As only a few of our family and friends know so far, Keith has decided to take a pilgrimage on the El Camino de Santiago (The Way of St. James) in Spain over the next month and I thought that the best way to let others join in the adventure was to create a blog where we could update you on his progress through posts, pictures, etc.

He will arrive in Spain on Wednesday, Sept. 12^th then take a train north to Burgos. This is where he will begin his 500ish kilometer (about 310 miles) walk on the Camino Francés route of the El Camino de Santiago (pictured to follow). He plans to average 20-22 km per day (13 miles), which takes into account rare break days.

Keith’s motivation to take this pilgrimage hike has been hard for him to describe. He said he really can’t explain the compulsion he feels to do this, but just knows he needs to. There’s a spiritual component that he struggles to explain, but there is also a timing issue that I completely understand.

Keith was diagnosed 10 years ago with a progressive lung disease (details and links provided later) that has had him on some pretty significant treatment plans since his diagnosis. One medication (that he thankfully is no longer taking) would give him significant flu-like symptoms every other day for years. His body never adapted and it took its physical and emotional tolls. Now his current plan–that excludes that ghastly injected medication–seems quite routine and easier to live with. While he is quite the exception to the rule for the condition he has—it is still very unpredictable and could take a turn for the worse with no warning. So holding off a trip like this becomes higher and higher risk each year.

Since his diagnosis we took to living our lives day by day, but this is an exception. This pilgrimage. This trek that he is compelled to complete. This trip has taken months to plan and prepare for. This is his opportunity to serve his condition notice that it doesn’t get to win today and hopefully not tomorrow either. And a way to test his faith in himself and learn more about his own spiritual side.

Unfortunately life isn’t as accommodating as we’d like–so he will be taking this journey without me. Having ruined my knees in my teen years I would never be able to do this walk even if I were a thinner me, but we also just have too many obstacles to allow both of us to leave this world behind completely right now. So this time, he goes it alone while tethered to home through the wonders of technology.

Watch for regular updates and other feature notes as Keith’s expedition and my blogging skills progress.