Tales of Monks and Miracles on the Trails of Mt. Athos, Greece
I was a reluctant pilgrim, to say the least. But one thing I’ve learned from all my time on the trail is that on this amazing path we call life, we’re often compelled to change direction.
A series of extraordinary—even cosmic—occurrences compelled me to undertake an odyssey to Mt. Athos, Greece, a remote monastic kingdom where no woman has set foot for more than a thousand years. I initially traveled there as a journalist to hike the trails and write about this place near the end of the earth—its natural beauty and monasteries straight out of the Middle Ages. What I encountered instead was an epiphany that changed my life and a miracle that led to the adoption of my son.
This is the story of two treks around the Holy Mountain, encounters with a colorful cast of Greek monks, and a chain of remarkable events that took place both on and off the trail. Along the way, I narrate my progress and setbacks—not only on the trail, but within myself. My hiking companion Spiro and I made a curious pair: he a devout Greek Orthodox Christian who believed in the wonder-working powers of saints and icons, I a skeptic with shaky faith and dreadful Greek language skills.
By turns glorious and hilarious, reverent and irreverent, this story became far more than a strange tale of hiking in a strange land. It’s a story of faith and family, doubt and discovery, and the unexpected ways our lives can be transformed when we least expect it.
I’d love to share this spiritual adventure with you—a story unlike any other I’ve ever told, and one that reminds me that the most important journeys are often the ones we never intended to take.
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