Sacramento, CA: Sacramento Pilgrims, The Camino de Santiago and the Resurgence of Pilgrimage with Sandy Brown and Dave Whitson

More than a half-million people will complete a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela this year, while countless others will follow one of the scores of ancient, medieval, and contemporary routes across Europe and beyond. For two decades, Sandy Brown and Dave Whitson have explored many of these routes, and in this presentation they will discuss why, even amidst talk of over-crowding, the main branch of the Camino de Santiago is still a profound and invaluable experience to pursue. At the same time, though, they will advocate for continued exploration beyond those most popular routes, as exceptional pilgrimage routes expand far beyond Spain. Along with their prepared remarks, there will also be time for audience Q&A.

The Reverend Sandy Brown has authored seven Cicerone titles covering The Camino de Santiago, The Via Francigena from Canterbury to Rome to Santa Maria di Leuca, The Via di Francesco from Florence to Assisi to Rome, and the California Mission Walk. Since completing his first Camino in 2008, Sandy has walked or biked over 11,200 miles on pilgrimage trails in Spain, France, Switzerland, Italy and the United States. Sandy is an ordained minister.

Dave Whitson is the host of The Camino Podcast and has authored three Cicerone guidebooks: The Camino del Norte and Camino Primitivo, The Via Podensis – Le Puy to The Pyrenees, and The Camino Ingles and Ruta Do Mar. Dave has also published two non-guidebooks, Pilgrimage: A Medieval Cure for Modern Ills and The Camino Compendium: A Historical and Cultural Exploration of the Camino de Santiago. Dave made his first pilgrimage on the Camino Frances in 2002. Since then he has led student pilgrimages across Europe and Japan, walked tens of thousands of kilometers of pilgrim roads, and completed a coast-to-coast walk across the USA following the American Discovery Trail and The Oregon Trail.