One of the best ways to prepare for the Camino is to join one of the pilgrim events, hikes or workshops in your community. The Bay Area has a great variety of events this month, including a pilgrim welcome home party,  screenings of Phil’s Camino,  organized hikes and REI events.  So what are you waiting for? Get your Camino on!

Pilgrim Welcome Home Potluck and Party
Saturday, November 7, 10:30 am  to 3:30 pm
Church of the Resurrection
399 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill, CA

The NorCal Chapter of American Pilgrims on the Camino invites you to their annual Welcome Home potluck and party for those who have returned from the Camino this calendar year.  There will be a large block of time dedicated to sharing Camino experiences. Those interior head and heart changes – what you learned about yourself and about life.  What would you tell others to prepare them for changes?  Did you have issues communicating yourself to friends or spouses?  Dig deep.  You need this.

El Rastro
El Rastro is a gigantic flea market in Madrid.  We will duplicate it!  Camino El Rastro will be a place to bring all your excess gear, memorabilia, guidebooks and other good junk you thought you wanted but really don’t any more.  Pins, books, extra pole tips, extra ponchos, ugly coffee cups, refrigerator magnets, post cards, you name it. Let’s face it.  Most of us return from a Camino with a desire to get rid of stuff.   This is your chance.  This is a CASH FREE zone.  Bring it and forget it!  See something you want?  Take it.  Should be fun. No fighting!!!

Bring food, stories, and attitude!  Wine is good too.  These have been great events in past years.  RSVP so we can be certain to have a chair for you.

Buen Camino
Lin, Cybele, Rennie
Chapter Coordinators

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Phil’s Camino Film Screening
Sunday, November 22, 12:30pm – 2:30pm
The New Parkway Theater, 474 24th St, Oakland, California 94612

Join Annie O’Neil, co-producer and featured pilgrim in Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago  with her latest film project, Phil’s Camino on the big screen at the New Parkway theater.
This is a free screening, but donations of any size are welcome. Annie will have merchandise available to purchase: Her book, CD and DVDs of Walking the Camino. All proceeds go to Phil’s Camino.  See trailer at: http://philscamino.com/

There will be mixing and mingling before the screening, and a Q&A with Annie after. You will also have the opportunity to provide feedback on this rough cut of the film.  RSVP on the Facebook event.

See screenings at REI San Francisco 11/23 and Saratoga 11/24 below.

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REI Events in the Bay Area

Hiking the Camino de Santiago
San Francisco REI
11/4/2015, 7:00 – 8:30 PM
Learn tips about what to bring, what to leave at home, and how to train so that you can concentrate on the sites around you once you are out on the Camino de Santiago.

Walking the Camino: Phil’s Way to Santiago
San Francisco REI 11/23/2015, 7:00 PM   – 8:30 PM
Saratoga REI 11/24/2015, 7:00 PM   – 8:30 PM
Annie O’Neil, co-producer and featured pilgrim in Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago, comes to REI with her latest film project, Phil’s Camino. Come see this short film about a man with stage 4 cancer who dreams of walking the Camino de Santiago. Tied to his chemo treatments every two weeks he doesn’t think he can ever go to Spain so he does the next best thing: he makes a Camino in his own backyard. Keeping track on a map of Spain while he walks laps around his backyard, he slowly but surely makes his way to Santiago without ever leaving home. His doctors are amazed when his next scan is clean and grant him a ‘chemo holiday’ so he now has 28 days between treatments, just enough time for him to travel to Spain and walk. He does and ‘Phil’s Camino’ captures his journey, from home to Spain and back, finding hope, acceptance and peace along the way.

Register for San Francisco REI 11/23/2015, 7:00 PM   – 8:30 PM
Register for Saratoga REI 11/24/2015, 7:00 PM   – 8:30 PM

REI offers many hikes and workshops for free or low cost. Try a hike during the full moon or meteor showers, learn wilderness survival skills,  prepare for Pacific Crest, John Muir or Mt. Whitney trails. Click here to see more Bay Area REI events.

Help support this blog by purchasing through my links and REI banners.

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There are Camino hotspots nationwide and the American Pilgrims on the Camino (APOC) website has a listing of local chapters where you can find pilgrim events. There are also many active Facebook groups to learn about events in your region.

If you know of any Camino related events for the SF Bay Area that should be included in the monthly roundup, please use the comment form below, or email me.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Buen Camino!