Kurt Koontz's Blog, page 18

Reflective Wishing

In 7th grade, my best friend’s father died at a very young age.  The dad was in San Diego at the La Costa Wellness Center, flew home, and had a massive heart attack. The quintessential story of here today and gone tomorrow.  I recall countless...

Cruz de Nuevo

Roughly 5,000 feet above sea level on The Camino de Santiago, the Cruz de Ferro towers above a gigantic mound of stones.  This famous monument stands as a symbol of the collective journey. The tradition is to drop a stone, brought from the pilgrim’s country...

Camino Wine

Sobriety is the the greatest gift I ever gave myself.  The following is a chapter from A Million Steps.  Have a Merry Christmas!! Day 4 Camino Wine   On the fourth day of my trek, I departed the facility by 6:30. The day before, I...

As Is

For whatever reason, I feel that the Camino de Santiago is calling me.  I answered by booking a ticket to Madrid for May 13, 2015.  I will  spend 42 days journeying along my favorite path.  Just like any other adventure, I am trying  to depart...

Flap On

One of the many great things about taking A Million Steps on the Camino de Santiago was finding deep life lessons at the most unexpected moments.  Each day began with a ritual of packing all of my belongs into a backpack.  I quickly came to...

Portlandia

Taking  A Million Steps on the Camino de Santiago changed my life. I realize that everyone cannot take 45 days and fly to Spain for a pilgrimage walk. A “Camino” is really about putting yourself in any situation that is outside of your comfort zones....

Thunder Dragon Part IV

The twelfth day of the hike began with some bittersweet goodbyes. Michael and his wife Donna began the trip with the intention of splitting off and completing the Snowman Trek. Our hike included five large mountain passes. Snowman, which is considered to be the most...

Thunder Dragon Part III

Note to new subscribers:  This is the third part of a series about my recent month long trip to Bhutan.  You may be interested in the beginning of the series at this link: Thunder Dragon Part I. Michael, a Canadian real estate developer, was camping...

Thunder Dragon Part II

Note to new subscribers:  I recently returned from a month long journey through the Himalayas.  This is the second post in a series that began last week.  You may want to read the previous week’s entry to learn about the beginning of the trip.   During Dinner...

Thunder Dragon Part I

The Druk Air flight from Bangkok, Thailand to Paro, Bhutan, was a daunting introduction to the sacred country.  At the beginning of steep ascent, the captain announced, “Do not be concerned with the planes proximity to the mountains.”  Only 8 pilots are qualified to land...