Groborsch - Notes on the Way of St. James From Bavaria to the star field in Spain -] 2500 km by feet!

2013 Stephan Groborsch, 87766 Memmingerberg, Germany

Herstellung und Verlag: BoD - Books on Demand GmbH, Norderstedt

ISBN 978-3-7357-3022-0

1 Kilometer = 0.62 US Miles

2500 Kilometer = 1553.424 US Miles

Elevation

1 Meter = 3.28 feet

Temperature

0C 1.8 + 32 = 32F

5C 1.8 + 32 = 41F

20C x 1.8 + 32 = 68F

What reasoning could prompt a man to travel 2,500 kilometers by foot? I dont really have a clear answer. When my parents were still alive they often spoke of the Camino de Santiago trail, but I never took it into consideration; life revolved around my wife and children.

So why did I begin walking? Did the trail appeal to me because it was trendy or was it because my brother had already decided I should do it? Im not sure. I wanted to do something packed with adventure. I wanted an experience, an experience that most people will never have. At that point I was 48 years old. At 49 years old, I informed my wife, family and friends of my intentions. By my 50th birthday the foundations had been laid and everyone knew of my plans, but no one believed I would go!

I prepared myself one step at a time, paying extra attention to studying maps, though I would discover later that my studies didnt always result in success. I still cant properly operate the GPS that I bought for the trip, but that doesnt bother me because I am continuing to learn about this gadget and still use it.

Why am I even writing this down? Perhaps so that one day my grandchildren will read my story, Grandpa-Adventure! More importantly, I had to write it down for myself. I experienced so many wonderful moments that I will remember forever. Its very important for me to immortalize my story.

Now, I want to give a few words of thanks.

First and foremost, to my lovely wife for giving me the confidence needed to take on this endeavor. I hope I have made you proud, dear Uschi.

I also want to thank my daughter, who took the time and trouble to read my writing from an editorial view. Her efforts have helped to keep my story alive.

Lastly, I would like to give thanks to the many people I met along the way, for giving me so much joy and acceptance.

Now that the introduction is over, you can enjoy the story.

The Pilgrim

How did I prepare myself for this adventure? Id like to write a few sentences on that.

Practical preparation: I tried to buy all the necessary maps with a scale of 1:50,000. For Germany and Switzerland it was no problem. In Germany, French and Spanish maps are difficult to find in this scale. So I reduced the scale to 1:125,000.

The next step was to get a guidebook, which provided plenty of information to plan the route.

The next step was to get a guidebook and plan the route. The guidebooks provided plenty of information to get this done.

A family weekend spent talking about the Way of St. James, which was organized by the Catholic military priest from Kaufbeuren airbase, was another step in the preparations.

As of October 2010, more and more time went into the planning. My GPS was loaded with maps and routes, which were being constantly refined. At the time I completed my packing list and checked my equipment again and again.

Physical Preparation:

I had to reach a certain level of physical fitness. To that end I put together a little program.

I stayed on this schedule, by and large, until one week before the start.

Diana and the children picked me up at 8:00 am, and we took the short cut to the kindergarten.

Figure 1: The first steps

At Fritsch, a house in the neighborhood, we were met by Gulde Gerhard, who gave me money (in the form of a 100 chocolate coin) to take on my trip. Before the turnoff to the kindergarten, I said goodbye to my grandchildren and Diana. Then I went to Fielmann, an optician, where I gave my wife a big kiss for goodbye.

When I walked through Volkratshofen I went to Stetter, the butcher, but he was closed, unfortunately. What bad luck, I really needed to buy some meat!

The butcher shop in Aichstetten closes on every Wednesday afternoon, but I arrived just in time. I bought some raw pork belly and sausage.

Right now Im at N47 57: E10 03 and attempting to make a fire to cook my lunch. Within half an hour, I have a fire going and meat in the pot! Now I just have to wait for the soup to cook. Lunch was pretty good, and I was able to wash everything in the brook. After that, I strayed from the street, following the forest path instead, where I watched a fox hunt mice until it noticed me and ran off. Later, I saw a C-160 Transall military carrier practice touch-and-go landings at the Leutkirch airfield. I took my first break near the entrance to the town of Leutkirch. I was tired and I still had to walk about 6 kms, as the crow flies, to get to Herlazhofer Pond.

Figure 2: Preparing lunch