The Camino attracts all kinds of people. It usually sorts them out and changes everyone for the better. However, Refuge Orisson is on the first day. As the above posts indicate, the learning curve is as steep as that first day's walk. There are still too many people who have not acclimated to the Camino, its "rules," customs and mores that early on.
The theft complaints do not surprise me, as most people are starting out and may be on their first Camino. You should also know that Orisson is a popular lunch location for locals, because of the fabulous deck with drop-dead beautiful vistas of the Pyrenees. It looks like Switzerland, on the cheap. So, there may well be some locals in the mix, who are not attuned to the Camino spirit. Who knows? I do not.
At that point, most new pilgrims have not yet learned to respect others and their property too. That said, hanging anything valuable exposed outside your rucksack (like Oakley sunglasses) a camera, smart phone, GPS, etc. anywhere, and anytime, is like flashing a neon sign that reads "take me!"
I believe it is an unfortunate down side to human nature. So, do not be surprised if you fail to cover these items up, keep them on your person at all times, and something goes walkabout on you. I suppose it was an expensive lesson learned...
The boot theft issue is more problematic. It does occur along the Camino but is rare and sporadic. Other forum threads contain methods to decrease the likelihood of theft. But briefly stated, some easy ways to minimize hiking boot theft include:
- Place your boots at a low level, in a corner of the rack. Boots at eye-height are easier to "scope out." If they are easy for you to spot and keep and eye on, so too for someone with adverse intent.
- Tie and double-knot the boots together, and include the shoe rack if possible so taking them is not an easy, casual, or unplanned event. You KNOW the boots are attached to the rack and to each other, the potential thief does not; OR,
- Attach a small, cable-style, combination luggage lock to eyelets in both boots. This makes the act of theft pointless unless you also have a tool box handy to cut the cable. I saw this last year and thought it very clever.
- Change out your standard boot laces for neon-colored orange, yellow or safety lemon lime, or even a bright electric blue or sky blue. This makes your boots unique and easy to spot....and less likely to be chosen by the thief. It has the added effect of making you more visible while walking on roads.
A combination of the above will very nearly ensure that your boots will not be accidentally or intentionally misappropriated. The least that will happen is that a person will think twice or look elsewhere. The worse that will happen is that they will grab at your boots a pull the entire rack to the floor, thus drawing attention to the theft.
The list used to include a first suggestion to simply remove the laces each night. But that was removed because: (a) it takes added time in the morning to lace up, and (b) a person replacing their boots with your boots can simply take the lace-less boots and use their laces once they are down the road and around the bend. So, that idea was removed. But the other ideas have all been seen while on repeated Caminos and I have used some of the others. I like the luggage lock idea.
This flows into my related recommendation about auxiliary shoes. Typically, a pilgrim will carry shower sandals or flip-flops to wear while showering (prevents catching a foot fungus). However, and it is something to consider, would this sole pair of extra footwear suffice if you found yourself having to walk in them because something unplanned happened to your boots or hiking shoes?
My suggestion is that you consider spending a bit more in carried weight in favor of wearing something like Crocs, Telic, or Xeroshoes, waterproof sandals. They are all lightweight (around 500 grams or a pound for the pair, except the Telic flip flops, which are like orthopedic flip-flops and weigh far less) and are supportive enough to wear as primary footwear for a day or two, until you can get to a shoe store to replace purloined boots or shoes. I have all three. The Crocs are heaviest but are the most comfortable for walking. The Xeroshoes Z-Trek sandal is something totally new and is intended for barefoot trail running. But it does suffice for the Camino. My personal predilection is for the Telic über flip-flops, molded shower slides, or Crocs.
I hope this helps.