Well, we all made it back to the USA, but not without adventure. Allison and I had a relatively smooth ride to Charleston where we will sow d some time visiting my sister and brother-in-law and my mom. We’d planned to rent a car when we arrived and it wasn’t until literally 30 seconds until …
Tag: backpacking
Jacobsweg Day 64 Conthey -Martigny 16.1mi
Heavy rains were predicted this morning, so last evening we made the decision to sleep late. We had planned to leave our lodging around 9am. Our discussion at breakfast led us to make plans to return home. Yes, we are stopping this pilgrimage early. This one has always been different insofar as we never had …
Jakobsweg Day61 Bundalp-Kendersteg 8.3mi 3074ft ascent
This morning we started our day with breakfast with Gertrude and wished her well as she was going on a llama seeking adventure. https://youtu.be/VgIeZ5EPKhQ?si=XPMFslpjcD0gmI3s The morning was warm and we started with some pretty step climbing. This progressed to even stepper ascent including ropes attached to the mountain side for balance and possible high winds. …
Continue reading Jakobsweg Day61 Bundalp-Kendersteg 8.3mi 3074ft ascent
Jakobsweg Day60 Mürren-Bundalp 8.42mi 3743ft ascent
Today was challenging to say the least.. Those 3743 feet of ascent were all real and included a challenging descent as well. We are tired. Morning I’m not sure what we can upload tonight due to poor wifi but we will try to catch up again tomorrow if possible. We packed up our damp tents …
Continue reading Jakobsweg Day60 Mürren-Bundalp 8.42mi 3743ft ascent
Jakobsweg Day59 Grindelwald-Mürren+ 16.34mi, 3609ft
Short update today because we are wild camping with no wifi nor electricity. We are well. Our 16.3mi with 3600+ ascent sounds like quite a feet, but honestly it included 2200 of a cable car ride so let’s just subtract that off and make it a 1409ft ascent. That’s all we can say. Descending from …
Continue reading Jakobsweg Day59 Grindelwald-Mürren+ 16.34mi, 3609ft
Jakobsweg Day58 Grindelwald-Grindelwald 0km
No update today because other than eat and plan lodging we just rested. The pilgrimage starts again tomorrow. Grindelwald
Jakobsweg Day57 Grindelwald-Jungfraujoch-Grindelwald 0km
Early Morning Rest Day Start Today was our first rest day but that doesn’t mean we were not active. We woke at 6am to leave the apartment by 7 and begin an adventure to the top of the Alps. Jungfraujoch is the highest peak in Switzerland and claims several other “-ests”. At over 11,000ft of …
Continue reading Jakobsweg Day57 Grindelwald-Jungfraujoch-Grindelwald 0km
Jakobsweg Day56 Grosse Scheidegg-Grindelwald 5.1mi (39.4ft ascent) 704.7 Total
We woke in our tents to the pattering of rain so we knew today was going to be a less-than-ideal start. It’s no fun packing up wet tents in the rain. Also, neither Allison nor I slept well since our stomachs were feeling off. We were not in a rush since our bus back up …
Continue reading Jakobsweg Day56 Grosse Scheidegg-Grindelwald 5.1mi (39.4ft ascent) 704.7 Total
Jakobsweg Day55 Meiringen-Grosse Scheidegg 9.63mi (4482ft ascent)!
“Good morning pilgrims” is a phrase you’ve likely heard us say most mornings as we do our morning update. This is because in many ways we count you as pilgrims with us on this journey. But today, more than ever, I wish you all could have been with us in person. Today’s walk was superb …
Continue reading Jakobsweg Day55 Meiringen-Grosse Scheidegg 9.63mi (4482ft ascent)!
Jakobsweg Day54 Giswil-Meiringen 14.1mi (2350ft ascent)
Leaving our nice Pilgrim Herberge this morning was bittersweet. The hosts had been so kind to us letting us use their oven and clothes washing machine and being available for us. The Herberge in Giswil is highly recommended. We also said goodbye to Otto with whom we’ve been traveling for a few days now. We …
Continue reading Jakobsweg Day54 Giswil-Meiringen 14.1mi (2350ft ascent)
Jakobsweg Day53 Stans-Giswil 16.9mi
We had yet another discombobulated Morning Update but we’re just trying to keep you on your toes. After leaving Stans we immediately started climbing and the intensity so early took us all by surprise. We were quiet as we all struggled. Soon up ahead we saw a children’s school group (I’m guessing 8-9 year olds). …
Day 52 Schwyz to Stans 20.7mi
Today we were up at 5:30 am with a plan to catch a ferry across Lake Lucerne about an hour from our lodging. Johannes walked along with us as we recorded our morning update. Things didn’t really go as planned… https://youtu.be/eRvXt4Ft3eU?si=snLkmbCPuLfiVT0c https://youtu.be/EfWFavmjHWc?si=DcjZtQ9BkcbFESmr Schwyz is home to the Swiss Army knives company Victorinox. After we arrived …
Jakobsweg Day50 Rapperswil-Einsiedeln 11.1mi
We planned slightly later start due to the short distance planned for the day and alarms were set for 6:30am. Of course Nadine was up much earlier. The Pilgrim Herberge in which we stayed last night was full and it was the first night sleeping with nearly a dozen “strangers”. I was amazed that no …
Continue reading Jakobsweg Day50 Rapperswil-Einsiedeln 11.1mi
Jakobsweg Day49 Au-Rapperswil 16.3mi
Our morning began a little later than normal. Our hosts prepared us breakfast at 7:30am which was lovely and very filling. Then Richi drove us to a high point where we could walk on our route. Boy, was it up high. In my mind I was thinking we cannot possibly walk any higher this trip. …
Jakobsweg Day48 Märstetten-Fischingen Closter (Au) 18.3mi (610.9 Total)
First. Sorry for the discombobulated post today. It seems the ladies were tired and things got a bit scrambled. So some things may not be in order. Because we were warm last night we left a window open. This made the room perfectly cool but also let in an annoying mosquito. So when the alarm …
Continue reading Jakobsweg Day48 Märstetten-Fischingen Closter (Au) 18.3mi (610.9 Total)
Jakobsweg Day45 Supplement
Just some videos for completion since I was unable to post last night. https://youtu.be/cI0inqaf_xo?si=l3ePinbjLG3WK3me https://youtu.be/73u-ghSNA9g?si=VDbJVGWTd3MHqtQq https://youtu.be/FFWroTmW7sE?si=HPOE3G_YcuLbgtXr https://youtu.be/ySFc4RvaeqA?si=JaRQ9X77A2phaLoe https://youtu.be/r_Y3Bjj82rg?si=cPzNIsBnVuH1a56V
Jakobsweg Day42 Rewind
Let me back up a bit. On Sunday we had no WiFi so I was unable to post videos. Here a few to fill in the blanks. https://youtu.be/ZsRqdkU-N-0?si=Vg3pLHGeAPRD-hmE https://youtu.be/3Y7wevMbCTg?si=vAm7o4mmeIEJ_CUe https://youtu.be/ZvWnX9yKeO0?si=hiZxtZnjpexLF_wX https://youtu.be/stu44Oddw0I?si=KmWjBUpep99i4NFV
Jakobsweg Day43 Steinhausen-Bad Waldsee 14.9mi -530.9mi total
We woke early after a chilly night tent camping. It was fine in the tent in the sleeping bag, but the air was cold nonetheless. The beautiful church I mentioned had a bell tower that chimed every quarter hour. We had a disturbed sleep but still woke up at 5:30am. Why wake up so early?? …
Continue reading Jakobsweg Day43 Steinhausen-Bad Waldsee 14.9mi -530.9mi total
Jakobsweg Day42 Äpfingen-Steinhausen 16.8mi
Tiny update tonight because we are tent camping with no wifi available. Nice walk today with little asphalt!!! Biberach an der Riß is a pretty town 16.8mi departing at 6:10am and arriving just after lunch. Steinhausen is home to the “world’s most beautiful parish church”. Tent camping with chickens that roam the site and know …
Continue reading Jakobsweg Day42 Äpfingen-Steinhausen 16.8mi
Jakobsweg Day41 Oberdischingen-Äpfingen 14.1mi
Mark Mark with our lovely Host Gerda After a great breakfast and a special blessing by our host (an individual prayer for each of us), we said goodbye to this special pilgrim house… Farewell and God Bless …and walked out onto the asphalt sidewalk. https://youtu.be/4zt4LqZRobQ?si=zDdshXUMXIIJR9Np Our first stop was the grocery store to stock up …
Continue reading Jakobsweg Day41 Oberdischingen-Äpfingen 14.1mi
Day 39 Thallingen to Ulm 7.7mi
Nadine Breakfast was included in our room cost so we started out with the traditional breakfast of every food under the sun. I was able to try quince jam for the first time! Just yesterday we saw quince fruit growing on trees along the way. https://youtu.be/RhDQPuS6ZmI?si=jDON7bAQcBiR_SbU Today was an easy day walking to Ulm (about …
Jakobsweg Day38 Hürben-Thalfingen 18.2mi
Mark So let’s cut to the chase. We woke to wet tents after an overnight rain. If you’ve ever camped, you know that feeling after a “good” nights sleep on the ground. But packing up a wet tent in your backpack along with damp clothes is a special treat altogether. We left with a “cheerful” …
Jakobsweg Day37 Supplement
Just the morning update I was unable to publish yesterday due to lack of wifi. https://youtu.be/DKoBPsQzo3E?si=quTgeekHVXlQfW7I
Jakobsweg Day36 Nordlingen-Neresheim 15.1mi
Allison Today began early. We hit the road at 6:20 am. The air definitely has a cold bite to it at 47 Farenheit with a breeze. The sunrise was beautiful on this cloud free morning. https://youtu.be/vTVwehP9JVc?si=qdb0Q05o5quhDqqV Mark decided it was time to replace the rubber tip on his pole. The old and new tips definitely …
Continue reading Jakobsweg Day36 Nordlingen-Neresheim 15.1mi
Jakobsweg Day35 Oettingen-Nordlingen 14.8mi
Mark We left our sweet set up in Oettingen and set out for the day earlier than we needed, but that is just habit. Before leaving however, we had a yogurt and fruit breakfast we’d purchased yesterday. https://youtu.be/ykEJOQ3jSyQ?si=3oXckAOWkvnYdYpS It was Sunday and you could tell because the town was completely deserted at this time of …
Continue reading Jakobsweg Day35 Oettingen-Nordlingen 14.8mi
Jakobsweg Day34 Supplement
After our dinner we took a quick walk around old Oettingen. Here are a few shots. Just around the corner from our place. A few Pilgrims Marquee Mama and Baby Stork Inside the Evangelical Lutheran Church Look at those flowers! Stork nests on most buildings. Fun sign! We keep seeing these roofs and wonder how …
Day 34 From Spielberg to Oettingen In Bayern 15.2mi -411.2mi total.
Allison, Nadine, Mark We slept in! Well, Nadine didn’t, she got up to see the sunrise, but unfortunately it was an overcast morning. Breakfast was served at 8 am and what a breakfast. The meal covered all the basics and the entire surface area of the huge table. Granted we also made sandwiches for lunch …
Continue reading Day 34 From Spielberg to Oettingen In Bayern 15.2mi -411.2mi total.
Jakobsweg Day27 Forchheim-Woods outside of Kalchreuth 14.8mi
Very short post today because we are wild camping in the woods and need to conserve battery. https://youtu.be/K4NiqwC8B-o?si=zofiVVv7veYZ-nNG We left Forchheim late to catch a grocery store knowing we might be camping tonight. Mostly farmland today but we did visit two small chapels and got a Jakobsweg stamp. The campground we’d chosen was pretty suspicious …
Continue reading Jakobsweg Day27 Forchheim-Woods outside of Kalchreuth 14.8mi
Jakobsweg Day26 Bamberg-Forchheim 18.4 miles
<More video and pictures have to wait until better wifi> Today started early so we could beat the heat and also because of the distance and elevation. Unfortunately, last night was loud. Our lodging did not have air conditioning which required us to open the windows. Thank goodness the owner had a fan we could …
Continue reading Jakobsweg Day26 Bamberg-Forchheim 18.4 miles
Jakobsweg Day25 Baunach-Bamberg 11.2mi
<Note: Unless you intend to be anonymous, please sign your comments. We do a good job guessing who you are by your email address but some of you are mysteries since WordPress encodes your responses!> Today was supposed to be an easy 7.5mi day but there must have been a miscalculation, not by much but …
Jakobsweg Day14 Letzau-Windischeschenbach 15.45mi
Today started a bit like last night insofar as we had a completely non-pilgrim like meal. It was a luxury breakfast of fruit, meat, cheese, eggs, bread and jam all served over a linen tablecloth. Our host and the amazing breakfast. We received a stamp in our passports and headed out for the day. https://youtu.be/m4RrJr-3irY?si=ryloGwNFojiQPGuR …
Continue reading Jakobsweg Day14 Letzau-Windischeschenbach 15.45mi
Jakobsweg Day10 Kladruby-Přimda 17.1mi
Nadine This morning we left the village of Kladruby a little earlier than usual, around 6:30 a.m. Already, people were out and about, a lady carrying two bags of groceries was returning to her home, children were setting off for school, and people in their cars zipped by. It's fun to see daily life in …
Jakobsweg Day8 Hracholusky-Kladruby 15.8mi -First Rain
Before we even left our room this morning the sunrise over the lake was beautiful. I have to take Nadine's word on that because I am not a morning person. Obviously, this is Allison. And our lodging very kindly provided black tea which apparently has lots of caffeine. Apparently when a morning person has two …
Continue reading Jakobsweg Day8 Hracholusky-Kladruby 15.8mi -First Rain
Day2 Cernosice-Beroun – Many Hills -16.4mi >2600ft ascent
We woke early. Wait, let me back up. First you should know that sunrise here in Czech is currently just after 5am. Second, our hotel room faced east. So but 5:30 we were wide awake and packed by 6:00. Our hotel included a wonderful and indeed exceptional buffet of eggs sausage, fruit, pastry, bread, jam …
Continue reading Day2 Cernosice-Beroun – Many Hills -16.4mi >2600ft ascent
Day1 Prague-Cernosice 15.4mi
The pilgrimage has begun. Yay! Literally our first step on this pilgrimage. First the bad news. As we were packing our bags this morning I realized the transmitter mic for our 360 camera was missing. After a few minutes of fruitless searching I recalled on instance the previous day when the camera fell and I’d …
Playing Tourist
First, I promise these Vlog entries will get much shorter once we start walking. There is just so much to see in Prague and our time here is short. I love my sister Nadine. I put her “in charge” of Prague and she has made sure to make the most of our time here. Her …
Travel Day!!
Good morning Pilgrims. Although the pilgrimage itself won’t start until Monday morning, we are en-route. In the Middle Ages the route was fraught with danger and the unknown. Delays and unexpected events were the norm and not the exception. Our journey is starting with a stumble as well. Our flight from Raleigh to Charlotte was …
2 Weeks to Go – Video shoots! – Allison
Autographs can be Arranged! I've repeated this phrase a lot recently but "things are really starting to happen fast now". Let's kick this off with a video of <surprise> me. This is a gear review of everything I am taking on our trip. If you're not into backpacking, this might not be the most action-packed …
Three weeks to go!
We always end our preparation and training for a pilgrimage walk with three "big" hikes. The first is a 20mi hike at Hanging Rock State park. Being very honest, I never look forward to this one. This year was no exception. First, it is a long hike. After 20mi, I have gone through the typical …
OnceLostTrio 