The Feel of Soft Pine Needles under my Feet, the cool breeze on (my)  face. The smell of the wet forest after the previous day's rain. The sightings of red newts, deer prints, and butterflies. The sounds of hawks, hummingbirds, woodpeckers, and squirrels. The taste of cool hydrating water...

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And I walk the Camino de Sonoma to be with My Fellow Believers to Bring Healing to My Community.

STEPHEN V WINTER, CAMINO PILGRIM & GUIDE

I was introduced to the Camino de Sonoma after some friends told me about it in 2020. I walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain in the spring of 2019 and was interested to learn more about the Camino in Sonoma.

Walking with people you meet for the first time is an amazing way to learn about them. It also gives you a chance to share your own story. We don't all look alike nor do we walk at the same pace, yet the Camino brings us together to share a common bond. It connects you to the ground we walk on and the sky above. We hear stories of the past and those that lived here before us.

My favorite memory of the Camino was at the conclusion of Stage 6 at Fort Ross. After basking in the sun on the beach, we walked up to the Fort. Inside the chapel, we sang the Doxology acapella. The sound from inside the redwood walls resonated with my heart and soul. I will never forget that moment and feeling! What a blessing.

CHUCK FRY, CAMINO PILGRIM

The second primary reason why I walk is how my involvement has come to include and impact others outside of the Camino community.

The Camino provides a more solid forum for me in how I pray for

people in my life in need of prayers. I dedicate every Camino to a family member or friend that is in need of prayers and take that person in my heart with me while walking...

JOSIE VIGIL, CAMINO PILGRIM