Donkeys on the Camino

My Camino sister, Mary from Oxford, England, introduced us to a book on the Camino 
called Spanish Steps.  It’s about an English bloke who believes that the only authentic way to walk the Camino is with a donkey, a throwback to using beasts of burden to lighten a pilgrim’s load. 


He found a stable that rented donkeys for the Camino, starting in France all the way to Santiago.  But the business had to fold because at the end of the Camino, people wouldn’t return the donkeys. Instead, they sold them to Gypsies.

These gypsies might buy your

 Camino donkey...

I love this story, and I’ve been searching for donkeys on the Camino ever since. 

We found one! 

But we have yet to see a Gypsy.


Jim Larson, mule skinner --

renaissance man...

Our friend Jim Larson in Idaho owned a pack mules to take his friends hunting in the mountains. Jim is a true renaissance man and he would love the Camino. 

I wonder if I can talk him into a donkey rental business?