Practical Matters Journal, Spring 2016, Issue 9, pp. X-XXX. © The Author 2016. Published by Emory University. All rights reserved. 1 The Root of the Route: Phil’s Camino Project and the Catholic Tradition of Surrogate Pilgrimage Kathryn Barush Graduate Theological Union and Jesuit School of Theology Abstract On a rainy day on an island in the Paciic Northwest, Phil Volker walked along the well-known, and well-trodden half-mile path in his own 10-acre backyard. he damp earth sprung beneath his boots as he chatted amiably to his companions. Although he had been walking for miles and miles along the circuit, today was a special day, as he had made it to Burgos. Or, at least, the distance to Burgos – a town along the ancient pilgrimage route to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela (known as the Camino - or Way - of St. James). Ater a cancer diagnosis had thwarted his dreams of traveling to Spain, Phil had mapped all 500 miles of the pilgrimage onto his own backyard, and today was just one stop along his circuitous journey. Phil’s Camino project is explored here within the Catholic tradition of surrogate pilgrimages in the forms of labyrinths, the Via Crucis, and other media, usually undertaken by those who could not travel for a variety of reasons, including economic hardship or, like Phil, ill health. he sacred trail that he mapped on to his own property will be considered as a work of art in the form of a built environment which retains a trace of the original Camino de Santiago, and, like the Camino de Santiago, continues to function as a place of healing and renewal for Phil and for the pilgrims who have joined him as he continues to traverse the Way. O n a hand-drawn map of his 10-acre property on Vashon Island in the Paciic Northwest, Phil Volker has labeled, in gently sloping capital letters, the north and south pastures, the garden and the corn patch, the woodlot and Raven Creek. 1  Yellow arrows point the way along a path bordered