Camino del Norte to Chimayó: 2012

Camino del Norte to Chimayó

An effort was made in the summer of 2012 to create a pilgrim route to the Santuario de Chimayó in northern New Mexico beginning in Denver, Colorado. Chimayó is a popular pilgrim destination in the US with tens of thousands of pilgrims making the pilgrimage by foot every year, particularly during Holy Week. For information about this destination, follow the links in the side panel.

A series of three existing routes were used to lead pilgrims between Denver and Chimayó: first, a miner’s route connecting Denver with the silver mining area of Cripple Creek; second, the Ute Indian migration path between the Front Range and the San Luis Valley that was also used by Zebulon Pike during his early exploration of the region following the Louisiana Purchase; finally, the upper reaches of the Rio Grande river used by the Franciscan Missionaries during the time of the Spanish Colonials. Most of the route is made up of graded forest roads, with the remainder on paved country roads. The route would be suitable for foot, off-road wheelchair and mountain bike.

Unlike the caminos in Spain, no network of pilgrim houses exists appropriately spaced to facilitate the pilgrimage. The feasibility of a pilgrim house system in Colorado and northern New Mexico was tested in the pioneer effort. The route originates in Denver, crosses the mountains between Monument and Woodland Park, again at Cripple Creek to Canon City, and into the San Luis Valley at Pass Creek Pass. Although the route passes through some villages and towns, shade and water stations were set up to support pilgrims with refreshments.

The pioneer pilgrims who made the pilgrimage along this Camino del Norte a Chimayo varied widely in background and level of experience. The success of the journey was overwhelming. It was a challenge for most, far beyond any effort they had previously attempted. There was general consensus that the most difficult part was that the distances were beyond the comfort level of most. The spacing of towns cannot be changed, so it is what it is. Perhaps in the future, interim stations would be established to make the stages a bit shorter though it would extend the number of days of the pilgrimage.

Advice to others interested in making the pilgrimage reasonably includes being well prepared both physically - to be able to walk 20 miles without getting blisters - and mentally - to be able to spend hours on end alone and unattached to electronic devices. The scenery, history and culture that the camino passes through is remarkable. The camino is real.

Anyone interested in making this pilgrimage is encouraged to contact the Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish at 303 477 1402 or the Santuario de Chimayo at 505 351 9961. Alternatively, an email inquiry can be sent through the link above.

Friday, August 31, 2012

Public Presentation and Book Launch

On Thursday, September 6th, 7 pm in the Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish Hall (map) some of the pioneer pilgrims will give an informal presentation about their pilgrim experience and the camino to Chimayo.

For the many people interested in going on the pilgrimage but were unavailable or unsure, this is an opportunity to hear about the experience firsthand, look at the route on maps, ask questions, and see some photos.

The finishing touches of a book about the route are being made and it will be published and available at the presentation and afterwards at the parish office and through Tattered Cover Bookstores in Denver. More about the book in a blog after the launch.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Joyful Completion

Six steadfast pilgrims arrived in Chimayo on August 8th as scheduled, thus the Camino del Norte a Chimayo exists now for all to follow.

The re-entry into normal life is always a challenge for pilgrims. We're recovering body and soul, digesting the experience that will never leave us. Soon, we'll update this blog with photos and individual thoughts about the pilgrimage. We're also working on developing some sort of group scrapbook to make our experience available to inspire those interested in making their own pilgrimage to Chimayo.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Additional Photos

Photos from the pilgrimage

Thursday, July 26, 2012

En el camino de Monument a Woodland, muy cansados!!!!

The third day at Saint Peter, Sedalia. Thanks for your hospitality.

The second day at St Philip with Bishop Conley and the Episcopalians who welcomed us so gladly. Thank you so much!!

The first day, resting in St. Mary's Littleton

Father Benito and the pilgrmas before they leave Our Lady of Guadalupe Church

5th day of pilgrimage

see photos and journal's from pilgrims @ http://www.facebook.com/groups/254983991287888/

We are leaving Woodland park, Our Lady of the Woods Church after mass. We are headed to Cripple Creek now. There are ups and downs and lots of ups today, elevation gains on the back side of Pike's Peak. There will be an 8 mile upward ascent (about 3.5 - 4.0 hours). We will be at St Peter's Church in Cripple Creek this evening around 5 or 6pm. Thank you for all the support, cold water, food and prayers!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Facebook Group page Images, Maps, etc.

There is a Facebook Group created as of today to upload photos of the Pilgrims if you have any.... Please request to be a member and I will accept. Then simply post photos and videos of the journey. My personal FB is charlee rees if you need to ask me any questions. I am updating this blog for Anne as she is on the "road". I was with them for the first couple of days with my daughter, Caleb. Caleb needed a rest and we will rejoin them again very soon. Here is the link to the facebook group:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/254983991287888/ I hope that the Pilgrims will be able to upload their thoughts for the day as they come to each resting place in the evening via their cell phones. That can link their mobile devices straight to this Facebook Group site.
Thank you to all of you who have provided rest stations, water, food and shade for us! That is a life saver and a pure expression of God's love to these Pilgrims.

Update 07-25-12

The pilgrims are treking along in this hot summer heat, the hottest June and July in Colorado history. They need cold water and shade stations along their path. I have uploaded "working version" of each day that has past and the next few future days of the journey. The Churchs have been wonderful in accommodations for us: beautiful dinners, air conditioned room, mass every morning with special intentions of pilgrims and our feet! Raul has been our angel on the road providing shade and water along our way. I will upload some photos from the past few days and will continue to post several days at a time. Bishop James Conley blessed us with joining us for dinner Tuesday evening! God shines through each of us with encouragement, help, love and strength:
"Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand." Isaiah 41:10

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Final Plans

Just a few more days of planning and then the show begins. We are expecting quite a diverse party of around a dozen pilgrims, more or less, to participate with grand ceremony at the Our Lady of Guadalupe church Sunday morning at the 8 am Mass.

The solemnity of the formal Pilgrim Blessing was initiated in the Middle Ages when embarking on such a journey was underscored by the dangers of travel of the day. Our dangers seem limited to berry-munching bears and an oppressive heat wave that's predicted to remain. In the big scheme of things, these dangers are mitigated by the prevalence of cell phones and taxis. The Pilgrim Blessing will be meaningful and memorable nonetheless.

We will try when possible to add a few notes from the camino on this blog, encouraging different voices and perspectives. None of our number will carry a computer, but little notes from handheld devices, occasional photos, and reports of our progress will be sent to this site. We'll try to keep the local Telemundo station updated with photos for their 5:30 evening news.

The excitement builds!

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Ten Days until the Camino begins

Plans are coming together for the inaugural pilgrim season to begin. An unexpected yet significant development is that off all of the potential pilgrims who expressed interest, everyone desires to be part of the first group of pilgrims, traveling from Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Denver. For this reason, there was no sense in holding open the temporary pilgrim houses even for a week as was initially planned, but just for the first night to accommodate the group traveling together.

A second development came and went - the Waldo Canyon Wildfire - is now fully contained. The forest road that the camino follows between Monument and Woodland Park had been blocked off by the firefighters but should be open for us to pass.

Pilgrims have an opportunity to gather and meet during the three-day Kermes Bazaar on the 13th, 14th and 15th of July. It's the annual church bazaar at Our Lady of Guadalupe, and because it's a church with a specific mission toward latino, particularly Mexican, immigrants, there's definitely a south-of-the-border theme. Music, dancing, and diverse regional cuisines are being offered along with kids' games and prizes... general bazaar fare. There will be a pilgrim booth near the cantina with information available about foot pilgrimages in general and the Camino del Norte a Chimayo in particular with show-and-tell ... what's in the backpack? come and find out.

Those who cannot participate in the pilgrimage this year are welcome to come to the church to see the group off following 8 am Mass on July 22nd. There will be a sizable crowd. (map)

Any last-minute pilgrims out there who are still undecided about joining the group from the beginning or from some stop along the way, please contact us soon for more information.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Updates

The recent article in the Denver Catholic Register sparked a good deal of interest in the pioneer pilgrimage to Chimayó. We've just taped a program of La Fé Católica Viva at the Centro San Juan Diego for the Spanish-speaking audience. This is scheduled to air in the Denver area on July 2nd at 10pm. Once it does, the link will be provided here for everyone to view.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Collecting Pilgrims

Since the publication of the article in the Denver Catholic Register this week, prospective pilgrims have been sending email requests for more information. This is perfect.

We're collecting quite a diverse group of pilgrims interested in participating with the Our Lady of Guadalupe parish as well as some individuals interested in walking only parts of the Camino to Chimayó. This is just what the art of pilgrimage is all about... diversity.

At the moment (early June) a big focus of the organizing effort is in establishing the hospitality part of the pilgrimage - where pilgrims will be accommodated each night. Simultaneously, pilgrims can step forward soon to announce their intention of participation. By early July the effort will evolve into being sure pilgrims have all the details they want and are prepared to begin the great walk by the end of July.

Friday, May 4, 2012

Something New, Somewhere Old...

This is the beginning of something new and almost untried - a pilgrim route to one of America's most popular pilgrim destinations. No small distance lies between Denver and Chimayó - about 350 miles - and the scenery is varied and beautiful. Yet the route is accessible to pilgrims of most fitness levels and experience.

The vision: to create a network of pilgrim houses and intervening shade stations that will provide pilgrims with the support they need. Each pilgrim house will provide the guidance for how to reach the next pilgrim house. The camino frances