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Recent content by Mary Joy O'Meara

  1. M

    Stomach Bug on Meseta

    I can confirm that there is a bad stomach flu making its rounds on the Camino Frances. I first saw sick people in Atapuerca. Violently sick suddenly in the night. I stayed healthy for over a week, perhaps because I tried to stay in private rooms where available. Frequent reports of fellow...
  2. M

    Plantar fasciitis.

    dear Footslogger, I have had PF off, but more often on, over the last two years. I have read through the responses and many may be helpful. I have tried everything suggested. The thing I have found about PF (especially from prior rounds of PF) is that it is so unpredictable. Last spring I...
  3. M

    Camping on VDLP: Feasible or not?

    I walked the VdLP in 2020 & 2022, interrupted by the pandemic. March/April. I crossed paths with pilgrims who were camping off and on. Each of these solo hikers seemed to find reasonable spots here and there. They also stayed in albergues some nights. Not sure of any of the details but my...
  4. M

    Hoka Alternatives with Similar Padding and heel-to-toe Drop?

    I love Altras and have worn them on my last four caminos. But they are not great in terms of heel cushioning. I have had some trouble with a neuroma (better after surgery for that and another structural problem) and plantar fasciitis (probably the result of wearing a surgical boot for months)...
  5. M

    Problems convincing youth to go on a Camino...any experience?

    I have been doing Caminos for ten years. In the early days, I was enthusiastic about encouraging people to do a Camino. My encouragement, or nowadays lack thereof, has changed dramatically over the years. I walked with two of my kids when they were young adults. The one who thrived...
  6. M

    Death of a German pilgrim on the Camino Frances

    Perhaps sad, but perhaps not. Personally, my hope is that, when my time comes, I am walking on the Camino. To me, that would be perfect.
  7. M

    Hiking at Night?

    I love walking in the dark (early morning). My kids and I have gone camping for years in the boundary waters area of Northern Minnesota. We practice night hiking. The rules are: no lights and no talking. Up and down hills with scrabble rocks. The key is not to use a headlight. You will...
  8. M

    Has anyone ever dealt with shoulder rash?

    I have had a few different rashes on my Caminos. I recommend that you stop at a pharmacy and ask the pharmacist for some help. Sometimes I have had to stop twice before I got the right treatment, but I have been so impressed with the pharmacists' willingness to diagnose and treat things such...
  9. M

    Best all purpose soap

    For a 4-6 week Camino, I bring two small bars of Dove. I use it for hair, body, clothes. I use Dove soap at home; when a soap bar gets down to a couple of ounces, I set it aside for my next Camino. For years, I also brought a rinse for my hair, but a fellow peregrina (thank you Catherine!)...
  10. M

    Footwear for Walking the Camino de Santiago French Route

    If by "hard surfaces" you mean sidewalk type concrete, the Frances has some, but not tons, of this -- mostly going into and out of larger cities. Concrete-like roads on the Camino are fairly rare. But please realize that there is not a lot of what I think of as natural path (e.g., through...
  11. M

    Alert Women walking alone - considering staying near the road before Astorga (after San Justo de la Vega)

    Yes. Once you leave the road, you walk about the distance of one city block and then the Camino turns to the left. Shortly after the turn, there is a small building of some sort. The man was standing just beyond the building so that I was not able to see him until I was right there.
  12. M

    Alert Women walking alone - considering staying near the road before Astorga (after San Justo de la Vega)

    Update: yesterday, two women (who were unaware of this post) mentioned to me that the police were looking for this guy when they walked through this same area — shortly after I spoke to the police officer in Astorga. When I reported the incident, I wasn’t sure whether the police would do...
  13. M

    Alert Women walking alone - considering staying near the road before Astorga (after San Justo de la Vega)

    I walked into Astorga this morning around 11:30 am. Between San Justo de la Vega and Astorga, the Camino route takes one to the right, away from the road. Just after taking this turn, there was a man, facing me, with his pants and underwear down around his ankles. He was standing just off the...
  14. M

    LIVE from the Camino BP on the Invierno July 2021 AND July 2022: Practical info

    I made a mistake with my timing -- I was on the Camino Invierno in April of 2019, not 2018. I walked for five or six days and never saw another pilgrim during the hiking day (and only two others total). I don't mind walking alone and loved the route itself, so the solitude was fine; but the...
  15. M

    LIVE from the Camino BP on the Invierno July 2021 AND July 2022: Practical info

    When I was in Las Medulas in 2018, there was a hotel (full) so I went to the tourist center and they directed me to a private house very close-by and had a lovely stay with a family there. I loved staying in Las Medulas. Got there early enough to take a long hike through the park. I highly...
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