Local Rotary club in Santo Domingo de la Calzada marking the 190km point on the Camino

View from the auberge (hostel) in the Pyrenees

Hola from Logrono Spain, where this East Cobb Rotarian is taking a much needed rest day after a little over a week walking the Camino de Santiago. So far I have walked more than 160km (over 100 miles). The first stages, up and over the Pyrenees, were challenging to say the least. The downhill sections are particularly hard on the knees, especially with the additional weight of a full backpack.

My physical training for the Camino started in earnest last December after hip replacement surgery, working my way from using a walker, then struggling to the end of the street with a cane, and eventually on to Kennesaw Mountain and Blood Mountain in north Georgia, gradually adding weight to the backpack and swapping the cane for hiking poles. But I’ve learned that nothing really prepares you for walking the Camino like walking the Camino.

The support from our Rotary family though my “Pilgimage Against Polio” fundraiser (https://raise.rotary.org/Brad-Groff/challenge) has definitely helped to keep my spirits up and motivate me to keep putting one foot in front of the other. A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed. Editor's Note: Brad Groff has raised just over $10,000 so far for polio eradication.