Gilroy Today 2013 06 Summer | Page 47

Four local guys , average age 69 , decide to go on a 20-day walk of 300 miles across Spain .

Buen Camino

The Way

A distinctive scalloped symbol marks the way along the El Camino de Santiago .

Four local guys , average age 69 , decide to go on a 20-day walk of 300 miles across Spain .

By Larry J . Mickartz Photography By Manolo Diaz

It

sounds like a story line for a book or movie but it is true ! It starts with four friends , Manolo Diaz , Ed Mitchell , Emilio DeSousa and Larry Marques , meeting at First Street Coffee after their morning walks . Their average age is 69 and , yes , they walked from Burgos to Santiago de Compostela , Spain . Google maps says the drive is 338 miles ! The El Camino de Santiago is the location for a 2011 movie The Way starring Martin Sheen and his son , Emilio Estevez . Ed Mitchel saw the movie over a year ago and eventually convinced the morning coffee friends to make the trek . Other locals flirted with joining but only Manolo ’ s brother , Jose Carlos Diaz , in Spain joined them .
Our Gilroy Amigos started in Burgos where about 2 % of the other “ pilgrims ” start . The Camino is well marked with distinctive scalloped symbols . The Gilroy Amigos traveled the Camino Francés , one of the four major caminos to Santiago de Compostela . One of the great traditions of El Camino is the stamping of the Camino passport at the albergues and finally getting a certificate , printed in Latin , at Santiago de Compostela .
The Gilroy Amigos began their journey on April 2 . A few days before leaving , there was some high anxiety and anticipation . They had completed their shopping for clothing , boots and packs and had taken day hikes to test equipment and stamina — packs weighed 15-20 pounds . Motivation
LEFT : The Four Gilroy Amigo ( l-r ): Manolo Diaz , Ed Mitchell , Larry Marques , and Emilio De Sousa with Manolo ’ s brother , Jose Carlos Diaz at the base of the Catedral in Santiago de Compostela . ABOVE : On the road to Camino de Santiago .
S U M M E R 2 0 1 3 G I L R O Y T O D A Y 47