Following the Yellow Arrow

On a slightly different topic—though still very much related to the training of the mind and body—I wanted to make mention of a book that was recently published regarding the experiences of young people hiking the Camino de Santiago. The book includes an article I wrote, entitled “A Journey Yet Unfinished.”



The Camino de Santiago, or Saint James Way, is a pilgrimage across northern Spain to the cathedral that marks the last remains of the apostle. AS legend has it, Saint James was chosen by Jesus to bring Christianity to the Iberian Peninsula. When he returned from his journey into what is now Spain and Portugal, he was executed in Jerusalem. His body was then taken by two of his disciples and placed into a boat that returned, by divine power, to the coast of Galicia.
Hundreds of years later, a farmer working his fields saw what he believed to be stars falling from the sky. When he followed the lights, he discovered the tomb of Saint James.


For nearly 1300 years, now, people have been making the pilgrimage to see the cathedral of Santiago in Compastela. People embark from all over Spain and Europe and come from Asia, the Americas, and Africa to undertake this journey.



In 2004 I walked 300KM of the Camino de Santiago from Leon to Santiago de Compastela. We spent 17 days rising at 5:00AM to begin walking by 6:00, carrying our clothing and sleeping bags in backpacks and walking anywhere from twenty to thirty kilometers in a day. The terrain is beautiful and, as you observe the slowly changing landscape, you also notice the changes in culture and food across the country.


The book: Following the Yellow Arrow includes my article and those of many young people who have traveled to Spain and completed some part of the Camino de Santiago. If you are interested, please check it out at Amazon.com