It is the philosophical question for many - what do I want out of life?
For Nikki Anderson of Kelowna, it’s a question that took her across the Atlantic Ocean and on a nearly 300-kilomtere walk to find the answer.
The Camino de Santiago, or in English, the Way of St. James is a network of pilgrims’ ways leading to the shrine of the apostle James in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, in northwestern Spain.
It’s believed that is where the remains of the apostle are buried.
Several trails wind through flat and mountainous terrains in Portugal, Spain and France, all of them converging at the cathedral in Galicia.
The most well-known, and longest route at 780 kilometres, is Camino Frances which was featured in the 2010 movie The Way.
Anderson chose the Camino Portuguese, which starts from the city of Porto, Portugal and follows the Atlantic coastline into Spain.
It stretches 280 km and she completed solo it in just over 10 days.
She first heard about the Camino six years ago, around the time her father died, and had also heard the experiences of a motivational speaker who had hiked the Camino.
“I kinda put it in my back pocket thinking this is something that people do when they’re not working or retired,” she said.
When her mother died this year it led to a reassessment of her life, and after seeing a documentary on the Camino in May, she booked her flight to Europe the next day.
Following three months of training Anderson, who is an avid hiker, found herself in Lisbon, Portugal at the beginning of September.
“I sat on a bench and cried and reassessed why I was doing this.”
Pushing her fears aside, she made her way by train to Porto to embark on an adventure that would change her life.
The Camino is dotted frequently with arrows and scallop shell markers to point the way.
The scallop shell is said to be a metaphor, its lines representing the different routes pilgrims travel from all over the world.
However, Anderson noted those markers were not always easy to find.
“Sometimes they are in a window, sometimes it’s a tile on a cobblestone road, a lot of times it’s a spray-painted yellow arrow.”
Fortunately, there are apps to help keep pilgrims on the path, although Anderson did find herself lost a couple of times.
“It forces you to get present in your environment and to remember to breathe. As somebody who struggles with anxiety that was a great lesson for me.”
Carrying a 12-pound backpack, walking from village to village, and staying in hostels each night, Anderson connected with other pilgrims along the way, taking inspiration from their journeys.
In particular, she met a man who had previously suffered a horrific accident and was hiking the 280 km trail on walking crutches.
“He was doing it on one leg essentially,” Anderson said. “There is no way I’m complaining about the state of my feet or my blisters after hearing his story. He was singing when he came into the village.”
She had just completed the longest single stretch of her journey, 37 km, it had poured rain for the last five kilometres, and she was mentally and physically broken.
“I met him on my worst day, which ended up being my best day, she said.”
After making it to a hostel, Anderson said she sat in a corner and sobbed.
That’s when she met a woman from Czechia.
“We bonded during a really, hard time for me. I was able to be there for some of her struggles. We are going to be lifelong friends.”
Even the briefest of interactions were special, Anderson added.
“You see other pilgrims in villages along the route. You’d all gather together and make this rag-tag, misfit group using Google Translate to communicate.”
Through it all, Anderson made sure that she took in what was happening around her.
“Being able to touch the cobblestones and think of how many thousands of people have walked on them, and listening to the waves of the Atlantic and the birds.”
A few days later she found herself gazing up at the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.
The end of the road, but not the end of her journey.
“It was such a deeply emotional experience. It wasn’t a sense of pride that I was feeling. The fact that I was able to complete it just gave me such a renewed sense of confidence. I felt like I found my spark on the Camino.”
The experience also brought her closer to family, with her husband getting up in the middle of each night to check her progress along the trail.
“He did the Camino without the sweat and the tears, from Kelowna alongside me,” Anderson said. “It was such a bonding experience.”
They have plans to hike the Camino together next year. She added that her four children are also proud of her.
“It’s inspired them to be brave,” she said.
Anderson said one of the most important things she learned from the experience is ‘don’t wait, because you don’t know what tomorrow holds.’
“If I could inspire somebody to try and do something new, even the Camino, mission accomplished. In the short time I’ve been back my life is already looking different.”
Editor’s note: For more information about the Camino de Santiago contact the Canadian Company of Pilgrims, or the Kelowna chapter.
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