Ten years ago, a group of successful business leaders and golfers from the Cebu Country Club conceived an idea that sounded impossible. Inspired by the Martin Sheen film The Way, they decided to walk the Camino de Santiago together.
They were founders, entrepreneurs and CEOs — men accustomed to achievement, strong personalities and opinions. The Camino offered none of the usual trappings of success. There were no boardrooms, titles or shortcuts. There was simply a road, a backpack, walking shoes and pilgrims moving toward Santiago
de Compostela.
What began in 2015 as an ambitious adventure became something profound. Year after year, they returned, covering route after route. One year was lost to Covid-19 pandemic, but the journey continued. Nearly 2,000 kilometers later, accomplished individuals had become a band of brothers.
Many wondered how long it would last. Critics might have thought that putting successful leaders — each with accomplishments, personalities and, yes, egos — together for weeks of walking was a recipe for disaster. Yet the opposite happened. You laugh, banter and complain. You fall or slide, climb endless hills and mountains, get sick, grow blisters and sometimes want to give up. Then, over a prayer, a helping hand, a good laugh, a shared meal or a glass of wine, you rise again. The dreaded Pyrenees was attempted twice before the group finally conquered it. The kilometers accumulate, the barriers come down and, somewhere along the road, the hierarchy disappears.
We have also become more prayerful. Along the way, we visit centuries-old churches, some standing for hundreds of years, and pause to appreciate the history surrounding us and its connection to our faith. We celebrate birthdays, create new friendships and strengthen old ones. Most importantly, we have learned to stop walking, even briefly, and appreciate the gift of life.
That becomes even more meaningful because we are now a group in our 60s, 70s and even 80s. For much of our lives, we were driven to build, compete, achieve and prove ourselves. But as we enter the last quarter of our lives, the definition of success changes.
We look back with gratitude rather than regret. We have accomplished much, but much was also made possible by people and opportunities beyond ourselves.
Companies will belong to others, titles will disappear and possessions will find new owners. What remains are relationships, memories, faith and the people beside us.
Perhaps that is the real lesson of the Camino. Life is not about reaching the finish line without falling. It is about having the courage to keep walking, the humility to accept help and the gratitude to appreciate every step we are still privileged to take.
This Sept. 30, our journey continues. We will begin in Santiago and walk approximately 170 kilometers to Cape Finisterre, then turn back toward Corcubión and eventually return to Santiago.
Finisterre is a fitting destination. Its name comes from the Latin Finis Terrae, meaning “the end of the earth.” For centuries, it was regarded as the edge of the known world, where the land seemed to disappear into the Atlantic. For pilgrims, reaching Finisterre became a place to pause, reflect and contemplate what comes next.
And this year, we will reach the end of the known world — and then turn around.
The Camino has also grown beyond the original Caminonans. The Lady Caminoans have embraced their own yearly pilgrimage, extending a journey that began with a few Cebuano business leaders.
For me, this year is particularly meaningful. It will be my sixth Camino. I am grateful to my fellow Caminonans for the kilometers, friendship, laughter, prayers and memories. Thank you for taking that first improbable step 10 years ago and proving that successful men with personalities could stay together long enough to become brothers.
We walk now not to prove that we are still young, not to prove that we are still strong and not even to prove that we can finish. We walk because we are still here. We walk because we are grateful. And after everything life has given us, there is still a road ahead — and no greater blessing than having good friends beside us when we take the next step.
The Camino continues. While we can.