Good luck Jaci

When my wife and I used to hike, we thought in miles, the fewer the better.

We would never have thought in the hundreds of miles.

Jaci Gross and her 72-year-old mother, Jeanne, are underway on a 400-mile pilgrimage to Santiago, Spain.

They left the states Tuesday for Lisbon, Portugal, from where they will walk the 400 miles to the Cathedral at Santiago, where the apostle St. James the Great, is buried.

Jaci has been on feverish walks from her home in Coulee Dam to Steamboat Rock State Park several times a week, and also, for a change, to Nespelem. According to Jaci, she was trying to get her feet in shape for the long walk ahead.

Along the way, every 20 to 25 miles the route is dotted with small villages that have hostels for overnight stays and which supply food for the pilgrims. Hostels run $10-$20 a night, and a meal will cost $10-$15.

The hostels are a welcome stop for those who have blisters or who suffer fatigue from the walk or the elements.

The pilgrimage ends at the cathedral at Santiago, where the successful trekkers get a certificate.

One of the side benefits is the friendships you make along the way. Jaci speaks fondly of a group from Denmark who shared the trail with her for part of the walk on the France-Spain walk.

Jaci wasn’t sure how her mother trained for the trek, only that she did.

After a couple of days in Lisbon to settle in from jet lag and several time zone changes, the pair were to set off on the hike.

Sometime in August, after Jaci returns, I hope to write an account of her trip.

The 400-mile trek will take a month, give or take a day or two.

A few years ago, Jaci took the pilgrimage from the French side over the Pyrenees Mountains in a 500-mile trek. So, she knows what she is in for. Hiking from the French side, the terrain was steep and provided a unique challenge.

From the Lisbon side the terrain is fairly level so it will be

somewhat easier. 

On this route, there are tiny villages every 15 to 20 miles where you can bed down in hostels and get food.

The biggest threat is blisters on your feet, and of course fatigue. The weather might play a role in the success of the trip.

This pilgrimage will be far different in that the route won’t be steep.

Imagine the thrill of making a trek like this with your mother.

Jaci says her backpack will weigh about 20 pounds, with only the vital necessities.

Jaci is a 20-year veteran teacher at Lake Roosevelt Schools, mainly in the fifth grade, and she has taught many students the joy of hiking.

As you read this in real time, the two Gross hikers will likely be some 25-50 miles along the route.

A short time after that, we hope to bring a report of how the trip went, hopefully without blisters.