Hiking Spain- When is it Time to Move on?

Probably Never….is my answer

Recently, I posted my plans to return to a place I love, a place I hole dear to my heart, and a place that I can say without a doubt, changed my life forever.

Yes, I am hiking Spain again – El Camino. Why?

Many have asked me why I am returning to hike a place I have done many times before. Go some place new, I get told. My answer is complex, but always the same.

There is not one single thing about hiking El Camino that answers why. It’s a compilation of many factors;

Culture, Language, History, Meditation whilst hiking, Friendships made, Food, Scenery, Serenity, Peacefulness, and the spirituality of it all that answer this why question.

I must also add that hiking El Camino has given me ( and renewed) faith in mankind! I can’t describe it, you have to do it.

My Trip This Year;

I will be gone in mid Spring for close to 3 months to hike familiar ground, explore new hiking routes, and re-trace many steps in areas where the scenery is embedded in my brain forever.

1) Madrid

I will arrive and explore this vibrant, bustling city for just a few days just before I begin hiking.

2) Leon to Santiago de Compostela

I ended my journey in Leon late last summer. I want to return and finish this 300 Km portion of the Camino Frances.

I want to see it in the Spring where the scenery will not resemble anything I saw the last time I hiked it in September of 2015.

3) SELECT days (13) Between Pamplona and Leon

I have hiked to Leon twice now in the last 3 years. What more could I possibly wish to see? Why would I EVER do this section ( or small parts of it ) again?

There is one thing that I know from hiking. You can walk the same area over and over again with the scenery never looking the same! Different times of day, different light, and different weather can drastically change any scene or landscape. If you change the season when you hike a familiar route, it becomes something brand new.