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
used by millions of pilgrims for hundreds of years to reach Santiago de Compostela in Spain is the model for this route - the camino del norte to Chimayó. Camino is a Spanish word with many levels of meaning - 'way', 'path', 'I walk',..., and is a wonderful word to apply to the pilgrim experience in any culture.
Hiking trails abound in Colorado and New Mexico, but this camino is being created specifically to allow people of all faiths, nationalities, and inclinations to make a pilgrimage to this spiritual destination revered by Native Americans, Spanish colonials, New Mexicans, and general Americans for centuries...
In the style of the network of caminos and pilgrim houses by tradition in Europe, the pilgrim houses will be open to pilgrims who carry credentials, stamped or signed at each pilgrim house to confirm the pilgrims' purpose as they make their way to their destination.
A pilgrimage is much more than 'slow tourism'. Thoughtfully experience nature in a tranquil atmosphere while contemplating the journey to the destination of spiritual significance. Hikers who want to commune with nature are advised to walk along any of the tens of thousands of miles of hiking trails in the Rocky Mountains. Pilgrims who want to be mindful and present in the journey to the Santuario de Chimayó should consider this new route.
What is being proposed here is brand new yet the elements are not untried. Winter Pilgrim - winterpilgrim.blogspot.com - walked this route on a pilgrimage to the Basilica de Guadalupe in Mexico City in 2010/2011. Hundreds of Coloradans and thousands of Americans have used the network of pilgrim houses that exist in Europe and are therefore well aware of how they function. The effort this summer will bring the pilgrim opportunity to a broad population.
There are bugs to be worked out, of course, but from small beginnings come great things. A website is being constructed to contain all the necessary information about the route and the temporary pilgrim house network that will be established this summer. In the meantime, this blog is a starting point for information dissemination. Right now, everything is based in Denver, Colorado, but it shouldn't be construed to be limited to local pilgrims. Pilgrims can hop on the route wherever they choose.
Please note that this is not a commercial endeavor. This is an opportunity for pilgrims, by pilgrims. Volunteers will be needed along the route - at the shade stations (necessary because there are vast treeless arid areas) and pilgrim houses. While in the future, if there seems to be an interest, pilgrim accommodations and an officially marked trail with published guidebooks may be available, at the moment, it's thought best to begin with a short season. Consider postponing your own pilgrimage if the timing is inconvenient or if you would feel more secure after the system is proven by experience of the masses.
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A route to America's popular pilgrim destination.
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.
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.
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