Besides giving an old dog a new trick to try, the trip virtually guaranteed physical and spiritual gains, along with a link to tradition and cultural heritage. First three motivations all satisfied.

In doing background reading about pilgrimages, I was most impressed by Phil Cousineau's book, The Art of Pilgrimage: the Seeker's Guide to Making Travel Sacred (Conari Books: Berkeley, CA, 1998), which my daughter Megan chanced on while browsing in a bookstore. The book suggests that going on a pilgrimage, linked to whatever religious belief, is responding to a call from a higher power. As a Catholic, I felt this call early on.

After reading the information sent me by a small American tour company that specialized in Spain, I decided that their "Footsteps of St. James" pilgrimage was what I wanted: plenty of arduous walking by day with comfortable lodgings, including two historic paradors, in which to relax evenings. Seventy-eight miles in seven walking days seemed about right.

What about the two unpredictable elements: the guides and my fellow pilgrims? If the social chemistry proved weak in either case, the pleasure of the trip would be diluted. Fortunately, Clara and Olga, the two guides who alternated driving the van, preparing the picnic lunches and walking at the rear to assist stragglers, were my kind of trip leaders. They shared an abundant amount of lore but didn't stuff us with facts as though they were preparing us for a mid-term quiz. Like a good sports competition, the scenic countryside spoke for itself and needed little explanation by a play-by-play commentator to enhance our appreciation.

The final variable, the ten other pilgrims, could easily have been a downer, especially since I confess to being not particularly gregarious by nature. It turned out to be one of the strongest components. Simply walking the miles together became a bond, and in a day or two the travelers were relating to each other like old friends, united in a common purpose.

Seemingly, only two of the group were practicing Catholics, so our arrival at the historic cathedral in Santiago brought, at least, a sense of earned completion, and, at most, communion with a saintly presence.

The walk couldn't have been less regimented. Rabbits discovered other rabbits to speed along with. Those who wished to set a slower pace also paired up. Alison Gardner, by happy chance, fell into my speed zone. Alison quickly became a present-day fire starter in the group, who kindled warmth and illumination along the trail. Her exploratory inquiries into the nature of charisma, the characteristics of benevolent dictators, and the pleasures and pitfalls of seeking perfection, offered pathways for intellectual journeys to complement the hiking.

Well after returning home, I still dwell on the notion of perfection. I've scored five for five on my goals with the help of fellow pilgrims. Not quite perfect perhaps, but nonetheless so rewarding a walk that I would never choose to repeat it. That in itself is a kind of perfection.

Dr Henry Maloney of Troy, Michigan is a career educator in English language and literature at all academic levels from university to middle school. To the great delight of his students, he is still in the classroom as he passes the mid-point of his seventh decade.

Click on the picture to ex-perience a small-group walking tour from Leon to Santiago de Compostela.

Click on the picture to experience an independent pilgrimage walk 751 km across northern Spain.

Click on picture to learn about the 'pilgrim passport' and the symbolic scallop shell.