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  1. John Crawford Howell

    Sleeping bag or just liner (starting Frances at SJPdP on April 25th)

    I started from SJPdP on April 19th (age 75). I took my Sea to Summit silk liner. No sleeping bag. If I got cold in an unheated Albergue, I put on socks and fleece. I sacrificed some comfort for keeping the weight in my pack as light as possible. But there were only about 4 instances when I...
  2. John Crawford Howell

    Weather in April

    The higher mountains of northern Spain can be unpredictable at any time of the year. I started on Earth Day in 2017 from SJPdP and had nice weather. On another occasion, hiking elsewhere in the Pyrenees, it snowed on July 4th! As Trekker One suggests, it is best to be ready for all...
  3. John Crawford Howell

    Descent into Roncesvalles

    Proof that poetry does not have to rhyme!
  4. John Crawford Howell

    Descent into Roncesvalles

    To quote an elderly gentleman who arrived in Roncevalles: "I'm in a lot of pain." That sounds like it was . . . me!
  5. John Crawford Howell

    Descent into Roncesvalles

    You go, Ahaj! The crucial thing is to stay safe so that each day on the Camino is one in which you rejoice.
  6. John Crawford Howell

    Descent into Roncesvalles

    You are a sensible person, Trecile, so of course you made the right decision. I'm a Marine which may explain my, ahem . . . decision. 😎
  7. John Crawford Howell

    Descent into Roncesvalles

    I went down through the beechwood forest with two companions I had met earlier in the day. I was in the lead. When I did not hear their voices, I turned around to face uphill. In an instant, I fell backwards about 5 meters straight down the mountain, landing at the base of a tree hitting my...
  8. John Crawford Howell

    Travel by train from Paris to St Jean Pied de Port.

    And if the bus is necessary from Bayonne to SJPdP, it leaves from the same parking lot as the train station. It's a small station with helpful staff. I flew to Paris then taxied to Gare Montparnasse, thence to Bayonne which is a delightful place to recover from jet lag for a couple of days. It's...
  9. John Crawford Howell

    Pamplona during San Fermin

    Nothing wrong with a short walking day compared to the logistics of your workaround, IMHO.
  10. John Crawford Howell

    Pamplona during San Fermin

    Hi sacjward. When I walked the Frances in 2017, I stopped in Villava, a town of about 10,000 people, and stayed at the Albergue de Villava Atarrabia along the banks of the Rio Ultzama just east of Pamplona. It was rather spartan place, but warm and welcoming with bunks upstairs. My roommates...
  11. John Crawford Howell

    Earliest Pyrenees opening

    The Pyrenees are notoriously capricious. It can snow, hail, and blind with rain and wind in an instant. On July 4, 1997, I was hiking in the Pyrenees not far from Broto, and it snowed! We rapidly descended as we were enveloped by the storm. Best advice, if you are contemplating the Napoleon, is...
  12. John Crawford Howell

    LIVE from the Camino 28 km walk from Palas se Rei in the rain

    I was waiting for the Peregrina who watched me fold my freshly laundered clothes to pass me on the trail the next morning and say something like, "well, that didn't take long . . . " On the Camino, one learns to ditch the ego soon into the journey. Still, . . .
  13. John Crawford Howell

    LIVE from the Camino 28 km walk from Palas se Rei in the rain

    In Hontanas, I washed all my clothes. It rained most of the night with thunder and lightning. The next morning, scarcely a kilometer out of town, I slipped in the mud and down I went, sliding for about 5 meters. When I got up, I was caked in mud from head to toe. What to do? Heidelberg man...
  14. John Crawford Howell

    LIVE from the Camino 28 km walk from Palas se Rei in the rain

    I feel fortunate I did not encounter these tour groups at any time even though I knew they were out there. I, therefore, avoided placing myself in a position to judge others who sheltered in their buses while I trudged on in the wind and rain. I'm glad I did it my way.
  15. John Crawford Howell

    Long stretch from Carrión to Calzadilla de la Cueza

    IMHO, methinks this is much ado about nada. It's not like your fellow pilgrims are standing on the trail observing you in your awkward field positions to determine the number of 'style points' you should be awarded. No one is expected to clean up pee, but Mother Nature appreciates the use of a...
  16. John Crawford Howell

    Any recommendations for where to stay in Hornillos and El Burgo Ranero

    Hostal Piedras Blancas (white stones) was delightful. Warm, engaged staff and an intimate dining area. The chicken was moist and delicious. I went to sleep while the sun was still up . . .
  17. John Crawford Howell

    LIVE from the Camino FRANCÉS: Flies, spiders, isolation & roommates: not what I expected!

    On May 31, 2017, I stayed in Gonzar, a tad out of the way place east of Palos de Rei. The windows in my room opened onto a barnyard adjacent to and below my quarters. There were horses and cows aplenty doing what horses and cows do—just hanging out on a lazy afternoon with their duck and...
  18. John Crawford Howell

    Is O Cebreiro - SdC in 8 days doable?

    In May of 2017, I did it in 9 days. I was purposely going slow during my entire Camino Frances experience. I was 75 years old. You will have no problem.
  19. John Crawford Howell

    Has the Camino Frances become a victim of its own success?

    Hi Rachel. Our paths may have crossed on more than one occasion during April/May of 2017. I was an early starter and not in a hurry. I found the early morning hours around sunrise to be the most peaceful and conducive to thought. I knew I would be passed at some point by folks starting later in...
  20. John Crawford Howell

    Stay in Najera or Azofra? Early May 2023

    Azofra, hands up! ;)

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