Senior Tamara Miskovic and junior Abby Schwenk were part of a small group from Canisius College that spent six days hiking the terrain in Galicia, Spain, this past summer. The group followed what is known as El Camino de Santiago, or The Way of St. James, one of the world's oldest medieval pilgrimage routes, which ends at St. James Cathedral located in Santiago de Compostela.
The band of pilgrims began each day at 6 a.m. hoping to avoid the afternoon heat, and averaged 13-16 miles per day. There were several stops along the way including Porrino, Arcade, Pontevedra, Caldas De Reis, Padron and the final destination of Santiago.
Both Miskovic and Schwenk were given pilgrim passports to get stamped along the way to keep track of where they'd been and document their incredible journey. Upon completion of the trip, the pair also received a certificate of completion.
Both of the Griffs athletes viewed the feat as so much more than an arduous six-day trip and special religious experience. While the pilgrimage is religious in nature, the athletes were able to take away many other aspects of the journey.
“The experience is a personal one, where each person can take away something different,” Schwenk said. “I used the walk as a chance to overcome a challenge, get a sense of achievement and experience new things along the way.”
For her friend and teammate, Miskovic, the experience was a similar one.
“My focus the entire way was to push myself and essentially focus on surviving,” Miskovic said. “You don't realize the physical toll that a walk that long has, so you learn to grow and adapt and that was the best part. Personally it was a chance to to test my injury from last season and get physically and mentally prepared for the season.”
Aside from the overall feeling of success of completing the journey, much of the appeal to both Miskovic and Schwenk was what they encountered along the way. They often found joy in the interactions with fellow travelers, as well as the local communities who proved to be welcoming hosts.
“The people in the villages that we passed were so welcoming,” Miskovic. “While accommodations and food choices were modest in many places, the whole trip gave me a sense of appreciation for what we had. It's not a journey of luxury, it's a walk where you find yourself and because of the conditions you go through, you're thankful for what is around you.”
The destination point of the pilgramge, Santiago de Compostela is a legendary burial place of St. James, revered by Christians worldwide. The route has become the most popular pilgrimage for Western European Catholics
Santiago de Compostela is a legendary burial place of St. James, venerated by Christians around the world. The Way of St. James has become the most popular pilgrimage for Western European Catholics. Its popularity stems from Walter Starkie's 1957 book, The Road to Santiago: The Pilgrims of St. James.
The trip was co-sponsored by the Institute for the Global Study of Religion (IGSOR) and the Department of Modern Languages.
