(reviewed by JD Jung)
“There is something mystical, magical about the Camino…I’m seeing a profound connection between the body, the mind and the heart. I’m finding a deep shaking as they join forces and get on the same page.”
Newly widowed Cathay was lost and depressed. She was looking for direction for the next part of her life. Having been sedentary for most of her 60+ years, she still decided to hike the Camino de Santiago – a 483-mile trail across Northern Spain which has been travelled by pilgrims for hundreds of years.
She would embark on this adventure alone hoping that through this pilgrimage, she would have her questions to life answered.
“I’m hearing that this trip will answer my prayer to be vulnerable and loving, without hesitation, without fear, without looking to be loved in return.”
However, as she proceeded, she worried that she would reach the end of the walk before having her answers. Worse, what if she was asking the wrong questions?
As we read the book, we wonder what lessons, if any, will stay with her and if this journey will change her life. Will she obtain more self-awareness? And of course, will she even complete her journey.
This travel memoir will show readers the beauty and challenges of walking the Camino, as well as its fascinating history. One will even learn the mechanics of the trek. However, this book is so much more. I enjoyed the diverse people she met from around the world, embarking on this journey for various reasons. Not only do we learn about her adventure, but day by day something is revealed to her about herself.
What I appreciated the most though, was how she expressed her vulnerability and intimate thoughts to the reader. She brought along the 1955 allegorical novel, Hinds’ Feet on High Places and referred to it often throughout her book. She compared her journey to that of the protagonist “Much Afraid.”
Cathay’s thoughts and account of her 37-day hike are truly inspirational. Whether you are interested in hiking the Camino de Santiago or learning how one woman looked inward to change her life, I highly recommend this book.
