his (James') remains, even though the way was obstructed by Moorish infidels. Thus, the association of Santiago with the Milky Way (Compostela = Field of Stars) and the reconquista.

The legends somehow resonated with popular medieval sentiments and the pilgrimage was born. Pilgrims set out from their homes, following the Milky Way to the west, arriving in Santiago de Compostela to see the tomb of St James. For their efforts they earned a partial indulgence (partial get out of purgatory free/eternal salvation card). This was perceived as a good deal, and so the pilgrimage became quite popular. At its peak of popularity, half a million pilgrims converged on Santiago annually.

Because the pilgrimage technically started at the pilgrim’s font door, there was no defined starting point, though pilgrims joined into flocks, following the same routes, resulting in established pilgrimage routes. Many of these pilgrimage roads converged to pass through the Pyrenees at St Jean Pied de Port and then follow the Camino Frances across northern Spain to Santiago. Today, this remains the most popular route. But, there are multiple other pilgrimage routes leading to Santiago.

Pilgrimage routes

So, the scallop shell is not only a symbol of St James, but also a metaphor for the multiple paths of pilgrimage converging on Santiago. The scallop shell quickly became the major symbol of the Camino, sported by pilgrims returning from their journey as evidence that they had actually reached the shores of Galicia in western Spain.

Plague, crime, the reformation, and more recently the Spanish Civil War and Franco all contributed to diminishing popularity of the pilgrimage; and the Camino fell into obscurity. However, there has been a recent resurgence of interest, which coincided with a promoted holy year in 1993. Ever since, the Camino has been growing in popularity. A recent proliferation of books, movies and blogs related to the Camino have inspired a total of 262K pilgrims to reach Santiago in 2015.

Today as in the middle ages, there are still many roads to Santiago. The most popular stretch starts in Sarria, and follows the final 100Km of the Camino Frances. This is the minimal distance that will qualify a hiker to receive the Compostela (certificate of completion). Many other hikers opt to start in St Jean Pied de Port, near the Spanish-French border and trek 800Km to Santiago. And for some, the road doesn’t stop at Santiago, but continues on to Finisterre, which was regarded as the end of the earth in Roman times.

This is my plan: to leave St Jean in the morning and follow the Milky Way to the end of the earth. It's a romantic idea, and in practice it's complicated. I will have only 30 days to complete my journey, though there are 33-34 traditional stages between St Jean and Santiago, not counting the additional recommended 4 days to get to Finisterre. So, it’s an ambitious undertaking, with no margin for error, or rest. The road is 833 km/551 miles, meaning and average of 18.4 miles/day.

Can I hike 18-19 miles every day for a month?

Will this rapidly aging body make it?

Will my spirit survive, 30 days of solitude and introspection?

What possessed me to do this?

We will see.

Elevation Profiles of Camino Frances