By Dorian Martin, I Start Wondering Founder
Just put one foot in front of another…
The idea of journeying under the power of one’s own two feet while carrying only enough possessions with you that fit in a backpack continues to gain interest worldwide. Case in point: the number of individuals walking Europe’s Camino de Santiago has seen a 107% increase over the past decade.
These hikes, which can last for days, weeks, or months, also include the Appalachian Trail in the United States and Japan’s Nakasendo Way, both of which I Start Wondering Columnist Kaye Olsson navigated. (You can read about her Appalachian Trail trip here.)
In addition to offering a physical challenge, these adventures offer dedicated time and space for the traveler to delve into mental and emotional blocks that have stymied them for years. As St. Augustine purportedly said, “It is solved by walking.”
Cheryl Strayed’s 2012 bestseller, Wild*, had the perfect subtitle “From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail.” Her a-ha moments that resulted in this strenuous experience were life-changing.
Other walkers do these journeys with family and find ways to delve into the complexity of relationships, as noted in Andrew McCarthy’s book, Walking with Sam*. And in some cases, walkers find these journeys offer an opportunity to delve more deeply into their religious or spiritual beliefs, coming away with deeper insights about life.
Meet Two Intrepid Travelers
Because many older women are considering or in the process of training for such a trip, we want to introduce you to two adventurers who took part in separate journeys.
The first is Jill Burk, a retired educator and an avid traveler who loves both culture and nature. Accompanied by her daughter, Jill was 70 when she hiked the Inca Trail and then backpacked the Appalachian Trail with her daughter and granddaughter. Earlier in 2024, Jill walked the Camino with her daughter in 2004, turning 75 on the trip.
The second, Sondra White, is a passionate outdoorswoman who loves hiking, kayaking and camping. Sondra was 58 when she joined her sister in traversing Peru’s Inca Trail as part of a NextTribe travel group.
Jill’s Journey
I was inspired to take this trip after my pastor and his wife did the entire Camino and shared what that experience meant to them. My daughter and I had planned to take this trip in September 2023, but I needed foot surgery. Actually, postponing the trip to May 2024 turned out to be a good thing as we had more time to research and plan.
We decided to “sample” the Camino, starting at St. Jean Pied de Port, a walled town and ancient capital of the Basque region. We ended the trip at Pamplona, Spain for a total of 68.5 km (about 42.5 miles).
One interesting part of walking the Camino is the albergues - I would call them hostels - where you can spend the night and often eat a meal. One place even packed a lunch we could take with us as we left. The albergues are all very different, ranging from a convent to a government-run facility to a room in a private home. One of our stops had 260 beds -- all bunk beds (no bedding), lined up in rows in long open hallways.
We had reservations for each night. While that might not be as important later in the trip and in bigger cities, those without reservations where we were travelling had to keep walking until they found a room.
The most challenging part of our journey was backpacking 12 miles over the Pyrenees mountains with unexpected high winds. But that was the part of the Camino that I most wanted to experience, in part because of the physical challenge, but also because of the beauty of the mountains and the history associated with such crossings just before and during World War II.
This also was the most memorable part of the trail for several reasons. The scenery in the Pyrenees was simply breathtaking and actually made me feel like a very small part of something so, so much bigger. Also, the hike that day was quite difficult, and I briefly thought about stopping. But then what?! I just kept going.
Another memorable part was the other people, called pilgrims, who were also hiking the same path. They were from all over the world, and we tended to see some of the same people over and over--the young man from South Africa that we shared food with, the young woman from Germany in the bunk next to ours who was treating her blistered feet, and the middle-aged couple from Canada who have completed many hikes in many countries.
So many lessons were learned or reinforced on this adventure. One is that you really can live simply—I carried all that I needed for days in one backpack. Also, I learned that on the Camino, all are pilgrims on a journey, and we help and encourage each other. I think that's actually true of most people in life. I learned that each day there is, of course, the physical or external part of the experience, but that the internal or spiritual part is just as important to attend to. Finally, I learned that I will eventually get there, one step at a time.
Sondra’s Journey
I decided I wanted to hike the Inca Trail in my late 20s when I realized that outdoor adventures bring me such joy. I previously have done major hikes at other locations, such as Yosemite National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, and Big Bend National Park, as well as in Guam, Hawaii, and New Mexico, among others. With each trip I was learning more about backpacking and camping, getting in better shape and getting used to walking many miles carrying a backpack!
I started planning an Inca Trail trip with a friend earlier to celebrate three of my milestone birthdays but none of those panned out for various reasons. I was finally able to make it work with my sister in October 2023.
Our seven-day journey required us to walk between 3-12 miles a day and took us to an altitude of 12,000 feet. It was an adventure that I will remember until the day I die. I had not thought of it as a pilgrimage until I did it and had time to look back on the experience. The range of feelings - physical and emotional - was almost too much at times and included extreme exhaustion to elation at the absolute beauty of the Andes Mountains and disbelief that human beings had built this trail across miles of rough terrain.
I savored every minute of the journey, even when I was in pain, cold, hungry or exhausted. And the women with whom I walked also were incredible. Many of these characters were older than my 58 years but were in much better physical condition and had traveled the world over, which made most of them easy going and delightful. We laughed a lot.
Having my sister on this trip made it extra special for me. One of the most memorable experiences we had together was conquering Dead Woman's Pass. We were suffering but committed. We reached a point at which we were discussing what it might be like if they had to carry us off because we were done—even though we still had miles uphill ahead of us. I carried oxygen with me, and that helped us get over a bit of a hump. We also found inspiration from other hikers, many of whom we had to convince that they could do it. We also began a conversation while hiking about relatives we had lost.
The second was during the last night on the trail at a campsite near some ruins called Phuyupatamarca, which is the highest altitude you reach on the hike. We were so tired and turned in right after dinner. I awoke probably around midnight and needed to find a place to take care of business. Sharon woke up and we ventured out together with our headlamps, unsure of where we were supposed to go since the campsite is on a steep, stepped hillside. Finally, I found a pretty private spot that worked for us, and we kind of got lost making it back up to our tent. Along the way, my headlamp flashed on a face in the dark. It was the face of a large alpaca sitting on one of the grass steps with her baby nearby, chewing on her cud. I got my sister's attention, and we stood there for quite some time gazing upon these beautiful, large creatures who had walked up to sit with these strange humans sleeping on their mountain. We started hiking around 2 a.m. and crossed the Sun Gate into Macchu Pichu at dawn.
Macchu Pichu is educational, exhilarating, beautiful beyond explanation, and you get a sense of accomplishment and a spiritual awakening (whatever that means to you). The world is big and our lives are short, so be spontaneous and explore while you still can.
Put on Your Hiking Shoes
There’s no better time than now to commit to this type of journey. As Jill and Sondra note, these journeys can feed our sense of adventure and our soul while stretching our understanding of what is possible. We plan to go more deeply into this topic on our podcast, I Start Wondering Conversation. Watch for this in the future!
Are you inspired to take this type of hike? Or have you had a similar journey? Let us know in the comments.
*Proceeds from the purchase of these books will be used to support I Start Wondering's programming for women who have reached mid-life and beyond.
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