I’m often asked, “Which hike did you
like better, the Camino de Santiago, Spain, or the Appalachian
Trail?” Answering that question is like answering to which child
you like better, you can’t answer that.

They are both very different
experiences. It is like comparing sailing on a private yacht, vs. a
cruise ship. Both have advantages and disadvantages.

The private yacht offers, well, privacy
and yet allows freedom to sail where you wish and follow your whims.
Meals are quiet, and entertainment tends to be with a few other
guests and solitary activities, such as watching videos, reading or
maintaining the yacht.

The cruise ship on the other hand has a
defined route and schedule. The ship is not very “private,”
except for your cabin. There are group events, shows, huge dining
areas and the experience is more like that of a floating city
neighborhood.

The Camino is more like the private
yacht. There is no well defined route to follow. We followed the most
popular route, from St. Jean Pied du Port, France, to Santiago de
Compostela, a wonderful 500 mile (800 km) walk through some of the
most spectacular countryside in Europe. It is rife with castles,
ancient villages, scenic vistas and culture. However, the route we
took, known as the Camino Francés, is one of many and even it is not
well defined.

I’m currently working on finishing my
story of that hike and I find it striking how many times we were lost
on this “route.” Unlike the A.T., it is not as well marked and
many times we had to decide on which path to take, there were
choices, some longer, some shorter.

The A.T., on the other hand, is a well
defined, 2,176 mile (in 2008) path that is marked with white “blazes”
and I never needed a map. Oddly, the A.T. wanders through woods,
mountains, hills, and other places that would seem to make it
difficult to follow, but it rarely was. The Camino, on the other
hand, goes almost directly west, from one village, town or city, to
the next and yet can perplex and confuse the hiker.

In the photo, the white blaze, on the left, was partially eaten by a bear, you can see the claw marks. Those blazes were distinguishable and clear for the entire length of the A.T., provided bears weren’t eating them. The image on the right shows the yellow arrows used to mark the Camino. They were often vague, inconsistent and puzzling. Here, even the person painting the arrow wasn’t certain and painted a question mark over the arrow!

Which did I like better? I loved them
both! I can’t pick a winner, they are both world class and deserve to
stand alone. They’re both my favorite children.