fitoldbloke
Long legs in the morning
- Time of past OR future Camino
- 2008 (2016)
I walked 850k in 2008 aged 58 and will be starting my second Camino on 1st June this year (2016). First time I chickened out of the Route Napoleon, this time I’ll be doing it although taking my first day gently and stopping overnight at Orisson.
Lessons learned from last time:
It is impossible to stay dry if it rains in June: if I wear “breathable” waterproofs their transpiration rate is defeated by my perspiration rate. So in case of rain I’m bringing some knee-length skin-tight Lycra swimming shorts/pants. It won’t be a pretty sight but heck, I won’t be looking at myself, it’s the other folk that’ll have to suffer and it eliminates the problem of clinging wet trousers and (yuk) soaking, clinging underwear. I’ll also be bringing the gaiters I bought previously in Pamplona. I've got a couple of running tops I'll be wearing, they are thin lycra, so they are very lightweight but tend to get a bit smelly from perspiration - so they get washed every night.
Last time a straw hat was a great boon in keeping the sun off, allied with a long cotton scarf. The scarf also saw service as an extra sheet during a cold night in an albergue on the Meseta, and sometimes as a towel. But that straw hat is long gone, and this time round I’m taking a leather hat instead; well waxed it is perfect protection from rain, and it’ll keep the sun off pretty well, albeit getting hotter underneath than the straw one. I will still bring my lightweight “breathable” jacket, but won’t put the hood up if it rains (I’ve got the hat!); I use my scarf wrapped round my neck both to stop any rain going down and to allow the steam out.
Last time round I abandoned my original rucksack, gifting it to a school via the shop in Leon where I’d bought the far superior replacement. I’m travelling lighter this year and have still not decided whether to use that 55litre rucksack or the 35/45 one I bought recently. The new one is 500grams lighter, but not quite as well upholstered as the larger one, but it does have a mesh back so should allow my sweat to more easily disperse. In the next week I’ll do a few more walks on successive days with it and see if it feels comfortable enough.
I’ve a good pair of Meindl boots and hope they last better than the previous ones which broke down in the last couple of days: when I arrived at Cee I tipped the water out of them – happily that was the last I saw of the rain, but that day was one of the most miserable I’ve ever spent. I’ve decided to take my walking sandals as well, for after-walking wear and also to give my feet a bit of a break from time to time (thinking of the Meseta), although they obviously don’t give such good support as the Meindl. By the way, the day’s walk from Cee to Finisterre was probably the best day’s walk I experienced during my whole Camino – I was completely pain free!
Last time I took a lot of Zinc Oxide tape with me for Low Dye strapping to minimise the plantar fasciitis that had occurred prior to my departure – it didn’t stop me getting shin splints, however, and a hammer toe. I now know the correct treatment / regime for shin splints so if it recurs I hope to be ok, but the answer is not to get afflicted in the first place.
I’m taking my phone and also a power pack, together with a 4 way charger so that I can charge them both overnight and also host someone else’s device in the same power socket, which should eliminate any squabbling. From the sound of things I’m going to want to phone ahead for accommodation in some places; in 2008 about 90,000 people did their Camino, this time it’s going to be more than twice that, which promises to be “interesting”.
So if you are walking at the same time as me please say “hi Keith” as well as Buon Camino: you’ll easily recognise me, I’m the old bloke with a leather hat and lycra shorts which is probably better than it being the other way round, although come to think of it …
Lessons learned from last time:
It is impossible to stay dry if it rains in June: if I wear “breathable” waterproofs their transpiration rate is defeated by my perspiration rate. So in case of rain I’m bringing some knee-length skin-tight Lycra swimming shorts/pants. It won’t be a pretty sight but heck, I won’t be looking at myself, it’s the other folk that’ll have to suffer and it eliminates the problem of clinging wet trousers and (yuk) soaking, clinging underwear. I’ll also be bringing the gaiters I bought previously in Pamplona. I've got a couple of running tops I'll be wearing, they are thin lycra, so they are very lightweight but tend to get a bit smelly from perspiration - so they get washed every night.
Last time a straw hat was a great boon in keeping the sun off, allied with a long cotton scarf. The scarf also saw service as an extra sheet during a cold night in an albergue on the Meseta, and sometimes as a towel. But that straw hat is long gone, and this time round I’m taking a leather hat instead; well waxed it is perfect protection from rain, and it’ll keep the sun off pretty well, albeit getting hotter underneath than the straw one. I will still bring my lightweight “breathable” jacket, but won’t put the hood up if it rains (I’ve got the hat!); I use my scarf wrapped round my neck both to stop any rain going down and to allow the steam out.
Last time round I abandoned my original rucksack, gifting it to a school via the shop in Leon where I’d bought the far superior replacement. I’m travelling lighter this year and have still not decided whether to use that 55litre rucksack or the 35/45 one I bought recently. The new one is 500grams lighter, but not quite as well upholstered as the larger one, but it does have a mesh back so should allow my sweat to more easily disperse. In the next week I’ll do a few more walks on successive days with it and see if it feels comfortable enough.
I’ve a good pair of Meindl boots and hope they last better than the previous ones which broke down in the last couple of days: when I arrived at Cee I tipped the water out of them – happily that was the last I saw of the rain, but that day was one of the most miserable I’ve ever spent. I’ve decided to take my walking sandals as well, for after-walking wear and also to give my feet a bit of a break from time to time (thinking of the Meseta), although they obviously don’t give such good support as the Meindl. By the way, the day’s walk from Cee to Finisterre was probably the best day’s walk I experienced during my whole Camino – I was completely pain free!
Last time I took a lot of Zinc Oxide tape with me for Low Dye strapping to minimise the plantar fasciitis that had occurred prior to my departure – it didn’t stop me getting shin splints, however, and a hammer toe. I now know the correct treatment / regime for shin splints so if it recurs I hope to be ok, but the answer is not to get afflicted in the first place.
I’m taking my phone and also a power pack, together with a 4 way charger so that I can charge them both overnight and also host someone else’s device in the same power socket, which should eliminate any squabbling. From the sound of things I’m going to want to phone ahead for accommodation in some places; in 2008 about 90,000 people did their Camino, this time it’s going to be more than twice that, which promises to be “interesting”.
So if you are walking at the same time as me please say “hi Keith” as well as Buon Camino: you’ll easily recognise me, I’m the old bloke with a leather hat and lycra shorts which is probably better than it being the other way round, although come to think of it …
