RVA Way - Inspring a Love for Walking One step at a Time
“Walking is always by one’s own design -- relax and picnic, take in the sights, take photos, slow down, speed up. There are no rules.” – Janeen
Janeen Wall, founder of the Richmond walking group RVA Way, has racked up more miles on her feet in the last few years than most people do in a lifetime. An avid adventurer, Janeen found a way to establish and inspire a community of walkers by combining her love of traveling and the outdoors with her passion of tackling routes on the Camino de Santiago in Portugal and Spain. The Camino is an intense physical feat that offers the chance for ultimate solitude and reflection while testing one’s own self-paced endurance and determination.
The most popular Camino de Santigo route, with its more than 250,000 hikers annually, is the 500-mile journey that stretches across Europe beginning in Saint Jean Pied de Port, France, and ending at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. Offering multiple routes with varying degrees of difficulty and distance, the Camino can be traversed on foot, horseback, or by bicycle with a time commitment ranging from a few days to weeks or even months. The route has been conquered by walkers of all ages, from young children to people age 80+. While not for the faint of heart, the Camino is within reach for anyone wanting to embark on an epic bucket list worthy adventure. This 1,200-year-old journey will test your physical and mental strength, as well as your feet, to whatever extent you desire. It all begins with a single step.
The Adventure of a Lifetime - Tackling the Camino de Santigo
When Janeen set out to conquer her first Camino, she could not possibly have fathomed the powerful impact this experience would have on her life. There were so many unknowns but she took comfort in the shift from hours at a desk to hours a day walking across a country in the knowledge that she often walks 20,000 or more steps a day while exploring new cities on her travels. And, she adds, those walks as a tourist were in pretty shoes.
“I was drawn to the opportunity for solitude and reflection as well as the physical challenge that seemed within reach, with the right amount of grit and determination.”
“We all have days with a high number of steps and are no worse for wear, they come and they go, so why not make an adventure of it. I highly recommend finding excuses to walk 20,000 steps or more with a sense of adventure.”
To help prepare physically and mentally for the challenge, Janeen started a group on Facebook as a way for friends to follow and track her training regimen. Immediately, her friends started turning out to join her. Even in subzero temperatures, rain, and increased mileage, she never walked alone. Two friends went on to match Janeen’s training step-for-step all the way to doing several 21-mile local hikes together, rain or shine, and ultimately completing their own Camino adventures alongside Janeen.
“Being surrounded by the amazing friends who walk each week, is quite astounding. These friends, old and new, who so willingly challenge themselves to walk with the group, no matter the conditions or distance, are my reason for making it this far. I have profound appreciation for their company and high admiration for their will and courage.”
In May 2018, with a renewed sense of adventure, an incredible support system, and two determined friends, Janeen completed the 11-day Camino Portuguese coastal route. Before the trip, Janeen says her greatest challenge was the uncertainty, all the unknowns associated with tackling an adventure of this magnitude and a dash of self-doubt, wondering if her body was up to the trek. Afterwards as she looked back, Janeen recalls that all the planning, research, and apparent need for just the right equipment, simply faded away the moment she arrived. “On your walks, the mind is cleared, and attention is reduced to walking, eating, sleeping. Mind and body are entirely focused on getting through the day.”
Despite the immense physical and mental tolls, Janeen shares, “The spirit of the Camino community carries you most of the way, as does hearing “Buen Camino” at every human encounter, the age old traditional greeting from locals and fellow hikers wishing you a “good way.” On the Camino, there are no barriers to friendship and the forever friends you make, from across the globe, become your Camino family. There’s another category of connection on the way. Over the miles, tribes form. These are the folks you see daily. They maintain similar pace and route stages (i.e., staying in the same villages). The tribe’s camaraderie is formed and the bond set along the route, and across the table at communal meals, sharing food, wine, and, sometimes, a stash of band aids for tired feet.
Would she do it again? Absolutely, in fact as soon as Janeen completed her first Camino trek she immediately began planning her return, and in 2019, she completed this endurance feat again solo, in the 15-day Camino Primitivo route.
“There are so many layers to the Camino that are not easily summarized, like the two special friends who joined me on my first trip, walked every mile with me in training, and the very special new friends I’ve made in the RVA Way group. I count myself so fortunate to have these amazing people around me who share my love of outdoor freedom.”
RVA Way Members: Veronica Pavon, Al Iaconangelo, Kory Mohr, Janeen Wall, and Melissa Powell Gay
RVA WAY - Walk and Trail Friends
Inspired by the culture of the Camino, Janeen recreated the camaraderie and sense of accomplishment, by encouraging her RVA Way team to walk the entire length of the Capital Trail. An achievement turned tradition, which RVA Way has completed the last two years. The group was set to embark on their third Capital Trail end-to-end hike in 2020 but unfortunately plans were pushed back due to COVID-19.
“Truth be told, we don’t have to travel across the globe for a great walk.”
Janeen divides the 52-mile Capital Trail into four 14-mile stages, each one averaging six hours (including lunch), which the group completes over the course of four Sundays in early spring. Each segment is planned around trailheads, rest stops, and local establishments such as parks and dining institutions.
RVA Way Capital Trail walking stages:
Great Shiplock to Four Mile Creek Trailhead
Four Mile Creek Trailhead to Shirley Plantation
Shirley Plantation to Sandy Point Superette
Sandy Point Superette to Jamestown
As a memento of their incredible feat, walkers receive a special RVA Way Capital Trail passport and earn a special stamp for each completed stage. Armed with water and snacks, the 52-mile hike offers walkers the chance to enjoy nature and explore locally while providing a noteworthy challenge and a strong sense of accomplishment. And, like the Camino, this journey ignites a strong emotional longing to return and repeat the adventure. Eventually, Janeen hopes to turn the walk into a fun two-weekend excursion with back-to-back days and an overnight. And if two days of hiking 14 miles sounds daunting, Janeen assures us that tired bodies are entirely renewed by morning and are ready for more.
A courageous spirit that refuses to stop and the ability to push herself beyond limits, Janeen continues to inspire and challenge others. Today, the walking group RVA Way has over 100 members, with weekly turnouts of about a dozen eager walkers. The walking excursions range in mileage, location, and intensity. As a result of COVID-19, the group suspended their activities, but they are eagerly awaiting the time when they can come together again to explore RVA on foot.
One of the highlights of RVA Way for Janeen is planning the group’s weekly scenic routes, which focus on exploring urban and nature trails in Richmond and the surrounding areas, and includes stops to enjoy local cuisine. Each walk incorporates either a sit-down or picnic breakfast mid-way or at the end.
When asked about her vision for RVA Way’s future, Janeen shares, “Looking to the future, I have no expectations other than to continue to offer a welcoming setting for anyone willing to explore walking and/or to challenge themselves to distances they’d normally scoff at, only to be surprised that it’s really quite easy in good company.”
When asked about what Janeen likes most about walking the Capital Trail?
“Walking the Capital Trail in the rain is an experience to behold and I encourage everyone to try it. On rainy days, as an added bonus, we have the trail to ourselves. Don’t let weather conditions hold you back. With the right gear, you can walk and walk and walk some more. One step at a time.”
Thank you, Janeen for sharing your amazing experience with us!
