On behalf of the planning team, thank you for signing up to be a part of this important spiritual and prophetic journey. 

 

As you prepare for your walk, here is some information that might be helpful to you:

 

1.  The Camino begins Saturday, April 22nd at WWII Japanese-American Internment Camp in Manzanar (5001 Hwy 395; take the 178 to the 395) at 11am.  Following the worship service and blessing, we will begin our first day of the Camino.

 

2.  Wear good walking shoes.  If you are wearing NEW shoes, please wear them as often as you can now to prepare.  Some people like to wear cross-trainers, others will be wearing walking sandals.  Find the shoes that work best for you and be prepared to put some mileage on them! 

 

3.  If you are wearing sneakers, boots or some other kind of closed shoe, we recommend that you wear a thin, sweat absorbing sock inside of a wool sock.  Good arch support is important and blisters are not your friend!! 

 

4.  If you are wearing walking sandals, make sure that they are well broken in and have good arch support…blisters are no fun!

 

5.  In preparation for your journey, walk as much as you can now.  And stretch BEFORE and AFTER your walk!  Pulled muscles and cramps won’t be much fun on the walk.

 

6.  Drink lots of water and get plenty of sleep.  We hope you’ll join the pilgrimage not just happy but also healthy!

 

7.  Please bring your own reusable water bottle or day pack with water bladder…we want our environmental impact to be as minimal as possible.  If you have a day pack, you will want to keep your ID & medical card, sunscreen, moleskins (for blisters), chap-stick, and other small items in it for easy access.  We will have water coolers that you can refill your bottles/water bladder with.

 

8.  If you are walking with us for 1 day only (or part of a day), you will park your car at the STARTING church (see “THE ROUTE”).  Please arrive at least 10 minutes before the listed start time.  We will have Morning Prayer and depart immediately following.  A support car driver will bring you back to your car at the end of the day (or when you need to depart).

 

9.  If you are walking with us for more than one day, you will park your car at the STARTING point (see “THE ROUTE”).  Please arrive at least 10 minutes before the listed start time.  We will have Morning Prayer and depart immediately following.  Please print out the parking pass and put it on your dashboard.  At the end of your journey, you will be returned to your car by one of the support car drivers.

 

10.  If you require any medications, please pack what you need to take care of yourself.

 

11.  Speaking of packing…if you are walking for more than a day on the pilgrimage, please be mindful of how much you pack…our “storage” space is limited.  For those walking for the entirety of the camino, home-stay hosts are prepared to let you do a load of laundry as needed.  Things on your packing list should include:

 

• Hat

• Sunglasses

• Sunscreen

• Camino t-shirt (definitely needed for the first and last days)

• Pants/shorts, lightweight t-shirts

• Lightweight raincoat/jacket

• Walking shoes/sandals/socks as described above

• Sleeping clothes (you may be sharing space with others)

• Sleeping bag/blanket/pillow for any group sleeping situations (i.e., parish hall)

• Towel & toiletries 

 

12.  Meals:  If you are on the camino for more than a day, your breakfast will be provided by your homestay host.  Lunch and snacks will be provided by the planning team.  Dinner will be provided by the host church at our daily destination.

 

13.  Each day, we will likely arrive at our destination before dinner begins.  This will be a time for us to rest, reflect, and clean up a bit.  Dinner will be at 6pm each evening, followed by a presentation about some aspect of the Camino and evening prayer.  For those walking more than 1 day, we will then be transported to our homestays for the evening.  Your host will return you to the church the next morning in time for morning prayer and departure.

 

14.  Canon Anna is your emergency contact.  She will be walking the camino with you, but should you need to contact her, please put her cell number in your phone now: 541-400-9844.

 

15.  Each walker will receive a booklet and we encourage you to purchase a tshirt (those who participate in the entirety of the Camino will get a free tshirt, hat, and water bottle).  It is our hope that you will use the booklet to write down your reflections on the journey, and then, if you’re willing to share those reflections with the planning team, we hope to upload stories from the road on our webpage and Friday Reflection.  This will be a wonderful piece of the San Joaquin story! 

 

16.  If you plan to join us on the last day, please wear your Camino t-shirt.  Don’t have one??  Don’t worry!  We have some that we’ll be taking with us along the journey and you are welcome to purchase one then, or you can purchase one on the webpage “CAMINO SWAG SHOP”.

 

17.  Other questions??  Contact Canon Anna (canonanna@diosanjoaquin.org OR 541-400-9844)

 

 

 

Thanks again and we look forward to having you on El Camino de la Pascua!