The Camino de Santiago is a pilgrimage that ends at the Cathedral of Santiago in Galicia, Spain. There are many different places you can start, depending on your time and ability level, including Sevilla, Lisbon, and even France. Over our spring break, I went with a group of other students from Mizzou and did the final 100km, or about 60 miles, over four days.

There are many reasons people may want to walk the Camino, for religious reasons, a physical challenge, to experience a new part of Spain or to spend time. Although we all came from the same university and the same program, we all had different reasons for why we were there and what we hope to take from the experience.

On the first day, we walked almost exactly 15 miles. It was an awakening to the toll it was going to take on our bodies and when you figured out how you preferred to walk. Some people liked walking alone others in a group or talking to another person. Some walked fast while others took their time. I learned that sitting and taking a break can be extremely rejuvenating. We would walk a long time before lunch and I would get tired, but after sitting and eating I felt refreshed and ready to go again.

I prefer to start early and get in as many miles as possible in the morning and walk at a quicker pace. Although we found our preferences, we still had to make compromises as part of a group. We need to wait for everyone to be ready before we left and we had to stop and wait periodically to make sure everyone was on track. We split our food between all of us and all helped carry something for the group.

On the second day, we did fewer miles, only about 12, which felt super easy. However, this meant that the following day we walked almost 19 miles. This was the day that pushed everyone to their limits and where you learned a lot about yourself and those around you. One of the reasons it was so hard was because we walked almost all before stopping to eat. We did over 15 miles without really stopping.

I had the opportunity to talk one on one with people in my group and learn a lot about them. I also was able to spend several hours walking on my own. The scenery in Galicia is incredible. Apart from the quaint houses and towns, it is an endless view of rolling green hills, vibrant trees and forests, and bright fields of wildflowers. When you are walking alone, not a soul in sight, surrounded by such breathtaking scenery, it is as if you are transferred into another world. It is incredibly meditative and reflective. Those last few hours where you really have to push yourself allowed me to think and consider my own reasons for being there, what pushes me, what I have learned from my time in Spain, and what I want to accomplish in the future.

On the final day, we had a new burst of energy to push to the finish line. Successfully completing something so physically and mentally straining is incredibly gratifying. I gave me a new sense of appreciation for my body and how thankful I am for all it allows me to do. You have a sense of accomplishment that comes from pushing through the struggle, from overcoming something difficult. For me, it reiterated the fact that I can do hard things and it is good to push yourself once in a while. I became very close to the other people in my group as we talked about everything, our personal beliefs, views on life and hopes for the future. Supporting and being supported by others through such a unique event created strong friendships.

This was one of the best experiences I have had in Spain, and I would really like to come back and do a larger portion, or the entire Camino.