By Sigi Scigliano

Every summer since Emma was little we would take the entire summer off and go on an adventure. I felt so blessed as a teacher to have this time with my daughter and explore this beautiful world we live in. In the summer of 2018, I was going to fulfill my dream, of hiking the Camino de Santiago.

Emma had to finish the season with the Varsity Cheer and Dance Teams, theater, and engineering classes. She was going to meet me in Leon, Spain, in a few weeks. So I prepped my backpack with about 40 pounds of hiking clothes and a safety kit filled with lotions, potions, and first aid paraphernalia. I was ready!

I started this journey in St Jean Pied de Port, France which is said to be one of the most beautiful gateways of the Camino. After all, you’re hiking over the French Pyrenees and surrounded by the majestic Alps which rise into the wispy clouds. I can hear cowbells off into the distance, and hundreds of chimes floating through the crisp cool air. I’ve reached almost 5,000 feet of elevation gain and have stopped at the Orisson Refuge after hiking for hours and hours. In the mists of the clouds, I warm myself up with a bowl of homegrown vegetable soup warm bread, and creamy butter. It was just what I needed to have the energy to descend about 5 more miles into the town of Roncesvalles where I’ll be staying in the monastery, a refuge for us pilgrims. (Total distance today was about 20 miles and elevation gain was 5,000 feet.)

The Gothic-style monastery, Roncesvalles, where I stayed for the night was massive, having 13 different buildings. It also has a cloister containing the tomb of King Sancho VII of Navarra. I don’t remember much about the king other than when he was exhumed for study and transferred to Rocesvalles they found him to be 2.20 meters tall, that’s 7 ‘3″! That’s how he got his nickname “The Strong”. (Nowadays he would be recruited for the NBA!)

The next few days I hiked about 17 – 20  miles per day through rocky trails, small cobblestone villages, and the warm sunny days in the north of Spain. My blistering feet were achy and my body hurt in places I hadn’t ever felt. None of that mattered. I loved exploring a new land and meeting wonderful people with amazing stories to share. 

I met a German and Swiss man who walked the Camino four times! The German started his walk from Munich, and the man from Switzerland, from a small town in Switzerland outside Geneva. I also kept running into two Korean army “boys” who just got out and decided this was the best way to forget those unwanted memories. I met a girl from the University of Chicago who knew my niece Rose because they were in the same sorority! I felt that everyone I met became instant “amigos”. 

My Spanish was getting a little better but my Italian was perfetta!