Finding My Way: A Camino Story
One night, after watching the film “The Way,” my Dad asked me if I wanted to go do the Camino. Without much hesitation, I jumped on it. I didn’t know much about the Camino, but the opportunity to do it with my Dad meant so much to me. My Dad has always been one of my biggest role models, and I was excited to experience something new together. It was a unique time in my life. I was wrapping up high school during COVID-19. Life in lockdown created its own challenges. I looked forward to being “free” again, and I was eager to expand my horizons. Whenever Spain announced that travelers could enter Spain, we booked the tickets immediately for the summer of 2021.
From the first step on the Camino, I realized this pilgrimage was unique and special. Over the next month, we slowly worked our way to the coast. This pilgrimage that we took on as the two of us quickly grew into one that we took with many people from around the world. Camino creates this environment conducive to making deep friendships rapidly. We made great
Leaving home for the Camino with Dad
friends from Spain, Italy, and France. Since that Camino, I have been fortunate to see their home cities (Esplugues, Rome, & Paris). Throughout the rest of the trip, we made more great friends from Lithuania, Poland, Ireland, and many other countries. I remember celebrating in Santiago with people from around the globe who all had different stories and reasons for doing the Camino. Sharing that accomplishment with the other pilgrims after our journey that took over a month was special. My Dad and I were faced with deciding whether to walk 60 more miles to the coast or let the journey end in Santiago. The choice was easy for us.
We both marched onto the coast, knowing the journey would end soon. After walking for 36 days, we peered at what we thought was just a typical bend in the trail, and there it was: the Atlantic Ocean. As we came around the final bend of our 500+ mile pilgrimage, I told my Dad, “Don’t be sad that it’s ending; be happy that it happened.”
We had started in France, on the far side of the Pyrenees Mountains, and ended on the other side of Spain. A feeling of accomplishment filled me as I knew we would complete the El Camino de Santiago in the next couple hours. However, I almost instantly reminded myself that this is where the journey would end. I had mixed feelings of gratefulness to share this once-in-a-lifetime journey with my Dad and a sense of yearning to know that when the sun would rise the next day, we would no longer throw the backpack around our shoulders.
0 Km Mark over the Atlantic Ocean in Finisterra with Dad.
Picture taken in the Pyrenees Mountains.
Picture taken in 2021 with Dad and two great friends we made from Barcelona. "Buen Camino Peregrino!"
Every step, every small village, every new friend, there was something to be grateful for that this wonderful pilgrimage provided. After 36 days, we had crossed over mountains, woodlands, valleys, and many more when we finally made it into the Atlantic Ocean. Laughing and smiling, we asked each other when we would return to this journey, which was unlike any journey we had ever been on.
I returned to the Camino de Santiago the following year (2022) and again in 2024. This upcoming summer (2025) will be my fourth summer along “The Way.” Each year, I learn different things about myself and the world around me. “The Camino Provides” is a saying you will often hear along the Camino de Santiago. For me, the Camino has provided friendships that will last a lifetime. It has also given me the gift of time, allowing me to think deeply and reflect on what I want to do in this life we get to live. This journey to Santiago has ways of reaching my soul that I have not expected but needed.
As I continue to go forward in this life, I am always eager to explore different places around the globe. However, something always pulls me back to the Camino de Santiago. Having the chance to take people on this trip that has been so meaningful to me is an honor, and I look forward to doing it for many years to come.
Buen Camino!
John Klein
Let's Plan Your Adventure
Camino de Santiago