I have a hard time sitting still. Over the years I've run 12 marathons, climbed 5 mountains, and hiked portions of the Grand Canyon, the Appalachian Trail, and El Camino de Santigo. Whether you're religious or not, all of these endeavors have a spiritual component. (I had a particularly long conversation with god once when we lost the trail in a snowstorm during a decent on Mount Rainier). However, El Camino de Santiago,  (The way of St. James) is easily the most spiritual journey I have encountered. The Camino is a pilgimage through Northern Spain that dates back to the 8th Century. There are actually many routes of this pilgrimage throughout Europe, but the most common route is the 500 mile stretch from Saint Jean Pied de Port, France to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Ove the years I have had the good fortune to hike segments of the Camino totalling about 300 miles.  There are often opportunities to get on the internet along the way, but it would be very difficult to stay in the moment AND blog about it, so I made the choice to blog when I got back. For the next two weeks, I will be posting a few photos and recollections from each day on the Camino matching the schedule day for day. This is my first post. We begin in France, in the small village of Saint Jean Pied De port.