Am I crazy?

[MaWinMex]

After dreaming about it for 20 years, I'm determined to walk the Camino Frances in the Fall of 2016, from St. Jean to Finisterre.
Two problems:
1) I'll be 74 years old
2) I have a colostomy
Am I crazy to try this?

 

[Kiwi-family]

Even if someone says you're crazy, will that stop you? ;-)
74 years is not a problem - not if you can walk, that is. In fact, in my experience, older people are not in such a hurry and don't mind having a comfortable camino, happily walking what they can manage and not needing to prove to anyone how far or fast they go.
As for the colostomy....someone else with medical knowledge will need to answer that (maybe your own doctor?)

 

[Kanga]

I don't see either as a problem, if you are otherwise reasonably fit. We seem to have quite a few members who are over 80. Be flexible enough to take a bus occasionally, have rest days when you need to, and perhaps get your bag carried. As for the colostomy - provided you have supplies and your doctor is happy, why should it stop you?

 

[scruffy1]

The Camino Fances is but 850 kilometers and should be perceived as only the last leg or better the trunk of tree with branches extending thousands and thousands of kilometers stretching throughout Europe and Scandinavia, runners all over the world. There is no real starting point but there is a root or a source in Santiago. Do part of it. If your decision is spiritual, begin at Saria, 100 kilometers at your own pace, walk triumphantly into Santiago and claim your Compostela. I find other stretches of the Camino less crowded and more predisposed to introspection, for spirituality. Art and architecture-Burgos to Leon. Nature-Saint Jean to SantoDomingo. Decide the why, do whichever section fits, fix goals set within your own reality and do it! The Camino will wait for a return visit(s), after you have learned the ropes and you have a better handle on personal issues.

 

[Al the optimist]

Only 74 years young? No problema! I met a 74 year old Canadian in Finisterre with a big smile on his face

 

[naplesdon]

I have had at least half of my gut removed, no problem. I walk with neuropathy in my right foot, no problem. Just a 68 year old guy's comments. Do it!

 

[naplesdon]

Oh, I forgot to mention I am crazy but everyone knows that!

 

[MaWinMex]

Thanks for all the encouragement; it's very helpful. As for the colostomy, my main concerns aren't medical but logistical: carrying 6 weeks worth of supplies, and the increased privacy needs. But I'm sure it can all be handled. Since I don't know if I'll ever be able to return to the Camino (and because I'm stubborn), I really want to take on the entire St. Jean ---> Finisterre piece. Again, thanks to all!

 

[Kiwi-family]

Given your need for privacy, would you consider staying in private rooms in hostals and pensions? You could even book ahead the night before to be assured of a room. And if you explained your needs to a couple of such places along the way, I'm pretty sure you'd be able to send a parcel to each of them which you would pick up when you arrived (obviously you'd stay in their establishment overnight). You wouldn't need to commit to a particular date, but perhaps give a three or four day window in which you would hope to arrive and then confirm a definite date closer to the time. That way you would not need to carry six week's worth of supplies at once, but only a third of your requirements.

 

[Alyssa]

After dreaming about it for 20 years, I'm determined to walk the Camino Frances in the Fall of 2016, from St. Jean to Finisterre.
Two problems:
1) I'll be 74 years old
2) I have a colostomy
Am I crazy to try this?

No. I met all sorts of people with all sorts of conditions on the Camino. The youngest peregrino I met was about one month old and the oldest was in her eighties. I met a man who was doing the Camino with his wife in a wheelchair who also used some type of respiratory machine (I'm not sure what it was).

 

[Al the optimist]

You could always post supplies to the post office for collection. They hold onto things for a month.

 

[Felipe]

Al is right, this is a well organized and efficient service.
Besides, Spain is a modern country, and there will be some big cities (Pamplona, Burgos, León) with well provided pharmacies, in your way (but also stages with little villages, with almost no services, so be careful) . Just in case, take the recipe of your doctor (it may be demanded for some products).
There is a Spanish association www.asociaciondeostomizados.com/. May be you can ask them. If Spanish is a problem to you, send me a private message.
Not the same issue, but I walked some days with Joao, a Brazilian pilgrim, that arranged the daily transfer of his backpack, and carried only a daypack with some kind of bulky nebulizer. It worked well for him.
Buen camino!

 

[november_moon]

We knew several people who had their packs transported - some did it every day, others occasionally, depending on the section. We also saw quite a few packs with transport tags at alberques, just waiting for their owners to arrive. So, if the idea of carrying a pack the whole way is daunting due to your fitness level or the weight of things you will have to pack to manage your medical condition, consider pack transport.

 

[vgen5122]

After dreaming about it for 20 years, I'm determined to walk the Camino Frances in the Fall of 2016, from St. Jean to Finisterre.
Two problems:
1) I'll be 74 years old
2) I have a colostomy
Am I crazy to try this?

My husband was 74 years old when we completed the Camino. He could walk 30kil if left by himself. I am a lot younger and I could not keep up with him. We ended up averaging 15-20kil a day. We had a wonderful Camino. I must say that I do not know the problems with having a colostomy. Having said that I would suggest that if you start at ST.Jon you may want to stop and stay in Orission on your first day. I do not think you are crazy, but I do think you have to be careful.. You are not crazy. After all you just want to take a walk. It may be a long walk, but it is the walk of a lifetime...Buen Camino

 

[tominrm]

No. I met all sorts of people with all sorts of conditions on the Camino. The youngest peregrino I met was about one month old and the oldest was in her eighties. I met a man who was doing the Camino with his wife in a wheelchair who also used some type of respiratory machine (I'm not sure what it was).

If you were on Camino in June/July, 2014, they might be a couple from Oklahoma, USA. They have a blog.

 

[tominrm]

MaWinMex, what do you have to lose by trying? Camino is not a tunnel where you enter from one end and exit from the other. You do not have to complete the journey. By trying at least you will get some satisfaction knowing you had tried. If not sure of your ability, start from Sarria, about 100 km away. If you have more energy and desire after you arrive at Santiago, you can continue to Finnistre or Muxia. Whether you try it now or not, you you will be 75 next year, and 76 year after that.

 

[kkpostino]

If you were on Camino in June/July, 2014, they might be a couple from Oklahoma, USA. They have a blog.

That was my wife, Deborah Krebs, www.adventuresareforeveryone.com we are taking her memory with us again, June/July 2019

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Hi Karl, I just looked at your website and was very touched by your story. So happy you were able to travel as a family on so many wonderful adventures. I am very sorry to hear of the loss of your wife. It sounds like she was an inspiration to all who knew her.

 

[Deleted member 73526]

I met a walker with an ostomy bag (and some other medical issues) during my camino. She walked with a friend, who helped her with some things that were difficult for her. For example, she needed assistance to put on and take off her rucksack. It can be done.