Our Walk Along the Camino Primitivo

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” Ralph Waldo Emerson, Education , in Lectures and Biographical Sketches   Walking the Original Way Through Asturias and Galicia   When we stepped away from the Cathedral of San Salvador in Oviedo and onto the Camino Primitivo in the spring of 2022, we were beginning the third major section of a pilgrimage that had already carried us a considerable distance across Spain. We had walked from Madrid to Sahagún on the Camino de Madrid, briefly returned to the Camino Francés as far as León, and then crossed the Cantabrian Mountains on the Camino de San Salvador. From Oviedo, the Primitivo would take us westward through Asturias and Galicia before joining the Francés near Melide for the final approach to Santiago de Compostela.   Beyond Spain, this journey came at the outset of our fourth year on the Trans Canada Trail. During the previous three years, #Hike4Birds had taken us from Cape Spear on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundla...

  “The Way is Made by Walking”   Pilgrimage from Oviedo to Lugo to Santiago The Camino Primitivo is often called the "Original Way" as it is the first recorded pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. But while it may be the oldest, for us, it felt like one of the most alive.   In many ways, it is certainly the most elemental, placing pilgrims in the northern mountains of Spain.  It climbs higher, seems quieter, and demands more of the body and the spirit than many of the better-known Caminos. But in return, it offers something few trails can: a deep and unfiltered immersion into the land, the weather, and perhaps (if one is lucky) ourselves.   In just under two weeks, we experienced fog-wrapped forests and sun-drenched ridgelines, blistering descents and soul-lifting vistas, crowded cafés and wide-open wilderness. We shared laughter and wine with strangers who became friends, and learned to navigate not just the trail, but the emotional challenges of walkin...