Pause and Wander

Date:  September 1, 2025

Place: Saint-Jean de Port

Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, tucked against the Pyrenees in French Basque Country, has been the traditional starting point for pilgrims walking the Camino Francés for centuries. The name means “Saint John at the foot of the pass,” and the town sits at the gateway to the Roncesvalles Pass, the same route Charlemagne’s army once took in the 8th century when the legendary Battle of Roncevaux Pass occurred.

By the Middle Ages, SJPdP became one of the most important gathering points for pilgrims from across Europe. Narrow cobbled streets, red-roofed houses, and the fortified Porte Saint-Jacques still stand today, reminders that this little town once bustled with travelers carrying scallop shells and wooden staffs. The Camino itself stretches westward across northern Spain, culminating at Santiago de Compostela, where the remains of Saint James are said to rest in the cathedral. For more than a thousand years, pilgrims have walked this path for faith, penance, adventure, or personal transformation.

The route is not only about history and spirituality but also about community. Pilgrims from all corners of the world converge, sharing meals, bunks, stories, and blisters. In that way, every step is both deeply personal and surprisingly communal.

Why The Camino, Why Now?

The Camino de Santiago is no small undertaking. At nearly 800 kilometers, even fit adults usually need a full month or more to complete it. For our family, the Camino has always felt like a “someday” dream, but one that didn’t quite fit into normal life. Pulling the kids out of school for a month-long vacation to walk across Spain would have been impossible. This sabbatical year changes that. It gives us the time and space, and even though Arya and Finlee are still on the younger side for such a long journey, this feels like the right window—the one that guarantees it will actually happen.

The Camino is also the right trail for us now because of its infrastructure. While epic routes like the Pacific Crest Trail or Appalachian Trail call to me, they demand a level of self-sufficiency—carrying food, gear, shelter—that doesn’t fit where we are as a family. The Camino offers a middle ground: adventure and difficulty, but with beds, meals, and resupply points along the way. It’s accessible in a way that makes it realistic for us.

Walking Together as a Family.

Why do it as a family? Because life is unpredictable. Right now we have the time and the means, so why wait? If we go together, the Camino becomes more than just a long walk; it becomes a shared story. I hope Arya and Finlee discover grit—the ability to do hard things—and build the self-confidence to step outside their comfort zones and keep going.

Hopes and Fears.

When I asked the girls what they hoped for, their answers were so simple and honest: they want to try new foods, improve their Spanish (maybe even become fluent), become physically and mentally strong, and make new friends. Shaina hopes for meaningful conversations with all of us, the kind that happen when the road stretches on and there’s nothing else to do but talk and listen.

My own hope is to be a better dad—to practice patience with my kids and with Shaina, and to see the inevitable bumps in the road as opportunities instead of frustrations.

And the fears? The biggest one is being forced to stop: injury, illness, or some crisis that ends the Camino before we reach Santiago. I also picture those hard-luck days—trudging into town soaked from rain, exhausted, only to find the albergue full and the next bed too far away. Yet those are probably the very moments that will become most formative, when gratitude deepens because comfort isn’t guaranteed.

Staying Motivated

We’ll need clever ways to keep spirits up. Camino “badges” for milestones. Family songs or chants for steep climbs. Letting the kids pick the evening treat after a tough day. Maybe even a few silly rituals we invent along the way. These little motivators can transform a long slog into a memory worth laughing about later.

This Camino will test us, stretch us, and—if we let it—bring us closer together. We may not know exactly what waits ahead on the trail, but we know why we’re taking the first step