walking through spain.... yet again!

OK. Even I have trouble believing it.

But it's even harder to imagine not taking another one of these walks. This year it's an entirely new route -- the Camino del Norte -- that runs along the northern coast of Spain on the Bay of Biscay

• a tiny bit longer (~30 miles)
• more elevation changes
  
• fewer pilgrims competing for beds and snoring rights

The walk begins on May 4th in Irun (just across the border from France) and ends on June 13th in Santiago de Compostela. Once again I will be walking with my dear old friend Laurie, the uphill-racer maniac who got me doing these treks in the first place and keeps me laughing along the way.

I've debated back and forth about once again using this trip as an opporuntunity to raise funds for UNICEF. But yesterday I got the announcement that Kimberly-Clark is renewing their fund matching program for HIV-AIDS programs in Africa in 2007 and that did it. So here's the proposition:

• I will match your pledge, dollar for dollar
• Our combined donations will be matched by Kimberly-Clark
• Bottom line: Every $1 you donate becomes $4 for UNICEF!
• Plus... you get my scintillating posts (this time with PHOTOS even!) including commentary on culture, history, foot care, spirituality and the search for a quiet place to sleep.

To ensure the privacy of your pledge, please send me an email at schlepper2007@comcast.net indicating the amount you wish to pledge. Consider any formula you like: per mile (529), per kilometer (852), per day (39), per blister (0 to ??), per glass of wine (40 to ??) or a simple flat rate. When I return in June, I will contact you for payment.

I hope you'll join me on this journey. And I hope this new format will allow for greater communication and virtual participation.