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Chapter Happenings – Autumn 2026

Following are highlights from just a few of the 60+ American Pilgrims chapters across the country. Learn more about our chapters and visit the events calendar for the latest on what our chapters are up to.

Valley Of The Sun burro Bob Volk — Phoenix Valley of the Sun chapter pilgrim Neila Brownstein encounters a friendly burro on the Wild Burro Trail on April 25, 2026, during a spring training hike in Lake Pleasant Regional Park in Peoria, Arizona. Photo by Bob Volk.

St. James Day Roving Celebration

by Chuck Johnson | Minnesota Chapter

Minnesota pilgrims celebrated St. James Day with an 18-mile (30-kilometer) pilgrimage hike. We began our day with breakfast and a morning prayer at the Solanus Friary in St. Paul. We followed the Gateway Trail which is a wooded, shaded paved trail. We had four manned rest stops providing water and snacks. Most of us also stopped for ice cream, a lot of ice cream. The walk ended at St. Michael’s church in Stillwater where we had a pilgrim mass and pizza party. It was a day filled with memories and pilgrim tales.

Minnesota Chapter gateway trail chuck johnson autumn 2026 la concha — A rest stop along the Gateway Trail, July 2026. Photo by Chuck Johnson.

Left: A Minnesota pilgrim enjoys ice cream along the Gateway Trail in July, 2026. Right: Morning prayer at Solanus Friary in St. Paul kicks off a hike to celebrate St. James Day, July 2026. Photos by Chuck Johnson.

Minnesota Chapter solanus friary chuck johnson — Left: A Minnesota pilgrim enjoys ice cream along the Gateway Trail in July, 2026. Right: Morning prayer at Solanus Friary in St. Paul kicks off a hike to celebrate St. James Day, July 2026. Photos by Chuck Johnson.

St. James Day Wine Event

by Paula Steele | Albuquerque Chapter

Our St. James Day wine tasting event was well received by the 13 participants in a near-sellout event. We offered four wines—two whites and two reds. Everyone loved our wine tasting credential and the stamps—a yellow arrow, a hiking boot, a hiker, and a scallop shell—for marking each wine sampled.

Camino Music to Celebrate St. James Day

Colin Campbell entertains Philadelphia Chapter pilgrims with songs he wrote on the Camino Francés at a St. James Day dinner in Media, PA, on July 25, 2026. Photos by Dave Donselar.

Philadelphia Chapter colin campbell dave donselar — Colin Campbell entertains Philadelphia Chapter pilgrims with songs he wrote on the Camino Francés at a St. James Day dinner in Media, PA, on July 25, 2026. Photos by Dave Donselar.

A St. James Day Pitch-In

by David Cook | Indianapolis Chapter

The Hoosiers on the Camino Chapter gathered in Indianapolis for a pitch-in meal to celebrate St. James Day on July 25. A mix of 27 new and veteran pilgrims attended.

Hoosier Chapter st james 2026 — Photo by an Indiana pilgrim’s spouse.

St. James Day Picnic

by Christine Petty | Colorado Front Range Chapter

Despite temperatures reaching nearly 100 degrees on July 25, the Colorado Front Range Chapter had a great St. James Day Picnic/Potluck Celebration on the back patio at coordinator Christine Petty’s home. The group enjoyed lots of delicious food, great Camino story sharing, and a shell ceremony for first-time pilgrims embarking on Camino this year.