January’s Chapter Meeting features Martha Cunningham’s story of her French hiking experience…walking what is said to be the most popular of the Camino de Santiago routes through France. It is a walk through rural France that normally takes four or five weeks carrying you back in time through picturesque natural landscapes and on quaint, old town cobblestone streets. At our meeting, we will also be updated on Chapter business including our January 20-23 work weekend during which we enjoy trail camaraderie, food and the rewards from making the trail better by restoring some of Torreya State Park’s hiking trails.  

About the El Camino de Santiago, the whole route is longer than Martha’s hike through France. The whole El Camino is an ancient pilgrimage route to the tomb of St. James the Great in Santiago de Compostela in Northwestern Spain. Martha’s hike carried her through the scenic areas of France which precede the section of the Camino that crosses over the border between Spain and France and continues to Santiago.

In Martha's talk, we will learn more about how she prepared for the hike, her packing essentials, the varying terrains and walking paths, the regional French food specialties, the range of nightly accommodations, and the camaraderie of Pilgrims along the Le Puy Way.