It wasn’t until day 2 (of the Camino De Santiago) that we realized: surely there is an app for the Camino. Following the signs, other humans with backpacks, and other humans with “helpful advice” were useful(ish) but these weren’t always readily available or reliable. On day two we downloaded the first Camino app (there are several). Toward the end of the route, a “helpful” human with a backpack who spoke English was going the wrong way. She informed us that GPS showed that they were not on the correct route. After a bit of a climb, they were returning to where there was a fork in the road. They believed that even though the clearly marked Camino signs said they were on the right path, the signs must be wrong – the app said otherwise. After listening to faulty advice several times throughout the day we decided to stick with the official Camino signposts. We did look at the app and it did show us off the path. However, soon enough the app showed us back on track. Apparently, even in 2024, GPS coordinates aren’t exact.
Take in available information, and get better information when possible, but sometimes sticking to the tried and true is the best path forward – especially when the tried and true is over 1000 years old.
