For most 11-year-olds, adventure might mean beating a new level in your favorite video game or waiting all week for that special play date with your best friend from school. But for Henry, adventure means something more complex—hiking across an entire country.
This spring, 11-year-old, “Henry the Hiker” and his mom, Carola, will embark on the Camino Frances, an 800 kilometre trek across Spain, walking from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France to Santiago de Compostela. It’s quit the ambitious goal, but for Henry, it’s the next step to a journey that started in his very own backyard.
Henry first hit the trails at seven years old. His home backs onto Ontario’s Bruce Trail. What started as an average “pandemic adventure” quickly turned into a passion for hiking.
Henry learned to follow trail blazes, read maps, and appreciate the beauty of nature. Since then, he has tackled hikes across Canada, including a five day backpacking trek in Frontenac Provincial Park, where he and his mom faced a tough choice: turn back or lighten their packs by burning gear in a fire. They chose adventure, and it paid off with one of their most unforgettable nights, a sunset at a secluded cove beneath a cliff.
Henry’s hiking goals are as ambitious:
-Complete the Bruce Trail (500 km down, 400 to go).
-Hike in every Canadian province and territory.
-Explore trails around the world, starting with Spain’s Camino Frances.
Why the Camino?
After hiking in Western Canada, Henry has started wondering what other adventures lay beyond the country’s borders. The Appalachian Trail is his first pick, a 3,000 km trek from Georgia to Maine. But that six-month journey was too big of a commitment, so when he discovered The Way, a movie about the Camino de Santiago... he was hooked.
The Camino Frances is more than just a hike, Henry’s mom says, it’s a historic pilgrimage traveled by thousands each year for spiritual and cultural reasons. For Henry, it’s about healing.
After experiencing a frightening incident at school, where he was swarmed by other students, Henry said he struggled with anxiety. His mom hopes this journey will help him rebuild trust in others, showing him that the world is filled with kindness.
50 Days, 800 kilometres:
Henry and his mom fly out on March, 26 and will spend time with family in Europe before starting the trail on April, 6. They’ll hike 23 km or less per day, staying in Albergues hostels for pilgrims.
Unlike their home hikes, the Camino has infrastructure, villages along the way, and even emergency transportation. But that doesn’t mean it will be easy. The first day alone is a steep climb over the Pyrenees Mountains.
Henry’s essential travel item is a bottle of ketchup. Because, as he says, “I can’t imagine life without it.” The two will also bring their favorite snacks, water, toiletries and a change of clothes.
Funding the dream:
Henry has worked to raise money for the trip selling merchandise, organizing bake sales, and even collaborating with an artist in Alberta to sell handmade clay tokens.
With just days to go before his big adventure, they’re still $4,500 short of their fundraising goal. While they’ve considered starting a GoFundMe, they’re also embracing a well-known Camino saying: “The Camino provides.”
For Henry and his mom, hiking isn’t just exercise it’s about deep conversations, problem-solving, and pushing through challenges. They have a rule: “What’s said on the trail, stays on the trail.”
“It’s where we have our most profound conversations,” she explains. “It’s where he learns that when things get hard, you push through. Because no amount of complaining will bring the car closer. And when you finally get there, those problems seem smaller.”
The journey starts now:
Despite his love for the trail, Henry is still just a regular kid, he loves Minecraft, VR, and YouTube. He doesn’t always want to hike, but once he’s out there, he has zero regrets. Henry has a YouTube channel where people can tune in to embark on the journey with him.
Now, he’s about to take on one of the biggest adventures of his life.
50 days. 800 km. A journey of healing and discovery....and it all started in his very own backyard.
To learn more about Henry’s ambitious journey, click here.
