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We generally tried to give a polite "We know what we're doing, thanks." Most people were okay with it but I wish I could shake the memory of a particularly snarky pilgrim office volunteer. It was not a kind send off and still irks me years later!
I realise your advice is geared towards newbies, but I'm not sure it's helpful to give such strict numbers when it's likely to cause some anxiety and possibly take some of the enjoyment out of it because of that kind of pressure. There has to be leeway for personal preferences, and also leeway...
Going to have to disagree, too. Most of my experience is multi-day hiking in Australia, so that's what my gear is well, geared for. I wear boots to prevent snake bites and I always take at least two litres of water because I drink it and come from a place where water can be scarce. I'm not going...
No worries! I went pretty much exactly five years ago. I found that guide the most useful for me, and threw it out page by page as I went to lessen the weight!
I hope this is okay to post. I know you've mentioned previously that you're not going to be going for a year or so, but I'd recommend visiting this site and getting the full guide as a bit of a start to help you plan. It's very cheap to get the full guide and it has maps, lists towns in order...
I've had problems with plantar faciitis, too, including when I walked my camino. I found that with arch supports in my hiking boots, my Teva sandals and an ankle strap with arch bracing (I picked that up half-way along) it was very manageable. Most days it didn't bother me at all. Like you...
I'm a die hard reader, but didn't take a book when I walked, I took a travel journal instead (lightweight Moleskine, always a winner). I still felt that I didn't get enough time to write in it after walking, setting up in the albergue, showering, washing clothes, eating, chatting, basking in...
Sports bras are my preference. It took a lot of searching but I managed to find three that would fit my E cups and kind of compress them a bit too. I got ones specifically designed for runners with large breasts (no wire but very supportive). Oddly enough the top name brand ones were all rubbish...
Thank you all so much for your thoughtful replies. There are some really good perspectives here, and like many have said, there is so much I missed that I'll get to see new this time. Not to mention that there are places I didn't get to see very much of because I was looking after others, so...
Thank you for the link! My search-fu isn't strong...I think the idea of getting closure is a good way of putting it. Saying it like that makes me feel a lot better about it.
I walked the Camino five years ago with a small group of people, and some ended up having health issues which meant we didn't walk as much as we wanted to. I recently read my journal again and it made me quite upset to read how frustrated and sad I'd been for those sections. I still had a great...
That's disappointing. I heard they were working on a protective resin to coat the hand print in so that in future there would be little need to worry about further degradation from people touching it. I was really hoping to be able to be a part of that tradition as a way of connecting to the...
We went to New Zealand when my little sister was only 6 months old and she remembers absolutely nothing of it. While my sister and I (4 and 6 respectively when we went) share our wonderful memories of that trip with each other and go back through our photos she feels like she wasn't a part of...
I was going to wait to buy one in SJPP but then I discovered that our Scout Shop sells them here for a really good price. Might be worth getting one before you go if you are checking any bags.
I know exactly how you feel. I started counting down at day 149 and I'm finally at 19, but the wait is killing me!
Feels like it's never going to happen.
I'm surprised by people saying that water bladders are heavy. Mine weighs only 40 grams and is made of anti-microbial plastic. It's my preference for the convenience of just being able to stick the hose in my mouth without any effort whenever I want and it stays nice and cool tucked away in my...
The Overland in Oz is now encouraging people to walk with a long piece of pvc pipe which they can transport all their toilet waste out in (paper and otherwise) and it doubles as a walking pole! We saw a few people doing that when we walked and it was great, because from a distance the place...
I'll be doing something similar, unfortunately. I was offered a wonderful freelance job at the last minute that clashes with my Camino, so I'm just going to have to set some time aside once a week to do that. I'll be bringing my tablet along so that i don't have to rely on computers/wait for...
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