We start this journey with a walk in Spain called the Camino de Santiago. Its right under 500 miles with an additional 75 or so if we continue walking to the sea as planned. There are actually many Camino walks, and all roads ultimately lead to Santiago which is the burial place of St. James. The particular Camino we are walking is known as the "Camino de Frances". It is the most popular of the Camino walks and is usually what is thought of when one says they are walking the Camino. Picture a bicycle wheel that has been cut in half and only the right side remains. The hub would be Santiago, Spain and the spokes would be routes that come to Santiago from all over Europe. Of course this is a very simple analogy but it does the trick. Our route starts in France and comes over the Pyrenees at what would be about 2:30 on this half wheel. This route has been walked by pilgrims for close to a thousand years if not more. Recently it has gained in popularity and in 2015 it's possible that over 275,000 people will walk some portion of the Camino. Pilgrims carry a passport known as a Compostela, and they have it stamped at their resting places and other locations along the way. Upon reaching Santiago the passport is presented to the local officials, and they will issue a certificate in Latin declaring that you have completed the route. Accommodations along the way are mostly very simple and are in places known as an Albergue. A bunk for the night with shared facilities usually costs about 10 to 15 euros. From this point accommodations go upward and can get to 4-5 star level at many locations if so desired. If we had time constraints it's likely we would complete this route in 32-35 days, but since we are in no hurry most likely we will finish in 40 to 45 days. This does of course assume we are going to be fortunate enough to complete the journey. We are each carrying all of our things in 20 pound backpacks. In past years we have done many more difficult walks at much higher elevation, but we have never done anything that covered this many miles. While we are at times a bit apprehensive and do wonder what on earth we are trying to pull off, we both feel good about being able to make it to Santiago in relatively good form.