A pilgrim meticulously choses the items she would carry and the pack in which she would transport them, balancing need against weight. Along the way, she discovers that the real measure of these carefully selected items went beyond the practical—they were talismans for her journey, tokens of comfort and resilience.
At the start of their journey, a Camino angel bestows upon a woman and others in her group each a necklace of religious medals. A year and a half on, she still wears this necklace often as a reminder of her Camino days, when she learned to be present and savor this moment.
The Canadian Company of Pilgrims has launched a Mindful Pilgrim initiative focused around the themes of kindness, respect, openness, and curiosity, and meant to encourage people to consider with intention what it means to walk as a pilgrim.
The Summer 2024 issue of La Concha, a magazine published by American Pilgrims on the Camino with news, pilgrim stories, poetry, and more on the theme of “Lightening Your Load.”
Summer 2024 letter from American Pilgrims on the Camino Board Chair Joe Curro.
Carrying an immense load of grief and anger after her mother’s death, a pilgrim walks the Camino with a 1.6-pound rock painted by her niece in memory of her mother. When she finds the perfect spot to finally set down the rock, she feels lighter than she has in months.
Sitting on the side of the trail nursing her blisters and inflamed calves caused by an overburdened backpack, a woman meets a Camino angel who offers her a vital insight that changes her pilgrimage and ultimately her path in life.
Hany Farag reviews “Camino,” a Danish film about an estranged father and daughter on pilgrimage together to fulfill the dying wish of their wife and mother.
In this poem, Lawrence Jones muses about some discarded attire spotted along the way and the cautionary tale it may offer fellow pilgrims.
When the road gets weary, songleader Tom Friesen finds there’s nothing like belting out a good tune to lift your spirits and lighten your load. And nothing creates Camino community quite like an albergue singalong.