KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — It was inspired by the documentary and book called "I'll Push You." A man pushed his friend in a wheelchair along a famous 500-mile trail: the Camino de Santiago. It's sometimes called The Way of Saint James or just The Way. Three East Tennessee women have returned from Spain where they took that same journey.
They spent months preparing and will spend a lifetime remembering.
"I don't think I was able to fathom what we were going to experience," Carly Pearson said.
Carly Pearson, Leslie King and Sharon Privett were part of a group including people in wheel chairs and people who pushed and pulled them on the Camino de Santiago.
Justin Skeesuck and Patrick Gray are the focus of the book and documentary "I'll Push You." They invited the women to participate.
Carly said, "I really thought I was physically prepared but every day the elevation changes were so vast and sometimes one person would be pulling me and one person would be pushing me and I would be propelling the chair myself and at the end of each day I felt like I did a marathon. And I've done a few."
Actually, more than a few. Carly has medaled in hand-cycling races in Knoxville and across the world.
Sharon lives in Chattanooga. Rheumatoid Arthritis limits her strength and mobility.
Leslie trained with them using a towing system.
She walked the Camino once before, for herself. This time she went for others.
"Being able to meet different people every day, listen to their stories, walk with people who were maybe struggling for the day, and his helping push them along and encourage them. It was amazing. life changing, soul searching event." Leslie King said.
It was a time of extreme physical challenges coupled with deep reflection.
"Some people take rocks to unload their burdens, or shells, and we were getting close to Santiago on the last day and I had kept waiting on the right moment to drop my shells for my children," Carly said. "I left it at a marker along the trail and it was perfect."
The entire route is about 500 miles of mountains, hills, gravel and dirt paths.
But, like many pilgrims, this group traveled only the final 100 kilometers.
The starting points may be different but the destination is the same: the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.
"All 50 of us just marched into the cathedral area and there were all these folks that were waiting for us. We had no idea. But they had heard about our journey, had met us on the trail, seen it in the newspapers in Spain. And so there were all these folks there just excited and cheering and crying and laughing and hugging. It was a really intense moment," Leslie said.
Carly said, "I want to say thank you to the people who went. That took time out of their lives and their families to join us and pay to travel across the world to help a group of 10 people accomplish a mission that wouldn't have been possible without them."
They thank Justin and Patrick for their example of friendship and their invitation to walk, push, and roll the Camino de Santiago.
The three East Tennessee women who went on the trip are volunteers at Catalyst Sports. That's a non-profit offering recreation for people with disabilities.
