You thought walking 1000 miles would get the Camino out of my system? Wrong! More Caminos are in my future.

Right now, I’m planning two…

France/Spain – September 2023

I’ll be walking two weeks on the Camino with my sisters, Ann and Carol. We’ll start in Navarennx, France. I’ll walk for two weeks to Logroño, Spain, then I’ll meet up with Shirley for a fun vacation. My sisters will keep walking for another week to Burgos, Spain, then they’ll head home.

I’ve done all these walks before, but I’m excited to do them again, and my experience should make Ann’s and Carol’s journeys a bit easier.

Italy/Switzerland – August 2024

I’ll be walking from Lausanne, Switzerland to Rome, Italy. This route is called the “Via Francigena.” It is a lesser known pilgrimage that starts in Canterbury and goes all the way to Rome. This is a dream walk for me, since the trail goes over the Alps, through Tuscany and finishes at St. Peter’s Basilica. I love Italy, and am anxious to take this hike on.

Stay tuned to the billionthecamino blog. I’ll share updates on our fall Camino as well as planning for the Via Francigena. Until then, a few more details can be found below.

Ann, me, Carol, and Mary. Since Ann is usually the primary care giver for my Dad, Mary volunteered to visit Michigan for three weeks to fill in, so the rest of us can do the Camino. Thanks, Mary! I’m happy to report both Carol and Ann have already been training. They’re excited as I was last year, and it’s fun to share this process with them.

And, yes, I’m the youngest sibling. (I presume that’s what you thought. Don’t tell me otherwise.)

Navarrenx. We’ll be starting our hike in this lovely French town. You may remember it from my Camino. It’s a small town with a nearly intact medieval wall surrounding it. This isn’t a traditional starting place for a Camino, but staring here allows us to get a few days of moderate hills under our belts before we climb the Pyrenees into Spain. Plus we get to enjoy some lovely views and great French food for a few days.

Burgos. Ann and Carol will be walking for three weeks and finish their Camino in Burgos. I spent two nights here back in September. It’s a lively town with a gorgeous cathedral. For those of you that watched “The Way,” this is the town where the main character has his backpack stolen.

If they enjoy this journey, and I’m sure they will, maybe they’ll be back another time to walk the remaining three weeks to Santiago!

Via Francigena. If all goes as planned, I’ll start in Lausanne, Switzerland and walk all the way to Rome. This Camino will probably take me about 45 days and cover about 700 miles. It goes over two mountain ranges, the Alps and the Apennines, so I’m going to have to eat plenty of pasta along the way for energy. 😉

I’m starting in August to ensure The Great Saint Bernard Pass in the Alps is clear of snow, but. unfortunately, that means I may face some heat in Italy in late August and September.

This Camino isn’t as heavily traveled as others. While over 300,000 do the Camino Frances each year, only about 50,000 do the Via Francigena. The Italian government is investing in the route, though, so it is growing in popularity.

(Map credit: FollowTheCamino)

For you planning geeks, here’s our tentative Camino schedule. I averaged about 14 miles per day on my first Camino. Ann and Carol want slightly shorter days, so we’ve developed this plan to average around 12 miles a day.

We’ve already booked our flights and reserved rooms, so now we have to turn our attention to training and getting our gear ready.