When Steve Parry returned from walking the Camino de Santiago in France and Spain this spring, he almost immediately started planning to do it all over again.
Over the winter, the Waypoint board member will be investigating whether there is interest in a Camino walking group in Tiny Township. Its members would include individuals training for the walk, as well as those just curious as to what it takes. Parry is planning to tackle the Camino again in March 2025.
This year’s adventure raised $5,100 for Waypoint. Here are some other key numbers related to Parry’s endeavour:
- 44 – The number of days the walk lasted
- 1,009 – Distance walked, in kilometres, from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France, to Finisterre, Spain
- 1.4 million – The total number of steps taken
- 11,000 – The elevation change, in metres, over the distance covered
- 33 – Countries represented by other people on Parry’s walk
- 30 – The number of pounds Parry lost on the Camino
- 0 – Remarkably, the number of blisters Parry developed on his journey
The origins of the Camino date back to the year 812, when a shepherd dreamed that a shower of stars had shown him the burial site of the apostle St. James.
The discovery attracted pilgrims from all over the world, who visited via an ancient Roman road. Today, it is one of the most popular pilgrimage routes in the world; last year, more than 446,000 people completed the journey.