My name is Ashley, and I grew up in Charlotte, NC. I stayed there my entire life, even throughout college. But in 2015, thanks to an idea from my sister who lived in California at the time, I took a leap of faith and moved to Portland, OR. I left behind my friends, family, and everything I knew to move across the country to a place where I didn’t know a single person.
Fast forward to January of 2017, I decided to quit my job and hike the Pacific Crest Trail, but the person who was going with me, backed out. I had already given my notice to work, but I knew I couldn’t handle that terrain alone. So, there I was, without a plan.
Thankfully, my brain coughed up a memory from Spanish class (shoutout Mrs. Martinez from Weddington!) and Catholic school: El Camino de Santiago. And since I had friends scattered across Paris, Barcelona, and London, what the hell, I’ll go see them too.
Everything came together so perfectly, but I’d soon learn, that wasn’t always the case on the Camino… very humbling experience, but there was magic everywhere throughout the journey.
My hope is this blog can speak to the inner child inside all of us, craving adventure. We all have responsibilities varying from jobs to children to parents to spouses. It’s easy to forget that life is meant to be lived and not just…survived.
-Ash
El Camino Chronicles 