DI residents find inspiration on spiritual pilgrimage through Spain

Two Daniel Island couples took a holiday in Spain – but it wasn't your standard vacation. 

The two couples joined more than half a million people each year who strap on backpacks, tighten their laces, and forge forward in a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage called the Camino de Santiago, or the Way of St. James. 

It's hours and hours of daily walking through Spanish countryside with high elevations and wild terrain. 

Some pilgrimage paths are as short as 50 miles; others as long as 500. 

"The beginning stages really try to break you," said Alex Pena, who traveled with Jenny Pulliam to celebrate her birthday. "One needs to be strong mentally and find innerpurpose to continue going, especially with zero days of rest. We're practically trekking up mountains and descending down into the valleys for about 13-18 miles a day."  

Most Camino routes begin in a number of different towns all over Spain with others beginning in France or Portugal. The routes can last up to five weeks with the final destination a church called the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, located in the northwestern portion of the country. 

Pena and Pulliam walked the Camino Primitivo route, known as "The Original Way." 

"It's funny that when we mention we're doing the Primitivo route, veteran Camino pilgrims give us the 'Oh, boy' face," Pena laughed, "but it is the original way and has historical, religious purpose." 

Both Pena and Pulliam spent every day of their 14-day trek strengthening their Catholic beliefs while trying to ignore their tired, swollen, and blistered feet. 

"Challenging!" was the word Pulliam used, as she emailed The Daniel Island News during their trip. "More difficult than I imagined. [We] prayed the rosary daily for strength." 

Pena added, "I'm icing my heel right now, haha. Ibuprofen is like a semi-daily vitamin for me at this point, and pain relief cream is my new body lotion."  

For Mike and Lisa Waller, every step of their 10-mile-a-day Camino de Santiago journey was rooted in "thanksgiving of everything God has given you. I turned 60 this year; Mike 65. I also celebrated 40 years of having Type 1 diabetes. Mike had some major heart issues five years back that could have turned out differently." 

The Wallers prayed for all the people in their lives while following a route outfitted for pilgrims with disabilities and health issues.  

"As we were walking, there were people carrying others on stretchers. Also, wheelchairs equipped for rocky terrain," Lisa Waller said. "We prayed for them. And it made us reflect on how blessed we are, even with our own struggles." 

Mike Waller also noted that "one thing I really didn’t expect was the wide range of ages and nationalities of those on the pilgrim walk; especially encouraging was the number of young people. Not all of them glued to screens 24/7. These young people had a purpose and a mission in making the walk." 

For both Daniel Island couples, the Camino experience was beyond their expectations that they encourage everyone to try.  

"The quaint old churches, the farms, the countryside, the other travelers," Lisa Waller recalled. "The small coffee shop; the places people found peace in lifting their struggles up in prayer." 

Pena continued, "The views are astonishing, the people we meet are amazing, and the feeling of accomplishment that you were up and over that huge mountain over there is a crazy high."