Pilgrim Dana

I met Dana through her brother in October 2018. I was looking for company on local hikes. By this time, I was able to walk six miles with a few breaks.
Here we sit with our coffee and she starts talking about a 500 mile walk. In Spain! Furthermore, she tells me if I can walk six miles, I can walk across Spain. First, I want to run out that door! But then, something happens, and I want to do this thing that I’d never heard of before that cup of coffee.

When I get home, I say to John: I’m going to walk across Spain. He says, Really? When? And 11 months later my first step landed on the path leading over the Pyrenees in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France.

Dana is my Camino mentor, my cheerleader and my friend. I can hear her now… What if…. And some seemingly impossible something flows out of that creative mind and suddenly seems possible. We did it, my friend.

Dana at the Cruz de Ferro on the Camino Frances.
Camino Le Puy Route

October 12 It’s all your fault, Dana: And So It Goes

On October 12, 2018 (one year ago yesterday) I met the sister of one of the guys in our coffee group because he said she hiked and I was really wanting to meet some local women to walk with.

At our meeting, she proceeded to talk about walking 500 miles (ok. I was thinking more of a five-mile walk on a North Kansas City trail). Then she said… across northern Spain. OMG, I got home from that coffee date and said, John, I’m gonna walk 500 miles across Spain. He pretty much said, When do you plan to do this?

And so it goes…