My friends call me Russ. I enjoy the outdoors, especially hiking, boating, and fishing. My wife and I spend our time among friends in St. Louis, Missouri and Itasca County, Minnesota. I do private consulting and training for the boards of nonprofit organizations in the U.S.

On a training hike before my 2014 Camino.

Why did I walk the Camino de Santiago? Because it’s there. Because it calls on mental and physical endurance. Because I wanted to join the line of pilgrims that stretches back more than a thousand years. Because I had just passed the age my father was when he died. Because I wanted to practice speaking Spanish. Because walking the Camino holds the possibility of spiritual fruit. And yes, because when I saw the film The Way, I wanted to be on that road.