“The first morning after my journey my legs had a voice and told me I should be getting up and taking a walk,” said Father Mark Bachmeier, a parish priest who completed a 300-mile walk along Oregon coast from Hammond to the California border at the end of June.

Today, Bachmeier is back in Portland where he serves as a parish priest. He told the Signal the walk was an uplifting and religious experience for him.

“I prayed a lot,” he said. “It was non stop and an on going conversation. It was a deeply spiritual experience.”

Bachmeier’s journey began June 1 as he passed through Seaside and Cannon Beach. The walk took him 28 days to complete. Before and after the walk, he used two rivers as a baptismal symbol.

“When I started my journey I dipped my hand into the Columbia River,” he said. “When I arrived at the Oregon-California border I put my hand in the Winchuck River. It was kind of a religious thing to help me connect the whole trip together.”

He admitted that the walk was long and at points challenging with traffic and tight curves, but he called the journey wonderful.

“I think I have a jump start on getting back to good health and good habits,” Bachmeier said.

Before and during his walk, Bachmeier took pledges for 1st Way, a Lane County-based volunteer group that counsels and supports young mothers.

“We have gotten $9,005 in pledges and we expect more,” said Terry Ianora, 1st Way director. “We are so appreciative of Father Mark and all that he has done for us.”

Bachmeier suggests anyone willing to make the trek should “go for it.”

“Take it just one day at a time, You literally have to take one step at a time,” said Bachmeier. I didn’t worry about what was going to happen. I kept it one day at a time. It is such a glorious stretch of the country. I think many Oregonians take it for granted. But the beauty is breath taking at so many points. It needs to be appreciated.

Bchmeier so appreciated his journey and the people he met along the way that he is considering other walk along the coast and elsewhere.

“I would love to do it again,” said Bachmeier. “But I don’t want to do it right away.” He is considering repeating the Oregon coast walk but perhaps going from south to north instead.

“Some people have been asking me to consider other walks at locations all over the world and they have been sending me things and volunteering information about other pilgrimages,” said Bachmeier.

One of those places is the route of Santiago in Spain where Bachmeier is considering walking next summer.

“It’s been a popular route for 1,900 years and it is a part of biblical history,” said Bachmeier.

“Thousands of people are walking the Spain walk at one time. The whole walk is about 400 to 500 miles long.” He noted that the Spain journey would allow him to meet and walk with people from all over the world.