3 minute read
Achieving a Personal Best
from June 2024 Compass
by LincolnHills
Linda Lucchetti, Roving Reporter
Bruce Quick, retired Human Resources Vice President for Volunteers of America and a 13-year Lincoln Hills resident, was looking for something to do in his “second act.”
“I don’t golf, and my sons live away,” Bruce said. He always enjoyed walking, so he decided to ‘take a hike.’ Now, he’s an avid traveler but without boarding tour buses or cruise ships. He explores amazing, faraway places solely on foot.
This year, after achieving the completion of another European hike, Bruce calculates that he will have walked nearly 4,000 miles since 2016. Bruce’s impressive list of accomplished European trails reads like a PBS travelogue.
2016 – Camino de Santiago. Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France to Santiago, Spain to Finisterre, Spain, Muxia, Spain to Porto, Portugal (700 miles).
2017 – Way of Le Puy (also known as Via Podiensis). Le Puy, France to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (500 miles).
2018 – Jakobsweg/ Chemin de Saint Jacques. Innsbruck, Austria to Le Puy, France (650 miles).
2019 – Szent Jakab Zarandokut/ Jakobsweg. Budapest, Hungary to Innsbruck, Austria (650 miles).
2022 – Via Francigena. Lucca to Rome, Italy (250 miles).
2022 – John Muir Way. Helensburgh to Dunbar, Scotland (135 miles).
2023 – Camino Materano. Bari to Brindisi, Italy (346 miles).
2023 – Kerry Way/St. Patrick’s Way. Ring of Kerry and Northern Ireland (205 miles).
2024 – Pieterpad. The Netherlands/Via Mosana Belgium/Way of St. James Luxembourg.
It all started with the Camino de Santiago, his first trail, a historically spiritual pilgrimage with roots in the ninth century. Bruce wasn’t hooked after that walk, though. In fact, he vowed, “I’ll never walk again.” But, soon, he was planning another trip. “I’ve become the Forrest Gump of Lincoln Hills,” he chuckles. Walking and hiking have since become his passion.
Carrying a backpack of less than 20 lbs., including a poncho for rainy weather, he maps out his trek, sometimes 15-20 miles per day, reserving a place to sleep at a bed and breakfast, hotel, private home, or monastery along the way. If language becomes a barrier, he looks to a translator application on his iPhone. He documents his journeys with breathtaking photos he takes every step of the way.
He’s given numerous presentations at our Community Forums. Bruce is a member of the Lincoln Hills Hikers and Walkers Club, often serving as a leader on local hikes.
Bruce Quick is walking proof that in retirement, you can be like an Olympian and go for your own gold!
