Through the steps of history, Browns prep for 800-km trek
by Matthew UhrigPress staff
WINCHESTER – “Right now, it has gotten to the point where I don’t sleep at night because I am so excited, wishing I was already there.”
Thurland Brown’s anticipation is almost palpable as he discusses one of the biggest adventures of his life.
If there is apprehension, however, it is unnoticeable, as the day of the pilgrimage draws near.
Brown, pastor at Winchester Wesleyan Church, and his wife, Lorraine, will soon be setting out on the Way of St. James, which is most commonly known by its Spanish name, El Camino de Santiago.
The many routes meander through the French countryside as walkers make their way to the shrine of the apostle St. James the Great, located at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostella in Galicia in northwestern Spain. Local lore has it that the remains of the saint are buried there, with many taking up the route as a way of retreating from the burdens of daily life and in order to achieve spiritual growth.
“I don’t think anyone can walk it and be unchanged,” Brown said.
Today, tens of thousands of mainly Christian travellers and many others set forth from doorsteps or various popular starting points throughout Europe to make their way to the cathedral. Most, as is the case with the
Browns, travel by foot, and some by bicycle, while others take a page from their medieval counterparts and circumnavigate a route on horseback.
“What is amazing to us is how many people from Canada [or North America] do this walk,” Lorraine said. “We thought we’d be something by doing this, but we’re just two in a bunch.”
Pilgrims will walk for weeks or months to visit the Spanish city, as the routes available total more than 800 kilometres and feature some treacherous conditions, including sweltering heat and rough terrain.
“It is both a spiritual and physical thing for us,” Brown said.
His journey to this point is similar to many his age, as from birth to his 40s, Brown admits he was able to keep in decent shape naturally, with little to no effort.
But then things changed, and he fell into a pattern typical of many – lazy eating and exercise habits.
In 2010, his doctor said the word he had been dreading to hear – diabetes.
“But I told him, if you can handle this with diet and exercise, you’ll never give me medication,” Brown said. “For me, it was a matter of turning back the biological clock because 95 per cent of North American diseases are exercise and diet related.”
And so it goes that a health scare led Brown to examine his physical state, and commit to making an improvement. By the spring of 2011, both a diabetes nurse and nutritionist were steadfast that Brown should be walking at least 10,000 steps a day, a fact the good pastor initially scoffed at.
Eventually he came around, however, and took up bicycling as a form of exercise. But it was not a hobby Lorraine was enthusiastic about, and soon the bicycles were ditched in favour of walking.
By the fall of that year, the couple took to walking and found they had a common bond, and enjoyed the physicality of the quest.
The walking soon graduated from casual strolls through the streets of town to daunting treks through the area’s countryside or daily trips down Gypsy Lane and back home again.
Two summers ago, the couple challenged themselves and took on the Fundy Footpath in New Brunswick. The strenuous 42-kilometre linear hike cuts along the shore of the Bay of Fundy, and consists of steep cable steps, jagged cliffs, mixed forests, and tidal rivers to cross.
By 2013, the couple began logging their distances travelled, with Brown boasting a total 3,200 kilometres walked that year. Throughout the winter, their plans for the El Camino de Santiago shifted into a higher gear, with both feeling compelled enough to go through with it.
“The mantra is ‘everyone walks their own Camino,’” Brown said. “That is what we’re abiding by. We’re not planning anything after we hit our destination, and this is no race.”
Late next month, on their 40th wedding anniversary no less, the Browns will set out, with their backpacks strapped tight and their walking sticks at the ready, from the community of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in southwestern France, head over the Pyrenees mountains, and continue on across Spain. Along the way, the couple will be staying at various hostels located throughout the route for use by travellers of the walk.
Brown has taken a four-month sabbatical from the village church, as the couple will not return home until November.
“As it gets closer, the nerves will probably start to kick in, but for now I’m more excited than anything,” Lorraine said.
Back to News page
