Are influencers ruining the Camino de Santiago?

Less than a week after graduating from college, I packed my backpack and boarded a plane to Porto, Portugal, to walk the Camino de Santiago, one of the most ancient and popular Christian pilgrimages in the world. I was prepared to offer up anything to the Lord — foot pain, sore muscles, my uncertainties over whether I’d really feel closer to God when I was done — but I wasn’t prepared for the skepticism I would encounter from other pilgrims. The three stated aims of the Camino are self-discovery, health, and spiritual discernment. Though raised Protestant, I’ve spent the past few years exploring my faith, particularly through attendance at Eastern Orthodox services. But for many of the pilgrims I walked with, spiritual discernment seemed to come last. It was fairly typical to see pilgrims