People for centuries have walked the Camino de Santiago as a means of penance, enlightenment, self-reflection, homage to St. James, or as a simple sporting challenge. There are multiple trails with starting points throughout Europe but all arrive at the Catedral de Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. Pilgrims that journey along these paths are traditionally given a compostela (completion certificate) if they have walked at least 100 km (62 miles).
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| Camino de Santiago trails |
With this threshold in mind, this blog describes a series of eight hikes, each 6-10 miles in length, that can be completed in one week (Sunday to Sunday); total distance is 100 km. Each hike/walk starts at a well-marked trailhead in the Seattle area with adequate parking. The final hike (#8) is designed to finish on a Sunday evening at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle; your Camino journey ends listening to the beautiful music of St. Mark’s Compline service.
Each hike is prefaced with sacred and secular readings to serve as a meditative focus for the day. The route is described in detail along with helpful maps and pictures, and public transit information is provided when available. The trails are meant to be accomplished consecutively beginning on a Sunday and ending on the following Sunday, but they can be done piecemeal on your own schedule if desired.
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| Seattle Camino trail locations |
Hike #1 -- Ballard Locks / Discovery Park -- 6.0 miles
Hike #2 -- Cougar Mountain -- 9.9 miles
Hike #3 -- Green River / Tukwila -- 10.5 miles
Hike #4 -- Cedar River -- 8.5 miles
Hike #5 -- Tiger Mountain -- 9.1 miles
Hike #6 -- Green River / Kent -- 6.7 miles
Hike #7 -- Seward Park -- 6.4 miles
Hike #8 -- Elliot Bay / Lake Union -- 7.1 miles
Total distance = 62.2 miles = 100 km
Total distance = 62.2 miles = 100 km
The goal of this blog is to create an easy and convenient way to experience the introspective Camino journey in Seattle without having to procure a month of vacation, travel across multiple time zones to Europe, carry a 20 pound backpack each day for 15 miles, and then worry if you will find adequate lodging at an albergue every evening. If you seek to walk/hike along a path as a disciplined & ecumenical pilgrim, have a desire to reflect and meditate on your life (i.e., you consider the journey more important than the destination) and you can embrace a simpler, less expensive alternative to the traditional Camino experience, then this blog is for you!
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| Puget Sound from Discovery Park (hike #1) |
Along with the reflective readings, a description of the significance of the hike number is given. It is suggested, as an opportunity to practice humility and service, you consider picking up the same number of pieces of litter as the trail number you are hiking that day. It will honor those that came before you who toiled to establish the trail, and demonstrate your appreciation for the anonymous volunteers who maintain it.