The question I was asked most frequently before, during and after I completed my pilgrimage was: “why?”. Sometimes I would give full Galapagos-iguana answers and at others I avoided answering altogether by suggesting “why not?”. Without a doubt, the latter was more convincing.

“Why?” was nearly always followed by “which charity are you doing this for?” I didn’t have one. The disappointment of my answer reflected an ingrained assumption many have that such an undertaking needs to be carried out in sponsorship of something worthwhile and with social recognition.

Pilgrimages are traditionally done in pursuit of one’s own purpose and motivation, not for a charity. Keeping with the tradition, I made the deliberate decision not to have a nominated charity. As it turned out, this decision was an enabling factor that led to the most important outcome of my pilgrimage.