Kat Davis - Walking the Camino del Norte in Europe, walking the Kumano Kodo Trail in Japan and bike packing the length of Japan, over 4,000km!

Tough Girl Podcast

More about Kat in her own words…

While studying at university, I took an internship in Tokyo and climbed Mt. Fuji for the first time. ‘A wise man climbs Mt. Fuji, a fool climbs it twice’ is a popular Japanese saying… so I climbed it 7 times. From Tokyo to Toronto to London where I’m now based, I’m searching for many of life’s answers, and hoping to find them somewhere along a trail.

Since quitting an office job in 2013, I’ve walked over 12,000km, this has included the Pacific Crest Trail in America (2,700 miles), multiple Camino’s throughout France, Spain and Portugal, as well as walking the Kumano Kodo trail, and completing the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage in Japan. Earlier this year in May I cycled 4,529km, the total length of Japan!

Show notes

• Where is all began
• How walking the camino in 2013 helped change her life
• Developing a love for walking and long distance hiking
• The beginning of 2017 - after coming back from the PCT
• Starting writing a guide book on the Camino Portuguese
• Having an ankle reconstruction surgery in 2016 and being out of action for 6 months
• Spending time out in Japan in 2017 for a new guidebook
• Highlights from the Camino Portuguese - the people, the food!
• Where do you start with writing a guidebook
• Thoughts about the Camino
• The community spirit
• Camino del Norte
• Planning and getting to the start line!
• Why is wasn’t just another walk
• The first week on the trail
• Daily routine on the camino and why she tries not to have a plan and to go with the flow!
• Not setting an alarm in the morning
• Taking it easy on the trail
• Thinking about what’s the worst case scenario
• The Camino Provides
• The Kumano Kodo in Japan
• How the Camino and Kumano Kodo trail are linked
• Becoming a Dual Pilgrim
• A traditional day on the Kumano Kodo
• Speaking Japanese
• Why Spring and Autumn is the best time of year to be walking
• Needing to pre book your accommodation
• Deciding to cycle the length of Japan!
• Who inspired her to ride……(me!!!)
• The different bike trips she though about doing (NZ, Euro Velo 6)
• Not having a bike…
• Having 1 month to plan and prepare
• Building her own bike…
• What cycling in Japan was like
• Keeping track of what she spend and blogging the trip
• Wanting to camp to keep costs down
• Joining warm shower and staying with hosts
• The highlight from the trip
• Believe you can and you will
• Making friends on the road
• Hiking or biking???
• Next challenge!!
• Why the Lycian Way….
• The challenges…
• The vision for the end of the walk!!!

Social Media

Website https://followingthearrows.com

Instagram @followingthearrows @katdavisphotography

Guidebooks

◦The Camino Portuguese

◦Japan’s Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage