If you were on the American Pilgrims on the Camino Facebook group in April – May 2015, chances are that you read news from Cathy Seitchik Diaz while she was on the Camino Francés.  She shared nitty-gritty details like the costs of albergues vs. private rooms, daily walking distances, typical food and drink available, and other practical tips.  After following her for a few weeks, I became hooked on her real-time adventure.  She revealed some personal challenges about a knee injury for which she had to slow down, see a doctor, and even stop to rest for a week.  Her family and growing number of Facebook fans pulled for her and we all cheered when she and David reached Santiago.

Cathy and I stayed in touch and she became one of my earliest supporters of this blog.  I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Cathy when my husband and I celebrated an anniversary in Santa Cruz.  When we met, I instantly felt like I had known her for years, simply because of our Camino connection.  She showed me a few of her favorite trails along the coast, and suggested a hike in the redwoods because it was such a hot day. We ended up at one of her favorite places to hike in Soquel,  Land of Medicine Buddha. I’m drawn to redwood forests and sacred places so this was perfect!

Cathy loves the Camino and shared her thoughts about why the Camino provides in the video interview.

UPDATE: Learn more about Cathy and David’s Camino in her guest post, Walking the Camino as a couple.
We had an amazing hike in this peaceful redwood forest while talking about Camino camaraderie and our plans for our future Caminos.  It turns out, we both like to seize photo ops! We couldn’t resist capturing a moments of Cathy ringing the Namgyal bell and me doing a few yoga poses.  Below are a few photos from our walk.

I am so grateful to Cathy for sharing her passion about the Camino and for showing me this spiritual place in Santa Cruz. We’re both looking forward to more NorCal hikes and buen Caminos!