May is already here, which means I’ll be walking another Camino in just a few weeks! Needless to say, I’m a little nervous because I have a lot to do before I leave, but I am super excited to be walking Camino #4!
Below are hiking and Camino events in Northern California – some of which are hosted by our friends in the Sacramento and Silicon Valley chapters. Also, my latest wellness newsletter features a few events that pilgrims might like, such as Llamapalooza, hot stone therapy, yoga for every body, and an article about why nature is so good for our mental health. If you dig it, subscribe to the free monthly newsletter.
Lake Merritt Walk in Oakland – Every First Saturday
Saturday, May 4, 10:30 AM
Join our popular and easy walk that takes place on the first Saturday of the month, rain or shine. Meet at the Pergola (aka “The Columns”) on the east side of Oakland’s Lake Merritt at 10:30 AM and start walking by 10:45 AM. It’s a level, 3.3-mile walk around the lake that takes about an hour. Whether you’re a newbie or Camino veteran, everyone is welcome. Bring your questions, answers and pilgrim spirit! But leave the dogs at home (for insurance purposes.) Stay for lunch after the walk at a local restaurant, location TBD. If you’re on the NorCal Facebook group, join event.
Attention members attending this walk: Be the first to check out items from our revamped NorCal Chapter Library! It’s as easy as 1-2-3:
1. Request up to 3 items using the new form: https://forms.gle/SJiVuMYxkzkuJNKL8
2. Pick up your items at the Lake Merritt walk from a library volunteer and write your name on the item’s pocket card. You may keep them for up to 4 weeks.
3. Return items to a library volunteer at the next Lake Merritt walk or NorCal chapter event (per request form)
I’ll be there at the beginning of the June walk to answer questions and deliver items to the members who submitted a request through the form.
Long Walks – Peru and Japan with Sacramento Chapter
Tuesday, May 7th, 7 – 9 PM
Arden Dimick Library, Community Room
Join the Sacramento Pilgrims for presentations about long walks in Peru and Japan!
In January, 2019 Rella and Roger Remedios hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. They hiked five days and four nights along Camino Inca, reaching 14,000 feet, before descending through the Sun Gate and entering the extraordinary Machu Picchu. The slideshow will capture the beauty and hazards of the Inca Valley, trail and the stunning ruins of Machu Picchu.
The Kumano Kodo, an UNESCO World Heritage route, twinned with the Camino de Santiago, is an other-worldly and spiritual pilgrimage through the Kii peninsula, south of Osaka, Japan. Traversed by monks, emperors, kings and pilgrims, it follows temples and shrines and offers the most spectacular rural landscapes one can imagine. Roxanne has walked this twice and will talk about ryokans, onsens and the art of bowing and being a pilgrim. Come find out what you need to do to pick up your staff and earn your Dual Pilgrim Compostela!
Location: Arden Dimick Library – 891 Watt Ave (Watt at Northrop) View Map
See Facebook Event Sacramento Pilgrims.
Follow Sacramento Pilgrims Chapter.
Book Event: Beebe Bahrami, author of Moon Travel Guides: Camino de Santiago
Friday, May 10th, 7 – 9 PM
Book Passage Bookstore & Cafe in Corte Madera
Over 1,200 years old, 500 miles long, and rich with tradition and sacred history–embark on the trip of a lifetime with Moon Travel Guides CAMINO DE SANTIAGO. Start your transformative journey with the expert insight, unique suggestions, and practical advice of Beebe Bahrami.
A Colorado native based in southern New Jersey, Beebe Bahrami extends her idea of home on regular semi-nomadic treks, visits, explorations, and excavations in southwestern France and northern Spain, one of Europe’s oldest, deeply traversed, wild, and culturally rich landscapes. Ever since she first stepped on to the Camino de Santiago in 1995, Beebe knew she found her place in the world and has delved deeply into these ancient paths and places across France and Spain. Having walked the Camino de Santiago now too many times to count, she has also lived on different stretches of the trail. She has survived pigeon, boar, and rabbit hunting season in the Pyrenees, gone mushroom hunting in Navarra, detoured with sheepherders in Rioja, practiced chanted prayer in Castile, pressed grapes in León, and studied herbs and rituals with a druid in Galicia.
Book Passage Bookstore & Cafe in Corte Madera
Location: 51 Tamal Vista Blvd, Corte Madera, California 94925
Click here to learn more: https://www.bookpassage.com/event/beebe-bahrami-moon-travel-guides-camino-de-santiago-corte-madera-store
If you’re in the Berkeley area on Sat. May 11th, Nancy Reynolds is hosting a meet-up with Beebe on Saturday at 10am! Nancy writes, “Fellow pilgrim and author of the latest (gorgeous) Camino guidebook, Beebe Bahrami will be in the SF Bay Area this weekend and would love to meet up with some local pilgrims for a walk, Camino stories, and coffee.
We are proposing a meet up for Saturday in Berkeley, meet at the Downtown BART station and do a walk through the UC Berkeley campus, then coffee, starting at 10am.
Interested? Please RSVP with a Comment here or by sending me a private message.
Hope you can make it!
Interested? Please RSVP with a Comment here or by sending me a private message on Facebook: http://facebook.com/nancy.reynolds
Point Reyes Weekend Retreat with NorCal Chapter
Point Reyes, California
Friday, May 17, 4:00 PM – Sunday, May 19, 2:00 PM
The event is happening as planned, but it was so popular that it’s completely booked. See event details on our Chapter page. For those who signed up, enjoy the weekend. Buen Camino!
Huddart Park Hike with Silicon Valley Chapter
Saturday, June 1, 9 AM
Woodside, CA
Join the awesome pilgrims of the Silicon Valley chapter for this hike. Meet at the Woodside Elementary School at the corner of Woodside and Ablion. Parking available at the school. We’ll walk from the school to Huddart Park. Options of 2 miles, 4 miles, 5 miles and 9 miles round trip. Lunch afterwards at Buck’s. For trail maps and more info go to parks.smcgov.org/huddart-park. Bring the usual-water, snacks, good hiking shoes and sunscreen.
3195 Woodside Rd, Woodside, California 94062
Event for American Pilgrims on the Camino – Silicon Valley
REI Camino 101 Series – First Steps
Tuesday, June 4, 6:30 – 8:30 PM
REI – Sacramento
Join the Sacramento Chapter for the 1st session of their three-part Camino 101 Series.
First Steps! So, you have decided to walk the Camino de Santiago? Making the decision to walk the Camino oftentimes brings into focus many practical questions that need answers. The first might be “How do I get to the start of the Camino?” or even before that, “Where is the start of the Camino??” We will discuss many of the popular options for where to start your Camino, as well as review popular tools and websites to help plan your trip to Spain (or France or Portugal). Once you have landed, we’ll discuss the many options for using local trains, buses, and/or shared transport to help you arrive to your starting point. Lastly, we will discuss the options for getting back home from Santiago de Compostela, or wherever your Camino stage ends.
This presentation is intended to address some of the practical questions of “How do I get started?” and we will be including our experience and “how to” which will be helpful to anyone planning their first Camino.
Location: REI Sacramento 1790 Expo Pkwy
Sacramento, CA 95819 Google Map
Free event at the Sacramento Cal Expo REI, however, you must register to reserve a seat: Register Here
Next in the series:
REI Camino 101: Resources
July 23, 6:30 – 8:30 PM
REI – Sacramento
Click for details
Redwood Regional Park Hike in Oakland
Sunday, June 9, 2019
Join us for a hike and picnic in Redwood Regional Park in the beautiful Oakland hills. We’ll do about 7 miles (768 ft of elevation gain) with a break for a picnic lunch at the halfway point at Girls’ Camp, near the Skyline Gate Staging Area. Our loop route includes the Canyon, East Ridge and Spring Trails and begins with a steep uphill climb (about ½ mi), eases into a pleasant hike and ends with a lovely two miles through the cool, redwood forest along Redwood Creek. More details coming soon.
Karin Kiser: A Camino Angel
Stay tuned for an interview with Karin Kiser, author and peregrina who has been spotted picking up trash on the Camino! Karin recently published two mini guidebooks, Your Inner Camino and After the Camino.
I look forward to bringing the green booklet on my Camino because I like to have something meaningful to read each day, yet the small size won’t weigh me down. I’ll read the yellow one when I return home, because the PCBs (post-Camino Blues) are a thing!
Oh, and they are available in Spanish too.
Conjunto de 2 libros: El camino hacia tu interior y Después del camino
Order the paperbacks at: www.CaminoChroniclesPress.com
Order the Kindle edition on Amazon.
Northern California Chapter T-Shirts
NorCal T-Shirts in lightweight tri-blend fabric with the shell design on front and “Solvitur Ambulando – It is solved by walking” on the back.
The Camino Provides Patches
The Camino Provides 2019 Patch
The 2019 patches are back in stock! Original (no date) and 2019 patches are $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!
Camino Guessing Game Poll
Just for kicks, can guess what Camino I’ll be walking in May? This poll will stay open for a week.
To everyone heading out on a pilgrimage or staying home, Buen Camino!
Laurie
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 hot spots 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.
Subscribe to our NorCal Chapter email list.
Join the Peregrinos Northern California Facebook group (closed group for Northern California residents only)
Visit the Northern California Chapter page on the American Pilgrims on the Camino website.
The Camino Provides 
Thanks, Laurie! I always enjoy your posts. Which Camino will you be doing this year? I am heading back as well. Last year from Astorga to Santiago; this year from St. Jean to?? – 14 days of walking to see where that gets me.
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