El Piri is a solo and unsupported bikepacking gravel adventure. Starting and finishing in Girona, the route covers 850 kilometres and features 20,000 meters of climbing. The route is fun, split nearly 50/50 gravel/tarmac, designed to take you to some of the most beautiful areas in the Catalan Pyrenees. Most gravel roads in Catalunya are […]
Read more "The Ecstacy and Agony of El Piri"Another year, another stint as a Hospitalero Voluntario. I put my name into the hat at the end of August to help out in the second half of September if any Hospitalero dropped out. As fate would have it, The Camino called me back to Bercianos for a sequel to last year. Same location, but […]
Read more "Albergue Life"After more than 2 years away, it was time for us to visit our homelands: California and Canada. Not only were we due for a visit, we were also excited to welcome each other into the family after we agreed to take the plunge into marriage. It was the union of two different worlds: Steph […]
Read more "The Great North American Tour"Intro I looked at my calendar for 2023 and it was filling up fast. There were plenty of fun trips and activities like visiting Ibiza, doing a grand North American tour and a potential van tour of Italy. However, it was lacking one thing: a Camino. It had been less than a year since doing […]
Read more "No More Half Measures: San Salvador + Primitivo"The seeds of the plan began to form over a year ago, when Jay, a hiking friend, told us about how wonderful Ibiza is in May. He explained how the crowds haven’t arrived yet, but the weather is warm and the island sparkles in all its luster. We were intrigued – it had always been […]
Read more "One Perfect Moment at Es Vedrà"Wait, what is an Albergue? An albergue is essentially a hostel for pilgrims on The Camino. Most albergues are private; they are for-profit entities that are run like a business. Many private albergues are cozy, promote the spirit of the Camino and do communal dinners. Many are faceless macro-albergues – designed to be as minimal […]
Read more "The Albergue Diaries"It all began in Lisbon… The origins of this camino date back to early 2020 when Steph and I made a pact to do the Camino from Porto. I’m a Camino junkie and she is a curious newbie who is in love with the ceramic art of Portugal, especially in Porto. The plan basically created […]
Read more "El Camino Portugués"Day 16/4/22 One week in Iceland with my best bud – how could I say no? Iceland’s reputation as an otherworldly nature-lovers paradise made it very appealing. But what if there are too many tourists? Will the selfie-sticks and lines to see the waterfall make it ‘not worth it’? It’s touristy for a reason, Patrick! […]
Read more "Iceland Van-Bros"Bikepacking is like backpacking – but with a bike. You travel into nature and camp at night. It’s essentially the same as ‘bike touring’ except that the routes are usually on gravel or dirt and pass through more rural environments. Also, the typical way of carrying the gear is different – bikepacking consists of strapping […]
Read more "Bikepacking Maiden Voyage in Montañas Vacías"The Pre-Corona World The murmurings of Coronavirus began sometime in December or January, but it was merely a fleeting thought in my mind as I did my daily internet browsing of The Guardian and other news sites. It was on the front page and seemed serious, but it was a problem in China. It wasn’t something I […]
Read more "House Arrest and the Return to Freedom"