My name is Jack. My e-mail name "ameritano" captures the essence of who I am. It is the contraction and combination of two words: American and gitano, the Spanish word for gypsy. In short I like to travel. My permanent home is in Tucson, Arizona but I spend more traveling than I do living there. My summer employment takes me to Skagway, Alaska where I spend 5 months working as a tour guide for Klondike Tours.
Although I have been buying things for my April 20th departure from Springer Mountain, Georgia to begin my trek on the Appalachian trail, today was the most serendipitous of days. I left Keystone, Colorado early on a Colorado Mountain Express shuttle to downtown Denver. From my dropoff point in downtown Denver I walked west down 15th Ave to Platte and the REI store. Today I needed to buy the last of the equipment I would need on the Appalachian Trail. First on my list was a pair of quality hiking boots. When I hiked the Camino de Santiago in Spain in 2010 I hiked in an old pair of boots I had bought in Spain in 2006. The boots were too short and I paid the price with substantial blisters and other foot problems. That trip ... read more
The time is finally here. After first becoming aware of the Camino de Santiago when I lived in Granada in 2000 I'm ready to make my first step of many in a few more weeks. For the reader who may not be familiar with what the route is I will explain. It is a pilgrimage route to the tomb of St. James the Apostle which has been going on since the Middle Ages. I will be taking the French route which has its beginning in the small French Basque town of St-Jean-Pied-de-Port. I'm estimating 30 days to cover the 500 miles. Since I plan to spend time documenting my own personal experiences on the trail it may take more time. Time is not a consideration since I will be in Spain until October. These last few ... read more
