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The Walk of a Lifetime: 500 Miles on the Camino de Santiago
Trekking 500 miles on the ancient Camino de Santiago was not just an item for Russ Eanes to check off his bucket list. It was a journey he had dreamed of taking for decades.
At age 61, with his children grown, he was too young to retire but wise enough to know that he needed to reorient the hurried pace of his life. He left his work and took a sabbatical to "reset" himself and the first step was to head to the Camino.
With everything he needed in a 16-pound pack and, equipped with a set of seven simple principles, he took off from St. Jean Pied de Port, France, to walk, as pilgrims have for twelve centuries, across Spain, to realize his dream. It was the Walk of a Lifetime.
In a style that is part personal memoir and part travel memoir, he combines history, spirituality, coffee, culture and humor into an engaging journey of personal rediscovery.
At age 61, with his children grown, he was too young to retire but wise enough to know that he needed to reorient the hurried pace of his life. He left his work and took a sabbatical to "reset" himself and the first step was to head to the Camino.
With everything he needed in a 16-pound pack and, equipped with a set of seven simple principles, he took off from St. Jean Pied de Port, France, to walk, as pilgrims have for twelve centuries, across Spain, to realize his dream. It was the Walk of a Lifetime.
In a style that is part personal memoir and part travel memoir, he combines history, spirituality, coffee, culture and humor into an engaging journey of personal rediscovery.
- GenresNonfictionMemoirTravel
223 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 23, 2019
71 people are currently reading
234 people want to read
About the author
Russ Eanes
5 books8 followersRuss Eanes is a writer, walker and cyclist from Harrisonburg, Virginia. He has several decades experience in the publishing business and now works full-time as a freelance writer, editor, publishing consultant and online educator about all things travel, with GetSetUp.
He grew up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Hartford and Chicago, where he spent most of his time in the outdoors. From an early age he had ambitions to become a writer and to travel the world.
He graduated from Indiana University with a degree in English and Boise State University, with a Masters in Public Administration. He also studied theology and pastoral ministry at Southern Seminary.
In 1979 he married the former Jane Fitzgerald and they have six grown children and five grandchildren.
In addition to his work in publishing, he has worked for decades in ministry, including work as a pastor and a coordinator of local ministries, and as a university administrator.
In addition to walking and cycling, he enjoys reading, gardening, photography and spending time with his family, and continues to have a passion for the outdoors and for the environment. He lives in the Shenandoah Vallley of Virginia with his wife, three of his adult childre and his five grandchildren.
He grew up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Hartford and Chicago, where he spent most of his time in the outdoors. From an early age he had ambitions to become a writer and to travel the world.
He graduated from Indiana University with a degree in English and Boise State University, with a Masters in Public Administration. He also studied theology and pastoral ministry at Southern Seminary.
In 1979 he married the former Jane Fitzgerald and they have six grown children and five grandchildren.
In addition to his work in publishing, he has worked for decades in ministry, including work as a pastor and a coordinator of local ministries, and as a university administrator.
In addition to walking and cycling, he enjoys reading, gardening, photography and spending time with his family, and continues to have a passion for the outdoors and for the environment. He lives in the Shenandoah Vallley of Virginia with his wife, three of his adult childre and his five grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
December 12, 2023
The Walk of a Lifetime: 500 Miles on the Camino de Santiago is a memoir by Russ Eanes.
The African proberb on the first page captured my heart:
When you plan a journey,
It belongs to you.
When you begin a journey,
You belong to it.
Eanes created seven Camino principles prior to hiking/walking the 500 mile trip from the French Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. He adhered to these key principles and after his journey, he adopted a Camino for Life attitude.
Eanes strongly believes that once you have walked the Camino, you will walk it everyday for the rest of your life. He is a strong advocate for pursuing your dreams. At the end of the book, Eanes states that it is better to die with your memories than with your dreams.
I will be walking/hiking the Camino de Santiago in 2024 and I'm voraciously reading every memoir by those who have traveled this same path. His memoir spoke directly to my heart and my dreams.
The African proberb on the first page captured my heart:
When you plan a journey,
It belongs to you.
When you begin a journey,
You belong to it.
Eanes created seven Camino principles prior to hiking/walking the 500 mile trip from the French Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. He adhered to these key principles and after his journey, he adopted a Camino for Life attitude.
Eanes strongly believes that once you have walked the Camino, you will walk it everyday for the rest of your life. He is a strong advocate for pursuing your dreams. At the end of the book, Eanes states that it is better to die with your memories than with your dreams.
I will be walking/hiking the Camino de Santiago in 2024 and I'm voraciously reading every memoir by those who have traveled this same path. His memoir spoke directly to my heart and my dreams.
January 13, 2020
Most of this book focuses on the walk itself—on the people author Russ Eanes met along the way, the places he stayed, what he carried with him and what he left behind, the food, even the blisters. Yet the walk also stood for something more: "if there was one incident that encapsulated what the Camino means, it was the one that day in Villafranca del Bierzo: Life is offering us a feast, if only we will lay down our suspicions and our fears and receive it. On pilgrimage, it is referred to as “receiving the Camino.” I was being offered a feast, I didn’t know it and I resisted receiving it.
How often in life do we resist a feast that is laid out for us? How often do we have plans and miss the feast? This meal was a metaphor for the entire Camino, for life." For more about this one day and the rest of my review please see From Blossom to Journey.
How often in life do we resist a feast that is laid out for us? How often do we have plans and miss the feast? This meal was a metaphor for the entire Camino, for life." For more about this one day and the rest of my review please see From Blossom to Journey.
September 16, 2025
I have been reading many memoirs lately of people walking the IAT, the AT, the PCT, the FT, the John Muir Trail, and the CDT with much enjoyment. A week ago I was talking to a nurse who had recently retired and she was telling me about her goal to some day walk the Camino de Santiago solo. I really didn’t know much about this trail except the little we had learned while traveling in Spain. This book was not just about the physical travel, which did not compare at all to the hardships of these other trails, but even more about the spiritual journey.
January 6, 2025
I enjoyed this book. It brought back so many memories. I wanted to give it 4 stars because of the lilt in Eanes’ writing style. It felt like I was walking the Camino. And then there would be a grammatical error that would throw me off my rhythm. His content is great.
I miss the Camino. I love it. And books like this help me remember lessons learned, the people met, and the beauty and power of God in our lives. I get too busy in “normal” life and sometimes lose sight of Him. And, yet, on the Camino, I saw Him in my life everyday. I love books that help me remember He is here.
I miss the Camino. I love it. And books like this help me remember lessons learned, the people met, and the beauty and power of God in our lives. I get too busy in “normal” life and sometimes lose sight of Him. And, yet, on the Camino, I saw Him in my life everyday. I love books that help me remember He is here.
December 10, 2024
As a seasoned long distance walker, I wanted to learn more about what was so special about walking a Camino. Perhaps my low rating is because what the author describes does not inspire me. It sounds crowded! Much of the book is the day-to -day journal which helps describe the activity but wasn’t really inspiring. The several typos were annoying too. Perhaps the primary imspiration of the walk is meeting so many other interesting people, but how is that different from the previous walks the author has done? I did not find the inspiration, but perhaps a Camino is not for me!
June 16, 2023
Such a great read and so relatable. I read it whilst walking the Camino de Santiago.
August 5, 2020
Refreshing my Camino Memories
My anticipation to walk the Camino de Santiago started by looking at You Tube videos - reading books and training for this 500 mile pilgrimage in early 2017. My actual walking journey started Sept 4, 2017 at St Jean Pied de Port and 4 weeks later arrived in Santiago and then to Finisterre. Since then I have been recalling many aspects of this wonderful Camino experience as I continue to walk many wooded trails and paths in Virginia as an escape from suburbia . Training for this long trek I felt was necessary because I was 70 at the time and feared that I might not be up to such a strenuous journey - little did I know at the time that walking 25 km a day became less and less of an issue after the first week). Soon walking was less burdensome and opening up to the Camino experience grew. Today I still walk 8 to 10 km every day yet I probably will not do this Camino again - but I do enjoy looking at my Compostela that hangs proudly in my dining room reminding me that I was part of something bigger than myself. As I read this book, memories of places/sites, albergues, meals, fellow pilgrims, and reflections came rushing back. The author writing skills allowed me to feel like we had experienced many of the same things. Note: For all future pilgrims be sure to take time to write in a journal every day.
My anticipation to walk the Camino de Santiago started by looking at You Tube videos - reading books and training for this 500 mile pilgrimage in early 2017. My actual walking journey started Sept 4, 2017 at St Jean Pied de Port and 4 weeks later arrived in Santiago and then to Finisterre. Since then I have been recalling many aspects of this wonderful Camino experience as I continue to walk many wooded trails and paths in Virginia as an escape from suburbia . Training for this long trek I felt was necessary because I was 70 at the time and feared that I might not be up to such a strenuous journey - little did I know at the time that walking 25 km a day became less and less of an issue after the first week). Soon walking was less burdensome and opening up to the Camino experience grew. Today I still walk 8 to 10 km every day yet I probably will not do this Camino again - but I do enjoy looking at my Compostela that hangs proudly in my dining room reminding me that I was part of something bigger than myself. As I read this book, memories of places/sites, albergues, meals, fellow pilgrims, and reflections came rushing back. The author writing skills allowed me to feel like we had experienced many of the same things. Note: For all future pilgrims be sure to take time to write in a journal every day.
August 27, 2020
I enjoyed every page of this travelogue of El Camino. The author describes his walk on the Camino Frances from the moment he takes his first step to reaching the Cathedral Santiago de Compostela. In between, he provides terrific accounts of the pilgrims, hostels, food, and landscapes that create the spiritual journey that is The Way. Highly recommend even if you do not plan to do the journey.
November 11, 2021
John Keats, began his poem, Endymion: “A thing of beauty is a joy forever.”
For Russ Eanes, his 500-mile walk along the Camino De Santiago perfectly fits into that category.
Eanes is a walker. And his book, The Walk of A Lifetime, records his journey.
He had dreamed of taking this historic pilgrimage for twenty years. Then, at 61 years of age, his life aligned with his dream. In the Spring of 2018, he joined millions of other pilgrims who had walked the trail that spans from the border of France, through northern Spain.
Eanes writes, “My opportunity [to walk the Camino De Santiago] came this past year [2018], not long after I decided to leave my job and take my own year-long, unpaid sabbatical. I had reached 60 and knew it was the time. My last child had graduated from high school and the nest was officially empty. I was too young to retire, but old enough to know that I needed to slow down and reorient my life.”
Throughout The Walk Of A Lifetime, Eanes records his thoughts and heart as he traverses the Camino De Santiago. He blends insight and inspiration as he lets us in on the slice-of-life experiences he encounters along the way.
We learn what it’s like to routinely get up at 6:30 in the morning, with 15 or more miles of walking ahead. Sometimes uphill, sometimes through mountain passes, sometimes through fog, rain and heat. We find Eanes at the end of the day, more than ready to sleep, most of the time sharing rooms with fellow travelers.
It took Eanes five weeks to complete the journey. All but one of them, he walked by himself – but he was seldom alone.
For Eanes, the trip was never about the actual walking – although this is a man who clearly loves the outdoors. Gradually, his mind slows down, matching the rhythm of his walking and the Camino itself.
With one week left, anticipating his wife Jane joining him, Eanes writes:
“It was a gorgeous day for picture taking. I stopped to take a particular shot of sheep pastures and hills to the south. Every few feet the angle got better, or the light got better, so I stopped, re-framed and focused it, and took another shot. Then I just stopped – it hit me that there was no way that I was going to get the ultimate shot. The calculating, the thinking, were distracting me from the moment. I already had over 2,000 photos from the Camino. I decided that I would commit this time, this place, to memory and recall forever that it was beautiful. No need to record it, except in my memory; no need for another picture.
I put the camera away for the time being, along with the guidebook. Thoreau said, 'A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.' I was rich in scenery, I would be rich in memory; I could “let it alone;” I could do without another picture. I just wanted to drink it all in, let the moment saturate me. And it did.
I dug into my pocket and pulled out my sheet of prayers – I had them memorized, so I really didn’t need it – and as I prayed my morning office, I stopped when I got to this verse in Psalm 37
‘Let the dawn bring news of your faithful love,
For I place my trust in you.
Show me the road I must travel
for you to relieve my heart.’
I repeated the sentence, ‘show me your heart,’ several times. This had been in my prayers for a long time: five years? Ten years? I had prayed it through difficult times of work, through the many pressures of family life, through my many moves, through my inner dis-comfort and mis-fit in society. Who was I? Why was I so different? Where did I fit? What road, what path through life was the way I was supposed to follow? Up until then, I wasn’t certain.
Yet at that moment, in prayer, it hit me: this was the road. This was the road, the Way, but more than the physical road, this was Life itself. Not just the walking, the outdoors, not just the culture: it was all of it wrapped together, having all the time I needed, not being in a hurry, not having any agenda. It was a day to be fully alive, a day I return to over and over in my memory. I knew right then that I should never forget this moment, this answer to prayer.
It was a gift of grace.”
This, perhaps, is the core of Eanes' book and his message to us. It’s what the Camino is all about. It’s about what life is about.
The power of The Walk Of A Lifetime lies in the fact that it isn’t just Russ Eanes’ journey, but that it could also be ours.
For Russ Eanes, his 500-mile walk along the Camino De Santiago perfectly fits into that category.
Eanes is a walker. And his book, The Walk of A Lifetime, records his journey.
He had dreamed of taking this historic pilgrimage for twenty years. Then, at 61 years of age, his life aligned with his dream. In the Spring of 2018, he joined millions of other pilgrims who had walked the trail that spans from the border of France, through northern Spain.
Eanes writes, “My opportunity [to walk the Camino De Santiago] came this past year [2018], not long after I decided to leave my job and take my own year-long, unpaid sabbatical. I had reached 60 and knew it was the time. My last child had graduated from high school and the nest was officially empty. I was too young to retire, but old enough to know that I needed to slow down and reorient my life.”
Throughout The Walk Of A Lifetime, Eanes records his thoughts and heart as he traverses the Camino De Santiago. He blends insight and inspiration as he lets us in on the slice-of-life experiences he encounters along the way.
We learn what it’s like to routinely get up at 6:30 in the morning, with 15 or more miles of walking ahead. Sometimes uphill, sometimes through mountain passes, sometimes through fog, rain and heat. We find Eanes at the end of the day, more than ready to sleep, most of the time sharing rooms with fellow travelers.
It took Eanes five weeks to complete the journey. All but one of them, he walked by himself – but he was seldom alone.
For Eanes, the trip was never about the actual walking – although this is a man who clearly loves the outdoors. Gradually, his mind slows down, matching the rhythm of his walking and the Camino itself.
With one week left, anticipating his wife Jane joining him, Eanes writes:
“It was a gorgeous day for picture taking. I stopped to take a particular shot of sheep pastures and hills to the south. Every few feet the angle got better, or the light got better, so I stopped, re-framed and focused it, and took another shot. Then I just stopped – it hit me that there was no way that I was going to get the ultimate shot. The calculating, the thinking, were distracting me from the moment. I already had over 2,000 photos from the Camino. I decided that I would commit this time, this place, to memory and recall forever that it was beautiful. No need to record it, except in my memory; no need for another picture.
I put the camera away for the time being, along with the guidebook. Thoreau said, 'A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.' I was rich in scenery, I would be rich in memory; I could “let it alone;” I could do without another picture. I just wanted to drink it all in, let the moment saturate me. And it did.
I dug into my pocket and pulled out my sheet of prayers – I had them memorized, so I really didn’t need it – and as I prayed my morning office, I stopped when I got to this verse in Psalm 37
‘Let the dawn bring news of your faithful love,
For I place my trust in you.
Show me the road I must travel
for you to relieve my heart.’
I repeated the sentence, ‘show me your heart,’ several times. This had been in my prayers for a long time: five years? Ten years? I had prayed it through difficult times of work, through the many pressures of family life, through my many moves, through my inner dis-comfort and mis-fit in society. Who was I? Why was I so different? Where did I fit? What road, what path through life was the way I was supposed to follow? Up until then, I wasn’t certain.
Yet at that moment, in prayer, it hit me: this was the road. This was the road, the Way, but more than the physical road, this was Life itself. Not just the walking, the outdoors, not just the culture: it was all of it wrapped together, having all the time I needed, not being in a hurry, not having any agenda. It was a day to be fully alive, a day I return to over and over in my memory. I knew right then that I should never forget this moment, this answer to prayer.
It was a gift of grace.”
This, perhaps, is the core of Eanes' book and his message to us. It’s what the Camino is all about. It’s about what life is about.
The power of The Walk Of A Lifetime lies in the fact that it isn’t just Russ Eanes’ journey, but that it could also be ours.
June 9, 2020
I enjoyed Russ Eanes' book - an engaging account of his 2018 pilgrimage along the Camino from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela. Many of his words of wisdom, gleaned from his 500 mile walk, resonated with me. Perhaps the most significant observation I found in his story is this: "The Camino - as does Life itself - offers us a feast if only we lay down our suspicions and fears and RECEIVE it.". His journey allowed him to meet people and learn their stories, to learn the value of cultivating slowness and overcoming 'Hurry Sickness', of appreciating 'Camino Magic' and combining Solitude with Community. This is a book that I would recommend highly to those contemplating walking the Camino as well as those who would like to relive their own Camino.
June 16, 2020
The Walk of a Lifetime: 500 Miles on the Camino de Santiago would have benefited from a editor who helped organize the material for less repetition. That being said, I highly recommend the read especially if you are in a career funk--Covid 19 induced or not.
"I needed to slow down and reorient my life," author Russ Eanes. "Solitude is [can be?] a spiritual experience, but so is community." "Walking in solitude clarified my mind--new thoughts and old dreams emerged--and that's where I found God speaking to me most. . . .I felt like some pattern inside was being repaired, and I didn't even know it was broken." For those of us in Covid 19 forced solitude, The Walk is an example of how to process and redeem the quiet.
"I needed to slow down and reorient my life," author Russ Eanes. "Solitude is [can be?] a spiritual experience, but so is community." "Walking in solitude clarified my mind--new thoughts and old dreams emerged--and that's where I found God speaking to me most. . . .I felt like some pattern inside was being repaired, and I didn't even know it was broken." For those of us in Covid 19 forced solitude, The Walk is an example of how to process and redeem the quiet.
November 11, 2023
A truly spiritual journey of the Camino de Santiago
St. Paul preached embracing all. Mr. Eanes relates his experience throughout the book summarized by his attending a Catholic pilgrims’ mass when he was offered without hesitation communion which as a non-Catholic was not supposed to take. The priest seemed to have insisted, the author took it and felt much more complete and much as one amongst all. The book is filled with anecdotes and contemplations to which I relate as I am a Camino pilgrim.
St. Paul preached embracing all. Mr. Eanes relates his experience throughout the book summarized by his attending a Catholic pilgrims’ mass when he was offered without hesitation communion which as a non-Catholic was not supposed to take. The priest seemed to have insisted, the author took it and felt much more complete and much as one amongst all. The book is filled with anecdotes and contemplations to which I relate as I am a Camino pilgrim.
March 31, 2024
Beautifully written
This is a beautifully written piece whose power lies in the honesty and authenticity of its author. Not only was I taken on the Way, one I hope to walk one day, but the moments of reflection of the author had me also pondering and learning about myself. Added to this, his ability to capture the realness of both places, people and moments has made this a memoir I will return to.
This is a beautifully written piece whose power lies in the honesty and authenticity of its author. Not only was I taken on the Way, one I hope to walk one day, but the moments of reflection of the author had me also pondering and learning about myself. Added to this, his ability to capture the realness of both places, people and moments has made this a memoir I will return to.
March 29, 2021
So far, I’ve read and listened to 4 other books about the pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago, and they’ve all been really good.....especially this book. It is a combination of both a travelogue and an inner dialogue that the author contemplated, prayed and figured out on the Way.
Definitely worth a read if you’re looking for books on the Camino.
Definitely worth a read if you’re looking for books on the Camino.
May 16, 2021
One of the best Camino books
I’ve probably read a dozen books about the Camino de Santiago and this is one of my new favorites. It’s a good mix of travelogue and self discovery. The writing is excellent - much better than most of the self-published works (not all of which are bad).
I’ve probably read a dozen books about the Camino de Santiago and this is one of my new favorites. It’s a good mix of travelogue and self discovery. The writing is excellent - much better than most of the self-published works (not all of which are bad).
April 2, 2022
I appreciated the insight the author had with the in’s and out’s of the Camino Frances. Most especially his thoughts on the spiritual side to the journey. This book is a great motivator to figure out the spiritual reasons for setting out on this pilgrimage. Can’t wait until it’s my turn to do this “walk of a lifetime”!
November 1, 2020
Wonderful book on the Camino that’s both informative and evocative. Russ tells a story of the landscapes, the people he met along the way, the challenges of walking 500+ miles and puts you ON the trail with him. Best memoir I’ve read about the Camino. Def a great read!
February 5, 2021
Another book that makes me want to hike the Camino. Sixty something man takes a sabbatical from his life to hike the Camino, travel memoir of his journey.
May 8, 2021
Delightful!
May 15, 2021
Great book! Very descriptive and captivating. I can’t wait to walk the Camino! ❤️
November 15, 2021
Need a New Highlighter!
Any future Camino walker (like me in May) or veteran will need new highlighters because there are so many memorable lines in this book.
Any future Camino walker (like me in May) or veteran will need new highlighters because there are so many memorable lines in this book.
June 25, 2023
Interesting memoir about his journey on the Camino. Doing it myself next September and trying to read all I can in anticipation!!
April 3, 2024
One of the very best books describing the Authors personal Pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago! He really knows how to take you along! Anxious to read of his second Camino!
June 6, 2024
A sweet memoir.
August 7, 2024
Good, earnest prose. A reflection on a life changing trip in a beautiful environment. I couldn’t ask for more out of this type of book.
Read
May 31, 2025A readable, engaging travelogue about the author's walk along a 500-mile pilgrimage route in northern Spain.
June 17, 2025
Loved this book. I felt like I was along for the journey (which I will eventually take!!).
August 29, 2025
Interesting - and informative about starting when it's darned cold. I also enjoyed how he loved his wife.
September 1, 2022
A wonderful account of the pilgrimage.
May 24, 2021
My first in 2021 reading about walking the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, which I hope to walk in 2022. I enjoyed this first-person account by a gentleman who is a senior citizen, like me, although a decade younger! I have many more to read. I hope I can do the walk; I'm a bit scared about it!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews