A Million Steps

A Million Steps

© 2014 Kurt Koontz. All rights reserved.

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ISBN 978-061585-292-8 paperback

To Roberta for teaching me love

and Scaughdt for teaching me kindness

Praise

“I found that reading A Million Steps was refreshing and engaging. Kurt has a delightful honest style of writing.”

– John Brierley-Author of Camino Pilgrim Guides

“I really enjoyed it - didn’t want to put it down.  Lots of really helpful information for people just learning about the Camino.”

– Lydia B. Smith Producer/Director of  “Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago”

“If you can’t actually do the Camino de Santiago, at least do the next best thing:  read his book! You might also beware: if you read the book, you might well find yourself pouring over maps of Spain and talking to your boss about a leave of absence.”

– DR. Robert Barr Bestselling Author

“It’s a fine and vivid diary of a journey and its lasting impact, and it’s a top recommendation for a range of collections, from those interested in travel and spirituality to others strong in autobiography and self-examination.”

– D. Donovan Senior reviewer, MBR

“A journal that evolved into a book about the pilgrimage, its history, landscape, landmarks, and the many details of the pilgrim life. Koontz is a friendly guy with a great sense of humor – at times painful, but the whole is filled with beauty and joy.”

– Light of Consciousness magazine

Summer 2014 issue

Foreword

Why did I decide to walk nearly 500 miles in a foreign country where I knew no one and could not speak the language? I am still discovering the reasons, but this is what I know so far.

Routines are very natural and common in our lives. I have many of them, including eating the same Kashi cereal almost every day. I find the best way to disengage the autopilot and take over the aircraft is to put myself in an environment or a situation where my comfort boundaries are stretched, pulled, and shattered.

It also sounded like an awesome trip––a historic route walked by millions since the Middle Ages, with hostels to stay in along the way and an official
Compostela
certificate to receive from the cathedral at the end.

I was attracted to the physical challenge of it. I’d been on cycling trips in Europe before, but this would be something new. It was epic in scale, starting in France, crossing the mountains into Spain, then cutting across Don Quixote plains to the coast. Despite my size and fitness, I wondered if I could do it.

I wanted the alone time for an interior journey. Although I had quit drinking 12 years before, I was still recovering from the aftermath of a long unconscious youth. I had retired early and wanted to contemplate how I was spending the time I had earned for myself. Most of all, I wanted to think about the love of my life, our four-year relationship, and where it was going.

“The first third of the trip is for the body, the second third for the mind, and the last third for the soul,” the Camino saying goes. It was all that for me. A painful experience at times, but so full of beauty and joy by the end, that I wrote it down to share.

Map of Route

Walking Days and Distance

1
–St Jean Pied-de-Port to Roncesvalles
25KM/16 miles

2
–Roncesvalles to Villava
38KM/24 miles

3
–Villava to Puente la Reina
29KM/18 miles

4
–Puente to Villamayor de Monjardín
31KM/19 miles

5
–Villamayor to Viana
31KM/19 miles

6
–Viana to Ventosa
29KM/18 miles

7
–Ventosa to Grañón
38KM/24 miles

8
–Grañón to Villafranca Montes de Oca
29KM/18 miles

9
–Villafranca to Burgos
40KM/25 miles

10
–Burgos to Hornillos del Camino
20KM/12 miles

11
–Hornillos to Itero de la Vega
30KM/19 miles

12
–Itero to Carrión de los Condes
35KM/22 miles

13
–Carrión to Sahagún
38KM/24 miles

14
–Sahagún to Reliegos
27KM/17 miles

15
–Reliegos to León
25KM/16 miles

16
–León to Villar de Mazarife
22KM/14 miles

17
–Villar to Astorga
31KM/19 miles

18
–Astorga to Foncebadón
27KM/17 miles

19
–Foncebadón to Ponferrada
29KM/18 miles

20
–Ponferrada to Villafranca del Bierzo
23KM/14 miles

21
–Villafranca to O’Cebreiro
30KM/19 miles

22
–O’Cebreiro to Triacastela
22KM/14 miles

23
–Triacastela to Sarria
19KM/12 miles

24
–Sarria to Portomarín
22KM/14 miles

25
–Portomarín to Palas de Rei
25KM/16 miles

26
–Palas to Arzúa
27KM/17 miles

27
–Arzúa to Arca
22KM/14 miles

28
–Arca to Santiago de Compostela
20KM/12 miles

About the Title

The title for this book is a rough estimate of the number of steps I took while walking the Camino de Santiago. I made the calculation on day 13 of my trek as I walked along a portion of the path that was parallel to a highway with kilometer markers. Over the course of a kilometer, I counted 1,153 steps. I did the math and discovered that I would take a total of 909,717 steps on the trail between St. Jean Pied-de-Port, where it began, and Santiago de Compostela, where it ended. I added in another 3,000 or so steps per day to cover the walks to dinner and short hikes for sightseeing. One million steps seems a good estimate.

But the journey continues…