Home Appalachian TrailAT Continental Divide TrailCDT Pacific Crest TrailPCT
author photo">
Mar 9, 2024 : John Rutkowski III The Trek

Now for something completely different!

Camino Penguinos

If you read my Bio, you know that I’ve been active in the outdoors since 1959, traveling the width of the US, with no interstates and no seatbelts.

I’m writing about the Camino Portuguese along the Spanish coast to give hope to the older people, and a goal for the young.

While I backpacked, it was mainly to get to some remote mountains for climbing. I have done first ascents, stood on the top of the highest mountains in two continents, I enjoy walking out my backdoor and exploring the White Clay Creek state park and preserve.

Walking is not just about the miles, steps, or elevation gain: It’s about the journey and those that go with you, and those that you meet on the travels.

I tend to like short intense trips over the long slogs. In the early 80’s Don Douglas (first to run the John Muir trail), Ken Franklin and I ran UP Mount Whitney, then ran down, then hopped on our road bicycles and rode to Death Valley. The first High to Low, in 17 hours.

While I have section hiked parts of the AT, and had made plans a number of times, I didn’t have the time or resources. When I used to live in northern Nevada, I would mountain bike parts of the Pacific Coast.

I have done a 3 week bike trip in New Zealand with Karen. That started my “American Express” style of camping/hiking/cycling. You get a shuttle service to take your bags to the next hotel/hut/B&B, so you only walk with what you need for the day. A hot shower and cold beer every night. Being successful as an IT business owner has given me a budget and now the time.

Walk Of The Penguins

So enough about me, this is going to be a 300km walk in Spain with Dave, a friend from college (1971) who walk Hadrian’s Wall with me in 2019, his son Phillip and Sandy “Percius” an employee/business manager/housemate from (1980).

Two of us are in our 70’s , Sandy is 67, and Phillip is the youngster at 41. So we will be waddling down the trail

We are jumping in jets on 2024-04-09 from different places in the US and rendezvousing in Santiago de Compostela, then we have a driver to take use to Oia to start our walk to Santiago. (Yes, another AMEX walk, carrying only water and rain gear.)

If we are feeling  good, then it’s off to Fisterra “End of the Earth”, and maybe a week or two in Portugal.

 

Shout Outs:

I stand on the shoulders of giants, these are some of my favorite bloggers from TheTrek.co

Madison Blagden aka Peg Leg, and incredible journey in the IAT
https://thetrek.co/peg-leg-on-the-trail/

Jon Fuller aka “The Incident”. Hilarious story teller
https://thetrek.co/appalachian-trail/post-hike-2-how-i-became-the-incident/

Owen Eigenbrot who first got me interested in TheTrek.co via a random news feed on day 1 of his NOBO AT in 2022, and he wrote every day, describing many of the places that I have been on the AT.
https://thetrek.co/author/owen-eigenbrot/

So please subscribe!

Affiliate Disclosure

This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any product or service you purchase using the links in the articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price as they would otherwise, and your purchase helps to support The Trek's ongoing goal to serve you quality backpacking advice and information. Thanks for your support!

To learn more, please visit the About This Site page.

John Rutkowski III
Mar 9th : John Rutkowski III
Author Page
John Rutkowski III's Bio

AKA Tercius. I started camping at age 6 doing a coast to coast camping trip. This was BEFORE Interstates and seatbelts. My AT Section and Horsehoe Trail hiking started when I was 14. And AT section hike from NJ to Leigh river to celebrate graduating from high school. College job was at Blue Ridge Mountain Sports and UVaOC sent me on many adventures and introduced me to lifelong outdoor friends. And introduced me to the Whites in winter and the AMC. I was a guide after college, Holubar Kit Specialist (the first male to hold that role), then store Manager. Fast forward to the creation of Mountain Mend which cleaned, repaired and made custom outdoor gear. Which led me to The Wilderness Group in Ventura as a Production Manager (The first days of the Ultralight trend). LOTS of 100+ road bike rides. An ex-Holubar manager offered me a job in Minden Nevada, a startup making orthopedic knee braces. It was a bike trip to Yosemite where I was filling in as Sag Wagon driver, where I met Karen, I was awestruck by her scent. She asked me to warm her feet at the bluegrass concert that night, I proposed in six weeks. Then life happened, started an IT company, BOLDER Designs selling AutoCAD. Eight years later we had a son, who was introduced to the outdoors with many car camping and he did the Whites Presidential Traverse to celebrate graduating from 1st grade. More life, at 63 started a series of cancer surgeries and treatments. Getting back on the trail was my method of recovery. I'd be sweating bullets just walk the gentle valley loop in the White Clay Creek park behind my house. In 2019 I recover to be able to walk Hadrian's Wall from the Irish Sea to the North Sea. With my son, climbing buddy from Utah days, and a college outdoor buddy that I had not seen since 1975, and the father of my son's friend who did the Presidential Traverse 3 times. I sold my business in 2022 and retiring on 2024-04-01. Now at age 70 we are off to Spain (4 of us) to Walk the Camino Portugues, and if we are feeling good, on to Fisterra. Nothing like a good walk with friends.

What Do You Think?