Greetings amigos! I hope you are enjoying the holiday festivities.

In case you missed it, one of the challenges of walking the Camino is the re-entry into our everyday life at the conclusion of our pilgrimage. If you would like to see a presentation on the topic from our recent Welcome Home event, I filmed it and added the accompanying workbook to this post, Returning Home: The Journey Continues. 

Below are some upcoming hikes in the San Francisco Bay Area, and an announcement about PBS airings of the beloved documentary Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago.

Holiday Walk from Rockridge BART in Oakland
Saturday, December 8, 2 – 5:30 PM

Join us for a moderate six-mile hike from Rockridge Bart to Piedmont Ave. for
the annual light display at the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland. It’s a lovely sight and the grounds of the cemetery are vast, offering some great walks and views. This year, for the first time, we will do a walk to the cemetery and around the grounds to culminate at the light show, followed by drinks and tapas or dinner at a restaurant on Piedmont Avenue.

We will start from the Rockridge BART station at 2:00 PM and walk through some North Oakland neighborhoods to the cemetery at the top of Piedmont Avenue (about 4 miles). At the cemetery we will walk through some of the more interesting parts of the grounds, taking in 360 views of the Bay Area and make our way to the main entrance in time to view the lights, which come on at sundown.

Folks can then choose to walk back to the Rockridge BART station (direct route is one mile) from the cemetery entrance or to the MacArthur BART station, little over a mile) or better still, join us for drinks and tapas or dinner at a restaurant on Piedmont Avenue.

DATE/TIME: Saturday, December 8, 2:00 PM (We plan to finish around 5:30 PM)
PLACE: Rockridge BART station (https://goo.gl/maps/TMkqMmo72qR2; Meet at the bottom of the main entrance stairs/escalator)
DISTANCE: 6 miles (Moderate hike with some uphill)
LEADER: Merula Furtado

Cancelled by heavy rain. For insurance purposes, we are unable to welcome dogs, except service animals, at our events.

Photo courtesy of Mountain View Cemetery’s website.

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Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago
December 18-23 on PBS

The beloved Camino documentary is coming to PBS! It will air on KQED World, KQEH World (SJ) and KVIE World (Sacramento) from December 18-23 (multiple times per day). Follow this link for the schedule. This will be nice opportunity for a get-together or showing at one of your upcoming holiday parties.

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Free Hiking Tours on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day
Dimond District in Oakland, CA

Join a great hike from Oakland’s Dimond District up to Joaquin Miller Park. Primarily an uphill route, this beautiful hike will go through Oakland’s Dimond Canyon and Joaquin Miller Park, and will finish at the top of the ridge at the Chabot Space & Science Center. Hikers may choose to catch an earlier bus at mile 4, though the hiking tour leaders will complete the 6-mile hike.

Christmas Day at 10:00am Details/Register
New Year’s Day at 9:00am Details/Register

Where: Meet at La Farine Bakery: 3411 Fruitvale Ave, Oakland, CA 94602 – free parking in back

Details: Steady, 6-mile hike in Oakland’s largest wildland trail system, with some steep uphills and downhills, and narrow trails through the canyons. Bring water, sturdy shoes, and bus fare ($2.35).

Extreme wet weather would cancel.

Hiking tour participants acknowledge there are inherent risks associated with outdoor recreation, and attest to being physically fit for the chosen activity.

Hiking Tours are courtesy of Oakland Volunteer Park Patrol, and sponsored by La Farine Bakery.

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NorCal Chapter T-Shirts – Sneak Preview

I’ve been busy working on a design of new T-shirts for our Northern California chapter. This involved refining the logo I made for our chapter stamp earlier this year; doing research on best fabric; asking feedback from chapter buddies; and making design tweaks.  I’m happy to reveal the two styles that we have narrowed down, both in a super-soft blend of 50% polyester,  25% cotton, and 25% rayon. Unlike our previous chapter shirts in 100% cotton, these shirts are lightweight enough to actually be worn on the Camino.

 

The ladies style is a form-fitting t-shirt with a slightly lower neckline than the classic T-shirt. They come in five sizes:  S, M, L, XL and 2XL (note: they run very small) and a variety of colors including Clay (pictured above).

 

The Unisex crew comes in 8 sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL and a variety of colors, including Maroon, pictured above. NorCal chapter logo front center or upper left chest.

The  shirts will sell for around $25 each + tax & shipping. These shirts should be available to order by the general public soon.

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That’s a wrap for 2018! For those who might enjoy some different ways to alleviate stress, check out my new Yoga & Wellness website at lferris.com. 

There are always opportunities to train for or learn about the Camino. 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.

For those who live elsewhere, there are Camino hotspots all over the USA and the American Pilgrims on the Camino (APOC) website has a listing of local chapters where you can find Camino events. There are also many active Facebook groups to learn about events in your region. Check your local REI store for workshops and presentations about the Camino. Check http://www.rei.com/ for events in your area.

Visit the Northern California Chapter page on the APOC website.

Join the Peregrinos Northern California Facebook group (closed group for Northern California residents only)

Buen Camino!

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The Camino Provides patch

The patch for 2018 is sold out, but I will be announcing the 2019 patches soon. The original design with no date is available. Learn more.
Purchase for $4 each at etsy.com/shop/caminoprovides.

My mission is to celebrate the Camino de Santiago and the pilgrim’s journey, from the calling to Compostela and beyond. I do this by sharing informative tips on training, gear, and routes; by promoting Camino related events in the Bay Area; by interviewing pilgrims and sharing inspiring stories; and by curating content relevant to the Camino.  Purchases help to defray the costs of hosting and managing this blog so that I can keep sharing the Camino love!