It’s time once again to highlight a fellow author! Today, I have a hiking/Camino friend on board for the Proust(ish) Questionnaire. Reg Spittle is a fellow Camino walker who has now authored three books. His latest, HOOFIN’ IT On The John Muir Trail: A Sierra Nevada Wilderness Adventure, was released in January. I’m about halfway through it and already dreaming of walking the John Muir Trail. I absolutely loved his Camino Sunrise: Walking With My Shadows. He brings the same honesty and silent reflection into Hoofin’ It that he introduced in Camino Sunrise. You can see transformation on the page.
Reginald Spittle is a retired political science professor and longtime newspaper journalist who once considered walking the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route across Spain on the Camino Frances. When his self-doubts and insecurities had him thinking, “I can’t do that,” his wife’s response was, “What if you can?” So they did. I think it’s safe to say they have not looked back.
Reg, standing atop Mount Whitney, highest peak in the continental USA at 14,505 feet (the sign is off by 3 feet).
Reg’s latest book is the culmination of his wondering if they’d be able to walk the John Muir Trail. Spoiler alert: They did it! Today, I ask Reginald Spittle to partake in my Proust(ish) Questionnaire. So glad that he agreed to do this. Twenty questions may not seem like a lot to ask someone, but I’m sure it’s quite time consuming to answer them…so a thousand thank yous to Reg for being a great sport and taking part! Let’s face it, twenty questions is a downright lie. Some of these questions have two, three or more parts.
Before we get into the questions, here’s Reg Spittle’s BIO:
Reg Spittle and his wife Sue raised three sons in the shadow of Yosemite National Park, exploring its many trails. As an educator, Reg won a yearlong teaching exchange in Scotland, taught all seven elementary school grades during 20 years in California, and instructed political science for 11 years at a California community college. He was a journalist at five newspapers.
He could not have anticipated the new experiences that awaited him in retirement. Sue and Reg have walked eight distance trails in seven countries, covering more than 2,000 miles. In 2023, they walked 500 miles on the Le Puy Camino route in France. They have also crossed the USA five times in their truck and travel trailer, visiting 46 states and four Canadian provinces.
Now. Let’s get into it, shall we…
1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Perfect happiness doesn’t exist. I try to focus on incremental accomplishments, like writing a chapter in a book that will lead readers to eagerly anticipate the next page. Or spending a day on a trail that satisfies me because of its challenges, scenery, and physical exercise. Even if these things are not fun in the moment, time usually offers fresh perspective. The most difficult pursuits in my life have been the ones that have brought me the most positive feelings.
2. Do you know what your next great adventure will be? And…do you now go into your adventures with a plan to write about them?
During spring 2025, Sue and I are walking an Italian section of the Via Francigena, a pilgrimage to Vatican City that begins in Canterbury, England, and has been walked for hundreds of years. Then we plan to walk the Cotswold Way in England after rests in Rome and York. I will probably keep a journal, like I did on the John Muir Trail. I did not go into the JMT with the intention of writing a book, but I knew there was a book there long before the trek was even finished.
3. What is your greatest fear?
Health problems that keep me off the trails, or losing mental sharpness.
4. What is your most preferred genre as a reader?
Young adult fiction and non-fiction, particularly books that portray young people who have overcome difficult childhood challenges. And, if I may, there is a second genre I am drawn to just as much: adventure stories about people who have traveled long distances by foot, bike, or boat. There are so many great books about incredible human travel accomplishments. I just finished Dove, about a California teenager who became the youngest (at 16) person to circumnavigate the globe in a sailboat—solo!
5. Which writer do you most admire and why?
The late Gary Paulsen, the author of a sky-high pile of fiction and non-fiction books. He wrote several survival stories that took place in wilderness settings. Many of his characters, who discovered courage that they never imagined possible, remain in my heart. His best books? Two—Hatchet and Canyons—are my favorites. I read these to my sons and to several hundred children in my classes. I encouraged my students to doodle or sketch while I read aloud, but often, while I read Paulsen’s books, their pencils remained still while they hung on every word. I owe you big time, Gary.
6. How do you decide what to do next? There are so many options out there for wanderers to choose from. What criteria do you use to decide? Is it random, or do you listen for a calling? (I threw that last part in there because I truly believe the Camino is a calling. You hear about it one day and it doesn’t let go until you decide, “Okay, I’ll do it…”)
You are so right; the world has many lifetimes worth of distance trails. When we read and/or watch YouTube videos about a trail, if we are drawn to it, we look for blogs and reviews of the trek. If it catches our fancy, we order a guidebook to look at the trail in more detail. (We have quite a library of guidebooks, I tell you!) We read the guidebook and debate it for a while. Sometimes, like with the Via Francigena in Italy (which we are walking in April 2025), we return to consider a trail we had previously put on the back burner. In the case of the John Muir Trail, our son Chris, a big Sierra Nevada backpacker, had lobbied me for years to do the JMT. “You can do it, Dad. And you’d love it!”
7. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Being positive all the time. It is unnatural, and I sometimes find it toxic.
8. What did you take with you on this journey that you wished you hadn’t packed and what did you not have that you wished you had packed?
We took a solar shower and never used it because it was too much trouble to set up and there was (freezing) water everywhere to rinse off in. Oh, how we longed for more snack food. We got so tired of Clif bars and wished we had provided for more variety. I envied people who carried squeeze peanut butter and tortillas. At high altitudes, your body needs far more calories as it works in high gear to cope with the lower oxygen levels, as well as the challenging ascents.
9. For those considering the John Muir Trail, what advice do you have for them as far as preparation training goes?
Acclimate to the altitude. We spent three days just before the JMT in Mammoth Lakes, a resort community in the eastern Sierra at about 8,000 feet. Each day, we walked at 10,000 feet or more. You need to be in reasonable condition, able to walk 10-12 miles a day carrying a backpack. Be sure to include some days with challenging ascents and descents and walk on a variety of surfaces to make sure your shoes/boots will work. Train with trekking poles, which are musts on the JMT. There are several Facebook groups that offer loads of advice.
10. When and where were you most afraid?
I was most fearful before the trek, at home. I worried that I had gotten myself into an adventure beyond my capabilities. My failures as a kid whenever I faced physical tests came back to haunt me in the middle of several nights. Then, on the first day of the JMT, I felt like a rookie among pros when we met our fellow trekkers, most
of whom had been on the JMT before. I had never done a wilderness trail, which is so different than the European trails we had walked. During the trek, I was on edge several times, but I don’t recall ever being afraid, even on Mount Whitney.
11. Which talent would you most like to have?
Confidence in myself, especially in challenges that test my physical abilities. It has held me back from many experiences, but the John Muir Trail was a huge boost in making me feel better about my skills on the trail.
12. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
I would want to come back as a kid who was athletic, living in a family that loved the outdoors. I would grow up with an incredible friend who was filled with an adventurous spirit. After high school, my friend and I would set out on wilderness treks like the Pacific Crest Trail or the Appalachian Trail, spending many months, or even years, on the trails. We would also backpack in Europe and maybe other continents, getting jobs now and then to see us through. We would make new friends along every trail. Would we ever grow up? In a way, I hope not.
13. After walking/hiking both the Camino de Santiago and the John Muir Trail, which do you prefer? Also which would you recommend to someone who has done neither? I ask this question knowing that the two must be as different as night and day (Albergues vs. Camping, etc.).
It is a bit like asking which of my three sons I love most. Because I am truly in love with each distance trail I have walked, for reasons unique to each one. (Much like how I feel about my kids) But, if I were to choose the most memorable trail that fills my heart the most, it would be the John Muir Trail. Or perhaps the Camino de Santiago, our “first born.” Or…
For me, the Camino de Santiago was an ideal introduction to long-distance walking. It has a great infrastructure, a welcoming culture, and allows flexibility in daily distances. It is the granddaddy of European trails and we met people who became lifelong friends. But it is not for everyone. If you are a strong hiker with backpacking experience and prefer a quieter, less traveled experience in a more remote location, then the John Muir Trail may be for you.
14. What are your three deserted island books?
Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen. Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse. The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz.
15. Keeping to some of the hiking theme going on in these questions, let’s talk GEAR! Specifically shoes/boots and backpack. Knowing that shoes especially are a very personal thing, what do you suggest for both? Do you have a favourite shoe or backpack?
I just bought my fourth pair of Altra Olympus trail runners and will wear them on both European treks this spring. They are lightweight, wide-toed, and breathe well. (But I don’t advise that you test them by getting your nose anywhere near my socks at the end of a day.) I get a size 12, at least a half-size larger than I normally wear
16. Can you tell us something you’ve read recently that’s really made an impact on you…either good or bad?
The Unteachables, by Gordon Korman. It reminded me to avoid assuming why a person behaves the way they do, because I really have no idea until I give them a chance. Everyone who has ever been a student or teacher, or both, should read this book.
17. What sound grates on you more than any other?
Loud music or a barking dog on a trail or in a campground.
18. How would you like to die?
In my sleep, after some wine and a nice dinner with Sue. I tell friends I would rather die on the trail than in my rocking chair.
19. What sound brings you deep joy?
A favorite playlist on my AirPods, while walking in Lithia Park in my hometown of Ashland, Oregon.
20. What is your motto?
Speak impeccably. Don’t take things personally. Never assume. Always do your best. (From the book The Four Agreements, see Number 14.)
Such fantastic answers! I really loved reading these replies. What struck me the most is how aligned some of his answers are with how I would respond. I almost fell off my chair when he mentioned Gordon Korman. This is an author who visited my school library to talk about his new book WHO IS BUGS POTTER? back in 1980. I don’t even understand mathematically how Gordon Korman was writing books in 1980 when I was in school when today he is 61, not even three years older than me. But I digress. I thoroughly enjoyed Reg’s answers to these questions. If you want more of Reg’s words, I highly recommend you pick up one or two or three of his books!
Congratulations on the Orange Banner! Reg’s latest is a Hot New Release!
Congratulations on your latest book, Reg! I’m really loving it and I can feel myself adding the John Muir Trail to my ever-growing bucketlist as I read. Thanks so much for being sport enough to answer all these questions. Good luck on the Via Francigena in April! I look forward to hearing about the adventures you will have on that famous route!
I’m always up for doing the Time Warp again. I can’t count how many times I’ve watched The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It’s frightening that I know every line from a movie.
But that’s not what this post is about. I’m obsessed with something else just as much, if not more, than I’m obsessed with that fascinating cult movie from my youth. We’ll talk about the Roxy Theatre here in Toronto, and how they played The Rocky Horror Picture Show every week from 1976 to 1983 some other time. (-:
Let’s do the Camino de Santiago again!
Today’s post is about our upcoming pilgrimage! We have marked our calendar for September, 2025! That’s when we’ll make our way back to the Camino de Santiago in Spain!
A photo from 2019 and the first of our two shared arrivals in Plaza del Obradoiro…and the cathedral at the end of the Camino de Santiago. This was my second of three arrivals. In 2014 I did the walk with a group.
This time, we’ll begin our walk in LEON!
Tuesday, Sept 9th-Leave Toronto
START
END
KM
Wednesday, Sept 10th
Madrid
Madrid
Thursday, Sept 11th
Madrid
Leon
Friday, Sept 12th
Leon
San Martin del Camino
22
Saturday, Sept 13th
San Martin del Camino
Astorga
26
Sunday, Sept 14th
Astorga
Foncebadon
26
Monday, Sept 15th
Foncebadon
Ponferrada
27
Tuesday, Sept 16th
Ponferrada
Villafranca del Bierzo
28
Wednesday, Sept 17th
Villafranca del Bierzo
O Cebreiro
28
Thursday, Sept 18th
O Cebreiro
Triacastela
21
Friday, Sept 19th
Triacastela
Sarria
18
Saturday, Sept 20th
Sarria
Portomarin
22
Sunday, Sept 21st
Portomarin
Palas de Rei
28
Monday, Sept 22nd
Palas de Rei
Arzua
28
Tuesday, Sept 23rd
Arzua
Amenal
22
Wednesday, Sept 24th
Amenal
Santiago de Compostela
16
Thursday, Sept 25th
Bus trip to Finistere
Friday, Sept 26th
Santiago de Compostela
Madrid
Saturday, Sept 27th
Madrid
Toronto
There’s the whole schedule of our walk!
Michael, walking up the hill after leaving Portomarin, Spain, in 2019.
This time, I plan to draft a guide book of sorts. We’ll see how it goes. I think the world might actually need more guide books for those who don’t plan to walk the entire Camino. Not everybody can get the time off work needed to walk the entire Camino Frances from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago de Compostela. I’m going with the thought in my head to take notes and create something out of the experience. We’ll see if it materializes or not. Once you’re out there, putting one foot in front of the other, it’s easy to forget about taking notes. At the very least, I will document our journey here on my blog. I’ll have the intention…stay tuned!
Our arrival at the 100km mile marker just past Sarria, in September, 2019.
Have you picked up my novel set on the Camino Frances? Here’s a link to THE CAMINO CLUB:
Once you arrive in Spain, there are subtle changes. Eventually it will feel a lot like the Camino Frances, but when you first arrive in A Guarda the changes are less pronounced. Also, you’re still walking mostly alongside the ocean.
Should I stop and reflect on my Caminho thus far?
Not when you first get to Spain and wave goodbye to the boat driver. First, just get up into the path and be on your way. After about an hour–give or take (it might be 1/2 an hour and it might be 2 hours)–you will come across this monument…
This is a perfect resting spot to contemplate the journey behind you, to contemplate the Portugal you have just left behind!
These chairs, and the vistas they look onto, are worth the stop!
Should you be constantly alert on this stretch?
The answer is yes. There is quite a lot of highway walking on this day. Not only should you always be on the alert for motor vehicle traffic when walking this way, but we also encountered a LOT of bikes this day. I don’t know if we didn’t notice them on other days, or if they’re just so much more noticeable when you’re walking in a straight line alongside the highway. We encountered a few on the boardwalks previous to this day, but today was the BIKE day. We even saw one group of about 30 bikes travelling together…electric bikes. Just be aware of your surroundings both ahead and behind you.
You will do a lot of walking on this dijon mustard coloured walking path on this day as you make your way away from the boat launch in A Guarda. Keep checking behind you, as bikes sometimes sneak up. This is not a disparagement of bikes…the Camino is for everyone. Just a warning to look out.
Should I be prepared for a mountainous climb at this point in the Caminho?
The answer is YES.
Once you complete that dijon mustard yellow walking track, be prepared for a climb. It’s not insanely high…but it’s one of the first big climbs you’ll face. You should be prepared.
Should you stop near the top and celebrate your victory with a selfie or two?
Yes!
If I’m staying in Baiona, Spain, should I stay in Apartamento Vila do Mar?
Again, I can only recommend the places that we stayed. This apartment was found on Booking Dot Com, and it’s in an awesome location and it’s very spacious. 3 bedrooms…book it with friends or fellow pilgrims!
This one is a no-brainer. If you need a bigger place for more pilgrims than just yourself, this is the place. It even has a clothes washer.
Should I even bother trying Padrón peppers?
Maybe the reason I keep going back to the Camino is to eat more Padrón peppers. Find them. Eat them. Repeat!
Should I start to call the café com leite its Spanish equivalent of café con leche?
Yep!
Truth, it’s better once you start calling it café con leche. For real!
Should I be prepared for a little big city culture shock when I hit Vigo, Spain?
It’s big, but if you’re from a big city it’s not overwhelming. You’ll enjoy being out in the city in the evening. Lots of restaurants, shops, etc. It is a bit of a shock after walking through small towns and nature, but I also found it welcoming.
Should I eat at Peregrinus Vigo Pulperia/Restaurant?
We really enjoyed our meal at this restaurant! The waiter was a bit standoffish, but if you’ve ever eaten in a Paris restaurant you won’t notice.
The food was terrific and it was a great night out on the town! The street it was on was quite lively and filled with shops. A stroll in the neighbourhood wouldn’t hurt, if you’re up to walking in the evenings.
I could also picture Vigo being a Rest Day stop, if you have any days worked into your schedule for this.
FYI: The morning you’re leaving VIGO, you will have an uphill journey for a bit as you leave the hustle and bustle of the town. But the views once you’re in the higher ground make the climb well worth it!
Should I eat lunch at Don Vinarius cafe in Redondela, Spain?
We enjoyed it. Sometimes the simplest meals are the best meals. We had some great sandwiches here that made us ready for the rest of our walk to Ponte Sampaio!
And BEER always tastes better on the Caminho/Camino! I swear!
Should I find the Instagram places IRL and get the photo ops?
I did! 🙂
Should I stay at Hostel Albergue O Mesón in Ponte Sampaio?
This one’s a no-brainer. IF you happen to end up in Ponte Sampaio at the end of your day’s walk, this albergue is FANTASTIC. Whether you’re a lone walker or a group. I saw the single dorm spaces and they were super clean and nice. We stayed in an apartment on the top floor and it was exceptional! And there’s a kitchen on the ground level with communal spaces and coin laundry facilities. CLICK HERE. Here’s pics of our quarters for 3 people:
This one comes HIGHLY recommended. Even though there is a communal kitchen downstairs and a kitchen in the upstairs private apartment that we had, there is an excellent restaurant on the same street that is affiliated with the albergue. About a block down on the same side. I recommend it as well. The restaurant has its own page on the same website as the albergue. There is also a fairly large market attached to the restaurant. CLICK HERE FOR RESTAURANT.
Translated from Galician, this becomes Church of the Pilgrim Virgin. This is a scallop shaped chapel! I won’t get into the history of this church, but it has a storied past that connects it deeply to the Portuguese Way. Construction began in 1778 and is houses an image of the Virgin Pilgrim, who is the patron saint of both the province of Pontevedra and the Portuguese Way. Here’s the Wiki. You should pay it a visit. Be forewarned, this is a stop for tour buses filled with tourists who just may stampede the chapel at the same time as your arrival. Have patience, it’s busy.
If you want to see our 10 day journey in full, here is the link to DAY ONE. At the end of every day, you will find a link to the next day. After those, you will also find a couple of posts on what to do in Porto before and after the Caminho.
If you’ve found this series on our Camino Portuguese helpful and would like to support this page, you can do so by buying me a coffee!KevinCraig-BuyMeACoffee
I’m also an author. One of my novels, a young adult story, is set on the Camino Frances route of the Camino de Santiago. THE CAMINO CLUB. It follows six teens on their journey from Ponferrada to Santiago de Compostela. The teens walk with court appointed counselors in a juvenile delinquent program that will see them free of their records once they make the journey to Santiago…a clean slate. Think of a more diverse The Breakfast Club, but on the Camino de Santiago over two weeks instead of in a school library on a Saturday. Give it a look! It’s available wherever books are sold. Here’s the Amazon USA link.
KEVIN CRAIG 