Today we walked 6.8 miles, about half the miles we walked yesterday. Piece of cake. It was so much easier, and so nice to stop earlier in the afternoon and get to relax. It was a much mellower day. The weather could not have been more perfect for hiking: warm with a little cool breeze. […]
A Respite and an Oasis Read More »
“I have walked through many lives, some of them my own, and I am not who I was, though some principle of being abides, from which I struggle not to stray.” —Stanley Kunitz, The Layers Respond to these three prompts, each for fifteen minutes. Do them in a row: Who I used to be Who
When we woke up this morning, it had been raining all night, so I assumed, as many of us did, that we’d be walking in the rain all day. So, we dressed for it, but then the rain never materialized. The sun came out, but it was never too hot. It was a perfect temperature
NOTE: This post is about my 2023 retreat hiking the Camino de Santiago. I will be hiking this same route on the Camino in 2026! If you would like to join me, visit the following URL for details: https://lauradavis.net/camino/. When I led my first international tour in Bali twelve years ago, Surya Made and Judy
Everything You Need to Know About Peeing and Pooping on a Multi-Day Hike Read More »
We have a rest day today—no hiking—which means it will be a day dedicated to creativity. We called our pilgrimage the Creative Camino and today we’re focusing on the arts. I’ll be teaching a three-hour writing class this afternoon. Brenda taught a great three-hour watercolor session this morning. I love doing art with her. She’s
The Things We Carry Read More »
It was a little easier getting all geared up and ready today than it was yesterday. Everything didn’t feel as new or unfamiliar. We had our routines established. Before we started off, Brenda informed us, “Today will be an uphill day.” And it was. It wasn’t like mountain climbing but much of the day involved
We Walked Fifteen Plus Miles Today Read More »
I woke up at 5 this morning, slipped out of my bed at Hotel O’Cebreiro, packed my bags, and went out in to the darkness to walk through the town before anyone was up. It was chilly and misty and pretty soon it started to rain. I went back in to retrieve my raincoat and
Today we walked our first miles on the Camino de Santiago. It was only a few miles because most of the day was spent in transit from Madrid to O’Cebreiro Pass. Walking to the taxi stop, taking taxis to the first bus, five hours on the first, a final hour on a second bus. We
Today: We Embarked on the Way Read More »
Eating the hugest plate of padron peppers with Andre Mallinger planning our opening ritual for the beginning of our pilgrimage, our first day on the trail. We leave Madrid in five minutes for a long day of transit.
Last Dinner in Madrid Read More »
I just taught the first writing class of our Camino pilgrimage. I was blown away by the cohesiveness, intimacy, and presence of our group, right from the very first class. What an amazing group has gathered for this creative pilgrimage—what an amazing, as-yet-to-be-discovered journey we’re going to have together. And the tie-ins between writing and
The First Writing Class Read More »
We started with art again this morning. I’ll be teaching our first writing class this afternoon, but we wanted to be out painting before the day got hot. When we gathered with our art kits on the street this morning outside our hotel, Brenda Porter handed us each a swatch of watercolor paper with one
