Documentary spotlights eleven students who walked 500 miles across Spain

By Lauren Mei Calora ‘20

All photos by Lauren Mei Calora, who was also a participant on the trip. 

This summer, junior Jackson Schroeder created a three-hour-long documentary to chronicle his travels on the Camino de Santiago in Spain as part of a Catlin Gabel School global trip. His fellow pilgrims were 10 Upper School students, led by Dave Whitson, Catlin Gabel School (CGS) Palma Scholars Program Director, and two CGS alums.

The group started in Hondarribia, a small town near the border of Spain and France, and ended in Finistere, also known as the end of the world. They walked more than 500 miles between June 25 and July 31. 

Schroeder’s documentary goes through the day-by-day experience of the trip, allowing different participants to share details such as the morning routine, nutritional tips, or how to care for blisters. 

Every day, Schroeder collected two to three minutes of footage which amounted to approximately 16 hours of footage for his documentary. Schroeder chose to film at different times, sometimes on what he described as “impulse.”

However, he wasn’t able to capture everything. “There were some times that I wish were on video. And sometimes, [there’s footage] that is so unnecessary,” Schroeder said.

Schroeder hopes his film helps viewers connect with the pilgrims. “I want to make [viewers] feel like a member on the trip. I wanted it to feel really immersive,” Schroeder said. 

Some of the documentary highlights include sophomore Evan Williams eating three pounds of pasta, recollections of junior Emma MacNeil getting temporarily lost, or the sadness and happiness that came with watching the sunset in Finistere, the final destination of the trip.