A Million Steps: How One Man Ditched his Corporate Day Job to find Adventure and Spiritual Enlightenment on the Camino De Santiago. By Kurt Koontz, published by Kurt Koontz, 2013. Available on Amazon.com, $15.95 list price.

    Kurt Koontz thought he was well prepared for his 490-mile walking trip on the historic Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route in Spain. He was fit and strong. He had a good guidebook and all the right equipment. His pilgrim passport would grant him access to the shelter of hostels along the way. But all of that, however helpful, did not begin to prepare him for the challenge of the physical and emotional adventure he encountered.

    A Million Steps climbs over the high meadows of the Pyrenees, quests through the unceasing wind of the Meseta, and dances in the rains of Galicia. While following the yellow arrows that mark the route, Koontz also navigates through his personal history of addiction, recovery, and love. With outgoing humor and friendliness, he embraces the beauty of the countryside and joyful connections to other pilgrims from around the world. Part diary, part travelogue, A Million Steps is a journey within a journey all the way to the Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela and beyond.

    A former executive accustomed to a comfortable and somewhat predictable lifestyle, Kurt lived moment to moment on the Camino, not knowing where he would find the next meal or sleep the next night. As he walked the 1300-year-old route, he heard unforgettable stories from other pilgrims and took a deeper look at his life. The stories he heard and his personal life-changing adventures are recorded in his journal, in emails home, and in over 3000 photographs that became the basis for his first book.

    Find Kurt Koontz' book, A Million Steps, at Amazon.com. Read his blogs at www.kurtkoontz.com.

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