Lonely Walking Now

[mspath]

Loneliness of walking now is described in this current Voix da Galicia article by Bea Costa. Beprepared when/if you you go.

 

[Marbe2]

Loneliness of walking now is described in this current Voix da Galicia article by Bea Costa. Beprepared when/if you you go.

If you walk the CF in Winter months it is much the same. There is very little open between stages. When we walked in February from Pamplona and early March, there were days we only saw maybe two pilgrims. We were the only pilgrims in a number of private accommodations. However, since we were two walking together, we did not experience a sense of loneliness or isolation. By the time we left Leon, we saw about 10-15 pilgrims daily. Some albergues were full.

 

[mspath]

If you walk the CF in Winter months it is much the same. There is very little open between stages. When we walked in February from Pamplona and early March, there were days we only saw maybe two pilgrims. We were the only pilgrims in a number of private accommodations. However, since we were two walking together, we did not experience a sense of loneliness or isolation. By the time we left Leon, we saw about 10-15 pilgrims daily. Some albergues were full.

How right you are! That is why I always enjoyed winter walking .

 

[Marbe2]

How right you are! That is why I always enjoyed winter walking .

We enjoyed this time as well....for many reasons. One tends to develop a survivor bonding with the almost every pilgrim one meets... because the elements can be such a significant factor at that time. Unfortunately, for the next few years with the cold weather there may be more risk of the virus so I do not think I will experience this again.

 

[lt56ny]

I too like walking away from

How right you are! That is why I always enjoyed winter walking .

There is something quite wonderful and so peaceful about walking long distances alone. I learned it walking Le Puy and even more so walking on the Norte after the split with the Primitivo in November. I doubt I saw more than 7 or 8 pilgrims in total until about 100K out of Santiago. Then I may have seen a couple a day. I was alone in albergues almost every night until that 100K mark. I only remember two nights with the same mother and daughter from Austria. Wonderful people! I think there is a need to train your brain to be calm and not let thoughts cloud your head and make things difficult. It is great to be alive and almost thoughtless just enjoying the wind, the sights and sounds. Even wind, rain and cold become just a part of you and concerns just melt away. I love it. It may not be for everyone but I think everyone should try it. They could be very pleasantly surprised by what they find. Hope I can have the same starting in Sevilla on the VDLP starting on October 15 Covid willing of course.

 

[mspath]

I too like walking away from

There is something quite wonderful and so peaceful about walking long distances alone. I learned it walking Le Puy and even more so walking on the Norte after the split with the Primitivo in November. I doubt I saw more than 7 or 8 pilgrims in total until about 100K out of Santiago. Then I may have seen a couple a day. I was alone in albergues almost every night until that 100K mark. I only remember two nights with the same mother and daughter from Austria. Wonderful people! I think there is a need to train your brain to be calm and not let thoughts cloud your head and make things difficult. It is great to be alive and almost thoughtless just enjoying the wind, the sights and sounds. Even wind, rain and cold become just a part of you and concerns just melt away. I love it. It may not be for everyone but I think everyone should try it. They could be very pleasantly surprised by what they find. Hope I can have the same starting in Sevilla on the VDLP starting on October 15 Covid willing of course.

Indeed. I wrote about that special mental/physical space earlier in this post

 

[lt56ny]

Indeed. I wrote about that special mental/physical space earlier.

earlier in this post

Would you include the link I enjoy reading different pilgrim thoughts and insights on this subject.

 

[mspath]

Would you include the link I enjoy reading different pilgrim thoughts and insights on this subject.

The link is written above in blue

 

[Arn]

Still focused on a late August CF, I will be breaking in my new boots today. There is an infrequently used Forestry Park near me that has several intersecting trails along the river, into a beautifully shaded area and several miles of dirt roads. All that is missing is an uphill section. Although I won't be taking him with me on Camino, my service dog Raider always accompanies me on walks in the area. He loves to walk in any conditions and terrain. Although not really walking alone, I consider Raider the perfect conversationalist...quiet, alert and a great pacer.

 

[Allyson Hughes]

I too like walking away from

There is something quite wonderful and so peaceful about walking long distances alone. I learned it walking Le Puy and even more so walking on the Norte after the split with the Primitivo in November. I doubt I saw more than 7 or 8 pilgrims in total until about 100K out of Santiago. Then I may have seen a couple a day. I was alone in albergues almost every night until that 100K mark. I only remember two nights with the same mother and daughter from Austria. Wonderful people! I think there is a need to train your brain to be calm and not let thoughts cloud your head and make things difficult. It is great to be alive and almost thoughtless just enjoying the wind, the sights and sounds. Even wind, rain and cold become just a part of you and concerns just melt away. I love it. It may not be for everyone but I think everyone should try it. They could be very pleasantly surprised by what they find. Hope I can have the same starting in Sevilla on the VDLP starting on October 15 Covid willing of course.

I walked the Le Puy in August in 2019. I was lonely not because there weren't many people, but because almost all of the walkers weren't pilgrims but French walkers that were on vacation and didn't want anything to do with me, and couldn't or wouldn't understand my poor French. BTW...don't go in August anyway. I suffered 2 bad heat waves and the auberges were full because there were so many French walkers and they had reservations. Somewhere in the middle of the walk I finally found some compadres to walk with. I didn't even meet an American until the last to the end of the Le Puy, and walked with only 5 or 6 pilgrims. I will say that the few I met are still friends. They cared for me. I would do it again but not in the summer.

 

[Lleslie]

Allyson that sounds really lonely for you, I'm glad you found some companions to walk with in the end. I know what it is like to arrive exhausted at the end of the day to be greated with a group of people who obviously know each other and you feel really left out of the coversation. Eileen and I walked that route in 2018. I remember one particular time arriving at La Presbytére in Lanne-Soubiran. We had arrived first and were cleaning up etc when a group of 7 French ladies arrived and were enjoying cold drinks on the terrace. We went down to join them when before we could utter a word they all got up and left! Leaving us to stare after them in amazement and consternation! The assistant hospiterlo who also happened to be an Australian told us that that was one way to clear a room! Long story short - when we all convened for dinner they did engage us in conversation and once our extremely limited and hesitant few sentances were exhausted most continued on in very fluent english. Needless to say we bumped into them most days or stayed in the same place for the next week or so and had some great laughs