Senior hikes through multiple countries
Ellen Poulter walks the Camino De Santiago
Used with Permission by Ellen Poulter.
September 27, 2019
Hiking in Europe for 28 days, senior Ellen Poulter went on a route known as the Camino de Santiago that leads to the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in Spain.
“I was walking the Camino de Santiago which is a trail that runs from the edge of France to the other end of Spain,” Poulter said.
According to Poulter, there were various reasons she hiked the Camino de Santiago.
“I have always enjoyed outdoor adventures and new experiences,” Poulter said. “The idea of doing something big and adventurous before I headed into my senior year appealed to me.”
Senior Ruby Stillman said she was attentive in hearing about what Poulter accomplished during her hike.
“Ellen is very good friend of mine and I was sad to see her go because I knew that I would miss her,” Stillman said. “I (am) glad to see her back and it has been very interesting to hear about her experiences.”
Poulter said although there were difficult times throughout the trip, she enjoyed hiking and would do it again.
“Some days were really hard but looking at it in retrospect it doesn’t feel like it was that hard because it progressively got easier,” Poulter said. “Even though my mileage increased I definitely know I want to do it again.”
Poulter’s spanish teacher Hannah Anderson said it is a unique adventure for someone to hike in another country.
“It’s a wonderful experience to (hike) in another country and you meet a lot of people along the way, not only from Spain but from other countries. I think that’s fascinating,” Anderson said.
According to Poulter, while hiking she had time to contemplate her life and meet new people.
“There is a lot of time where you can talk to people and grow closer and reflect on what is happening in your life so far,” Poulter said. “I thought a lot about college and what I plan to do in the years that follow and reflected on all the important people in my life.”
According to Anderson, Poulter is a student who is well informed on international news and brings a new perspective to the class.
“Ellen is a very unique student in the sense that she is very in tune with what’s going on in the rest of the world,” Anderson said. “She is the kind of student watching the news, she knows what’s going on in Europe or in Asia.
Poulter said she believes more people should think of hiking the Camino because they can learn more about the world and reflect on life.
“(People) should (hike) and know that after day five or six days it gets so much easier (hiking),” Poulter said. “When your body hurts (from hiking) it’s part of doing the Camino being uncomfortable and being in pain, but as you go through that it provides you a really wonderful perspective on the world.”
