(Note: I'm not sponsored by Chaco, nor does this post contain any affiliate links, just free advice!) Flat feet are a curse to the hiker. They cause numerous problems, besides sore feet. They contribute to problems with knees and hips and even the lower back. I've been plagued by all these problems for over five … Continue reading Why I’m still trekking in sandals and how Chaco sandals have saved my flat feet
Pilgrim Paths to Assisi goes on tour (Part 2)
(Click here to see part one of this tour!) My "book tour" with Pilgrim Paths fit organically--and even surprisingly--with the actual walking I did with the group, starting from the first day. While my primary purpose in Italy was to host a group of 12 older adults as they walked the Way of St. Francis, … Continue reading Pilgrim Paths to Assisi goes on tour (Part 2)
Why we trek in Sandals
It's been three years now since I completed my first 150 kilometer trek in Chaco sandals and I am more than convinced that they are the way to go for me. This past year my wife and I completed walking the Way of St. Francis in Italy--500 kilometers--completely in Chacos. This included some tough, "technical" … Continue reading Why we trek in Sandals
Where to stay on the Way of St. Francis
The Way of St. Francis offers a range of lodging options and during our pilgrimage to Assisi in April of this year (2022) we took the opportunity to experience that entire range. Rifugio Asqua, in the Casentino National Forest, about 5k before Camaldoli. We booked ahead always, typically a day ahead, but in a couple … Continue reading Where to stay on the Way of St. Francis
Learning to follow the signs on the Camino
My first day on the Camino Frances started with breakfast at the Albergue Beilari, in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. The lights had come on early and by 6:30 my fellow pilgrims were seated at the long tables in the dining room, ready to eat and start the day. I sleepily got myself up and dressed, headed downstairs to … Continue reading Learning to follow the signs on the Camino
MORE Camino Magic
Albergue Ave Fenix, the site of more magic This story is adapted from my book The Walk of a Lifetime: 500 Miles on the Camino de Santiago. The best experiences on the Camino aren’t orchestrated. They are the unexpected encounters with friends in cafés, the sandwiches, cookies and apples shared at a picnic bench, the cups … Continue reading MORE Camino Magic
Book sales top 1,000
Last September I published my own book, The Walk of a Lifetime: 500 Miles on the Camino de Santiago, and set the modest goal of selling 1,000 copies in my first year. I'm happy to say that I crossed that milestone early this month, after only ten months, and I'm celebrating. Like many other authors, … Continue reading Book sales top 1,000
Walking the Camino: the inner preparation
From the first that I heard about walking the Camino de Santiago, (and the Camino Frances in particular) I understood it to be a unique spiritual experience and one I would actually dream about for 20 years. This means that the inner preparation for the pilgrimage began decades before that cool and wet March morning in … Continue reading Walking the Camino: the inner preparation
Solitude and mind clarification: Walking the Meseta on the Camino de Santiago
Several pilgrims I met before Burgos told me they planned to skip the Meseta, the broad central Spanish plain. They had heard it was long, dull and monotonous. They were going to take the bus to Leon, cutting out, at very least, seven days of walking. I would not have skipped it for anything. The … Continue reading Solitude and mind clarification: Walking the Meseta on the Camino de Santiago
Feet, Shoes and Mud
Take long walks in stormy weather or through deep snows in the fields and woods, if you would keep your spirits up. Deal with brute nature. Be cold and hungry and weary.Henry David Thoreau--On the Duty of Civil Disobedience My hiking shoes finally gave out on the snowy final trek into Burgos, my 12th day of … Continue reading Feet, Shoes and Mud
Russ Eanes 
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