Sierra Club hosts program on hiking an ancient pilrimage trail Jan. 10

The Sierra Club invites you to attend a program on the two-week, 300-mile walk on the Camino de Santiago Compostela.

Rick McKay launched his retirement from teaching with a 300-mile walk on the Camino de Santiago Compostela. The two-week adventure along the ancient European pilgrimage trail bridged a familiar past with the many possibilities lying ahead.

“I wanted to do something special as I was moving into a new phase of my life,” McKay said. “You look backward and ahead as you walk, the same thing you do when reflecting on your life.”

McKay will present a photographic narrative of his journey of transition and discovery at a Sierra Club program on Jan. 10 at the Helen Plum Library in Lombard.

With deep roots as a pilgrimage for absolving grave sins, the Camino, also known as The Way of St. James, has become a popular modern day hike. Historically, multiple pilgrimage routes led to Santiago de Compostela where legend states St. James' remains were carried by boat from Jerusalem and buried. Today, there are five main routes of varying length, difficulty and support infrastructure.

Pilgrims typically walk in the same direction and find themselves becoming part of a moving community with a shared purpose. Walkers often meet up each night at the same refugios and albergues, the inexpensive hostels available to walkers with pilgrim passports. The basic accommodations, dormitory beds and communal baths, are in keeping with the pilgrimage tradition. Modern conveniences and distractions such as cell phones are stripped away, honoring the singularity of purpose shared by the walkers, rising early and spending the day in walking contemplation.

“The simplicity of the days frees the mind to grapple with larger questions,” said McKay.

Passports (credencials) are stamped at the refugios and albergues, certifying the pilgrim has taken an official route which is necessary for receiving the compostela, a certificate of completion. Pilgrims must walk a minimum of 100 km or cycle 200 km and claim a religious purpose in order to receive a compostela. The Pilgrim Office of Santiago awards more than 100,000 compostelas a year to pilgrims from over 100 countries.

A well seasoned traveler, McKay has shared annual expeditions since 1970 with Jack and Joe, two college friends. The three met at Northern Illinois University and their first adventure was a hitchhiking trip to Alaska. The shared pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago deepened their long standing friendships and eased McKay's transition into retirement.

Thinking back to that summer McKay said, “I came home open to the opportunities that lay ahead and with a readiness to act on them when they appeared.”

"Contemplation and Adventure on the Camino de Santiago Compostela" will be presented at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 10 at Helen Plum Memorial Library, 110 Maple, Lombard

For information, visit illinois.sierraclub.org/rpg or call Lonnie Morris at (630) 627-3982. It is free, open to the public. Registration is not required

This program is not sponsored or endorsed by the Helen Plum Library