Arduous Beauty on the Camino del Norte

           The opportunity to walk the Camino Del Norte was presented to me as support from my longtime sweetheart and companion Kari.  I had been thinking and talking about it since I finished my journey in September and October of 2022 on the Camino Frances.  The fall of 2022 was my second time walking the Camino Frances, but the first time from start to finish in one trip.  I even wrote and published a book available on Amazon about my experiences, it is called Heaven is Walking the Camino de Santiago.  It is most definitely true that my last Camino Frances was a heavenly experience in so many wonderful ways.  The place, the journey, the people, and the transformative experiences all have made a huge impact on this 74-year-olds journey in life.  I have always been one to quickly jump into things with a hope and prayer and a lack of knowledge.  Sort of a ready, fire, aim mentality that has at times been successful and other times created plenty of challenges to deal with in my life.  In doing the Camino Del Norte I was determined to have as much knowledge going into it as possible and eliminate as much unexpected drama as I could.  I got a guidebook, a Del Norte App from Wise Pilgrim, and watched countless YouTube videos of others who made the journey.  The main theme of all my research was that it was harder than the Camino Frances, but it was worth the effort for the spectacular vistas, sunrises, and the walk along the Ocean.  Based on all the information I gathered, I concluded that this was something I wanted to do, and could do, and it would be a good challenge for me physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  Indeed, it was a challenge, but not in the way I was expecting based on my previous Caminos.  Unfortunately, nothing I read mentioned just how arduous the journey would be nor clearly indicated the horrible and dangerous condition and steepness of many of the descending trails.  Knowledge is power and a lack of knowledge leaves you powerless to properly prepare and make good decisions.        

            I arrived in Irun, which is the traditional starting place, on September 13, 2023, after flying into Bilbao and taking a bus for an hour and a half.  I stayed in the Municipal Albergue in Irun, and it was very satisfactory and much like any Municipal Albergue’s on the Camino Frances.  I did notice there was not much support close by for getting something to eat, so I ate a Cliff Bar and went to bed completely unaware of what the next day would be like.  Fortunately, the Albergue had a breakfast of toast, jam, and coffee and little did I know it would have to last me until 12:15 pm.  My routine on the Frances was to get up, leave as quickly as possible and stop in the first town at a bar for a Tortilla Patata, fresh squeezed orange juice and a café Americano.  What I learned is that there are so few Pilgrims on this route that the infrastructure is not as geared to their needs and certainly not as plentiful.  Although I did not know it at the time, I soon learned that this was the norm not the exception.  Pilgrims are not a priority; they are more of a novelty.  It is the tourists that are the priority and one of the main drivers of the economy.  On the Camino Frances the sheer number of pilgrims and their needs are an important source of income, especially for many of the small villages along the way.  Not so for the Camino Del Norte where you must be much more curious and aggressive if you need something.

            On the first day it began with a 250-meter climb out of Irun with an option for an alternate route that increased that climb significantly, I chose not to do the alternate at this early stage of my journey.  At almost 20k the path took a steep downhill path into the town of Pasajes, which is back to sea level.  My challenge is not with the uphill parts of the trail, it is with the downhill parts where it is steep and goes on for many kilometers.  No matter what I do it always takes a toll on my feet.  As I walked through the town along the water, I looked for a place to have a meal, but nothing seemed appropriate, so I continued.  I crossed the water on a small ferry and almost immediately entered a climb up a seriously long stairway that was on the side of a hill and not the most comfortable place to walk.  I felt the entire way up that I was one step from disaster.  It turned into another 250-meter steep climb which ultimate turned into another 250 meters of steep dissent into San Sebastian.  I successfully completed the day and was absolutely exhausted, but physically OK.  One of the things that surprised me the most was the very poor, and in some cases, dangerous condition of much of the trail, especially the downhill parts.  There are a few places on the Camino Frances that are difficult downhill portions, but it was only a few and they were widely spread out and none of them were as challenging as some of the downhill sections I encountered on the Del Norte.  It was clear to me that I was not prepared for this particular obstacle course, nor could I think of a way that I could have prepared any more than I did. 

            Unlike the Frances, where the first day is the hardest, the next 7 days were equally or even more difficult than the first day on the Norte with similar rough trails, significant elevation assents and descents, and significantly less support than on the Camino Frances.  Every day was significantly harder than any day on the Frances. The Pilgrims I met were great and helpful but had many of the same struggles I was having.  As I was moving along, I was having more and more trouble with booking affordable accommodations, and found myself spending significantly more than I had planned.  No beds meant booking a hotel room for $75 – $100 instead of 15 Euro or going to the next town to find a bed, which made things much more arduous than should be necessary.  Even when booked ahead, the accommodation could turn out to be a challenge.  In Martina-Xemein I had booked a private Albergue in advance.  When I arrived in town, the private Albergue was a long way from the Camino and I was in no condition to make the effort to get there, so I was fortunate that the Donativo Albergue in town had a bed.  When going to Guernika, I booked an Albergue that turned out to be 6 more Kilometers past Guernika and there were no beds available in Guernika, so I was forced to make the trek.  I ended up putting in over 33k that day and the capper was the road out of Gernika that never seemed to end.  It turned out to be a 250-meter climb on a road that was muddy, steep, uneven, and isolated.  It was very hard walking, and the only good news is that the Albergue was right at the top of the mountain with a beautiful view of the surrounding hills and valleys.  In some ways it was the hardest 6k I did on the Norte.  I will say the Albergue was excellent, and we had a great Pilgrims meal and breakfast the next day. 

            Eventually this collection of days took its toll on me, and the long and steep downhill sections affected my little toes on both feet.  I was faithful to foot prep every single day, with anti-friction cream, toe sock liners and hiking shoes that allowed me to do the Camino Frances with no foot issues or blisters.  Eventually I managed to limp into Castro Urdiales on the 9^th day of my journey and every step was painful because of blisters on my little toe.  The only room I could get was 75 Euros a night, and it was not a particularly nice place.  I was having too much trouble walking to continue the next day, where I was scheduled to do 34k because of accommodation issues.  I checked with my airline and was able to change my ticket out of Bilbao and get a $369 e-credit for a future flight.  I decided it was time to end my journey and caught a bus to Bilbao and a day later a flight home.  The only way I could walk without pain was to wear flip flops and I was fortunate to find a pair on a Sunday in Bilbao. 

            I feel as though my short journey might be in divine order in the sense that sharing my experience might help others understand the arduous nature of the Camino Del Norte, where the reward is the beauty of vast ocean vistas from high mountain tops that are nurturing and inspiring.  The Camino Del Norte is not the Camino Frances where the Pilgrim is the focus and an important part of the culture and economy.  The Camino Frances is laid out as a journey between small town churches and city Cathedrals and has a unique religious and spiritual component with frequent pilgrim masses and support from many priests and nuns along the way.  I experienced none of that on the Del Norte.  What I experienced was more the category of an endurance hike and a semi-contest for beds.  As I mentioned earlier, the pilgrim on the Del Norte is more of a novelty than an important part of the culture.  That is the reality of attempting to do a spiritual journey through a vacation and tourist culture.  The Del Norte can be a spiritual journey, but it requires more of that kind of focus for the pilgrim, a higher level of intention.  The Camino Frances seems to lift you into its arms and transform your experience so even if you are there for other reasons than religious/spiritual, you are impacted on a very deep level by those who provide for you and those fellow pilgrims you meet and with whom you form deep and meaningful connections. 

            I am certain had I been able to continue I would have ultimately had a transformative experience on the Del Norte.  It is hard to walk for 30+ days and not be impacted by the journey.  I do believe there is a particularly unique experience with the Camino Frances because there is a river of energy that follows that path.  Energy created by the millions of pilgrims that have made the journey, by the expectations of the pilgrims, by the kindness and the abundance of the support, and the many prayers, hopes and dreams that are formed and internalized on this amazing journey.  I would not recommend the Del Norte for someone who has not done the Camino Frances and experienced its magic.  It seems to me it is a journey for someone who wants a more significant physical challenge, more time alone, and is drawn to the sea and the mountains.  If you can manage long, steep, downhill, rough trails, then you will do well.  What I do know is that this 74-year-old body met its match, but in attempting the Del Norte I learned to embrace my previous experience on the Frances with a deeper sense of how that journey has fulfilled me in so many ways.  Buen Camino, Stephen Towles