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  1. reuben79

    If people stop their walking about 2 o'clock each day...

    I agree with some of the earlier posters - hiking early avoids the worst of the heat. But either way boredom was never a problem, by the time I found a bed, unpacked, showered, tracked down some food/supplies, had a few drinks with fellow pilgrims, maybe had a nap, next thing you know it's...
  2. reuben79

    sleeping bags-necesario ?

    I think you'll want a sleeping bag but the lightest one you can find. I don't think a silk liner will be enough if the weather turns colder than normal (which is always a possibility). But I carried a 3-season bag in October and it was way too warm. Don't count on blankets at all the albergues.
  3. reuben79

    Pilgrim Etiquette - How about picking up some trash every walking day

    I found one of the scourges of the trail to be the big piles of used toilet paper in every remotely hidden spot. Seems both unnecessary and disgusting. Not sure what can be done, because there is no way I'm picking that up for other people.
  4. reuben79

    Theft and violence by pilgrims

    I remember that ghost town. It was really weird walking through it, like we were in some kind of low budget horror movie or something. Everything all pristine and planned out, but almost no people and grass and weeds starting to break through the pavement. Fairly sobering moment. As for...
  5. reuben79

    Hiking Shoes, or Hiking Boots?

    Sorry, maybe my comment was too generalized. Obviously if you prefer wearing boots then by all means...clearly they provide more protection and support. But most hikers I know find shoes more comfortable and multi-functional and will only wear boots if necessary. Considering that the terrain on...
  6. reuben79

    Hiking Shoes, or Hiking Boots?

    Boots are completely unnecessary on the Camino Frances unless you have a pair that you really love. But most of the people I saw hiking in trainers and things like that had a lot of trouble (with a couple exceptions). I'd recommend a good hiking shoe.
  7. reuben79

    Pants or short - Camino Frances mid Sept

    I would expect you'll be hiking in shorts most of the time but you'll definitely want a pair of pants for the evenings. Personally I would recommend carrying rain pants as well. So a pair of shorts, a pair of pants and a pair of rain pants. It sounds like you're planning to take zip-offs but...
  8. reuben79

    camino frances in ca. 3 weeks

    I agree, you probably want to stay flexible and make decisions along the way. But many people hike the whole thing in less than 30 days (not me, but some) so I'm sure you will be able to find enough skippable sections to make it to Santiago in 24 days. Personally I liked the Meseta but most...
  9. reuben79

    Give Hornillos a miss if you can

    This problem can occur at any number of stops along the way. My best advice is to trek during a quieter time of year, but since that is not an option for many, just get an early start and be prepared to be flexible about the length of your day.
  10. reuben79

    Hat or No Hat? That is the question!

    Absolutely. But the style is up to you.
  11. reuben79

    What is the one Albergue that you would say not to miss

    Albergue de la Piedra in Villafranca del Bierzo is built right out of the rock (hence the name), has nice common areas, very cheap, nice triple rooms and is right near the end of the town (meaning right at the start of the trail out of town in the morning).
  12. reuben79

    Veteran pilgrims --- Help with Triacastela to Sarria?

    I didn't take the Samos route but did find that by the time I had made it that far I was losing interest in walking extra to see more old buildings, as impressive and historic as they may have been. At least that's how I felt on the trail...
  13. reuben79

    Camino Frances too crowded in May 2013?

    According to the most recent statistics May shouldn't be too bad. It still falls behind Jun-Sep in popularity, and just ahead of October, when we found most places only about half full. Of course, thanks to all this extra knowledge and people trying to plan around the busy times I would expect...
  14. reuben79

    Shop opening hours in SJPdP

    When I arrived in SJPP on Sunday nothing was open. There was still nothing open when we left Monday morning. But as an earlier poster mentioned, the first cafes are only a couple hours out so just try to bring enough to hold you that long.
  15. reuben79

    May/June vs Sept/Oct

    That chart is fascinating in hindsight. Saw a couple along the trail but never mattered much to me at the time. I started at the beginning of October and it was not very busy and was still quite hot for the first week or ten days. But got really cool by the beginning of November and a lot of...
  16. reuben79

    Is starting from Pamplona 'cheating'...?

    I don't believe there is such a thing as cheating when it comes to the Camino, just different choices. But there is a bit of an unwritten hierarchy in the minds of most (not all) pilgrims based on where you started. We started in SJPP and I hate to admit it but I think we felt a bit superior to...
  17. reuben79

    Would you take more time if you could?

    I think it is great to have more time available to you, although we found that the time or two we thought about slowing down we ended up continuing at the "normal" pace so as not to fall behind many of the friends we had met. And likewise, a couple times we had friends continue on after...
  18. reuben79

    John Brierley

    I was very impressed with Brierley's book. I have traveled to over 30 countries and used guidebooks for pretty much all of them. Even the best are always slightly out of date, have occasional typos and the maps are rarely dead-on. In comparison, I thought his book was as accurate and useful as...
  19. reuben79

    What is the one Albergue that you would say not to miss

    Albergue Piedra in Villafranca del Bierzo really stood out for me. Also Roncesvalles, which has already been mentioned, which was nice and memorable partially as our first albergue of the hike. Also enjoyed the big Albergue Casa Santo in Santo Domingo de Calzada. Can't beat on-site mystical...

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