First time Camino

[vitalija]

Hello everyone,

First, I would like to thank you for encouragement and valuable tips I read on this Forum.
I´m a 26 years old woman trying to answer some questions about sprituality and purpose in my life.
It was a huge dream of mine for many years to join Camino.
I will be walking the last part Camino Portugues for 130 km (first time was afraid to walk more) in August. Starting from Baiona.
Got the gear, booked most of hostels, have medical insurance.
I bought some hikers wool, light sleeping bag (L.I.M) and taking my good old light hiking shoes (Sketchers go run 400 action shoes), microfiber towel, a few sets of clothes, few pills of medicine (pain, cold, digestion, blisters), waterproof pants (possible to make shorts), waterproof jacket, bar soap and some dates for a guilty pleasure snack
Just wondering, any very last minute tips?

I suffer from anxiety but I hope Camino will help me a bit to deal with it

Buen camino and see you on the way!

 

[hel&scott]

Worry less, do more.

A few days of the Camino won't change your life or bring you spiritual enlightenment. I will give you a chance to show your resolve and learn more about yourself, perhaps starting you on a greater journey of what you are looking for. Or worst case let you know that foot care is important, and that fellow pilgrims smell and snore. Have a great trip.

 

[vitalija]

Worry less, do more.

A few days of the Camino won't change your life or bring you spiritual enlightenment. I will give you a chance to show your resolve and learn more about yourself, perhaps starting you on a greater journey of what you are looking for. Or worst case let you know that foot care is important, and that fellow pilgrims smell and snore. Have a great trip.

Thank you for taking time to answer me!

 

[hel&scott]

ignore me, i am being a grumpy old lady. Glad you are getting out there. Have a fab time

 

[nycwalking]

Buen camino.

 

[Deleted member 39850]

Vitalija;
First let me wish you a bom caminho. I am sure you will do fine; you’ve already taken care of the things that can really rattle some people (less so others). So let me offer simple encouragement.
I really did not know what an anxious person I was until I was readying for my own Camino. I masked the anxiety by being a control freak — it serves me well at work, and maintains a very regularized family life.
I hated the idea of all the things I could not plan for Camino.... just what was in my bag and on my body, but after that... it went, as they say, with god.
Here’s the thing: a few days into it, I just embraced that I could not control the road or the process, and I just moved into the sound of my feet, the stories of my companions, the larger regularities of the world. I highly recommend it.
There *is* a bubble around the camino routes, and that means there’s a kind of safe boundary in which to explore what you want to explore. It frees you up to pay attention to what is beautiful — food, scenery, other people’s stories...
And, as Gilead Lewis-Krause observed in his memoir about doing both the Camino and the Japanese Shinkoku pilgrimages, you always have the option just to walk on from or lag behind those people who are burdening you in some way. Nobody is offended by the need of one walker to stay behind or move on.
I wish you very well on your journey.
I’m a smidge concerned about your shoes. A young woman was walking with me on the first day in the very same shoes and had several blisters just 12 km into day 1. We ran into a lavender field full of bees (to which I am very allergic, and so I had to walk on very fast and leave her to limp in to the first day’s destination). I did not see her again until the day before Santiago. She told me that she had to rest for 3 days in Pamplona and buy new boots and was not able to take anymore rest days after that. I was relieved to see that she had finished, but she would tell you that no matter how comfortable Sketchers are at home, they just aren’t meant for the trail with a pack.

 

[josephmcclain]

Vitalija;
First let me wish you a bom caminho. I am sure you will do fine; you’ve already taken care of the things that can really rattle some people (less so others). So let me offer simple encouragement.
I really did not know what an anxious person I was until I was readying for my own Camino. I masked the anxiety by being a control freak — it serves me well at work, and maintains a very regularized family life.
I hated the idea of all the things I could not plan for Camino.... just what was in my bag and on my body, but after that... it went, as they say, with god.
Here’s the thing: a few days into it, I just embraced that I could not control the road or the process, and I just moved into the sound of my feet, the stories of my companions, the larger regularities of the world. I highly recommend it.
There *is* a bubble around the camino routes, and that means there’s a kind of safe boundary in which to explore what you want to explore. It frees you up to pay attention to what is beautiful — food, scenery, other people’s stories...
And, as Gilead Lewis-Krause observed in his memoir about doing both the Camino and the Japanese Shinkoku pilgrimages, you always have the option just to walk on from or lag behind those people who are burdening you in some way. Nobody is offended by the need of one walker to stay behind or move on.
I wish you very well on your journey.
I’m a smidge concerned about your shoes. A young woman was walking with me on the first day in the very same shoes and had several blisters just 12 km into day 1. We ran into a lavender field full of bees (to which I am very allergic, and so I had to walk on very fast and leave her to limp in to the first day’s destination). I did not see her again until the day before Santiago. She told me that she had to rest for 3 days in Pamplona and buy new boots and was not able to take anymore rest days after that. I was relieved to see that she had finished, but she would tell you that no matter how comfortable Sketchers are at home, they just aren’t meant for the trail with a pack.

Great post. Thanks and total agreement about the shoes!

 

[John McEvoy]

Hello everyone,

First, I would like to thank you for encouragement and valuable tips I read on this Forum.
I´m a 26 years old woman trying to answer some questions about sprituality and purpose in my life.
It was a huge dream of mine for many years to join Camino.
I will be walking the last part Camino Portugues for 130 km (first time was afraid to walk more) in August. Starting from Baiona.
Got the gear, booked most of hostels, have medical insurance.
I bought some hikers wool, light sleeping bag (L.I.M) and taking my good old light hiking shoes (Sketchers go run 400 action shoes), microfiber towel, a few sets of clothes, few pills of medicine (pain, cold, digestion, blisters), waterproof pants (possible to make shorts), waterproof jacket, bar soap and some dates for a guilty pleasure snack
Just wondering, any very last minute tips?

I suffer from anxiety but I hope Camino will help me a bit to deal with it

Buen camino and see you on the way!

congratulations on your decision to do this. I received a great tip that I saw few have but found it very useful and that is a sink rubber stopper (flat) . you will have many sinks to wash clothes, etc but few have stoppers so it comes in very handy.

Buen Camino

 

[AndreaCT]

Hi Vitaliga, Embrace any anxiety you feel! I would like to suggest that the majority of first time walkers and second walkers etc, experience anxiety as their departure date gets closer. Remember that you are not alone in experiencing this. The beauty of leaving your comfort zone and venturing into unknown territory is that one finds that it will all work out. If Plan A doesn't work, go with Plan B or Plan C. The options are endless. Keep a smile on your face and have a wonderful walk!

 

[vitalija]

Vitalija;
First let me wish you a bom caminho. I am sure you will do fine; you’ve already taken care of the things that can really rattle some people (less so others). So let me offer simple encouragement.
I really did not know what an anxious person I was until I was readying for my own Camino. I masked the anxiety by being a control freak — it serves me well at work, and maintains a very regularized family life.
I hated the idea of all the things I could not plan for Camino.... just what was in my bag and on my body, but after that... it went, as they say, with god.
Here’s the thing: a few days into it, I just embraced that I could not control the road or the process, and I just moved into the sound of my feet, the stories of my companions, the larger regularities of the world. I highly recommend it.
There *is* a bubble around the camino routes, and that means there’s a kind of safe boundary in which to explore what you want to explore. It frees you up to pay attention to what is beautiful — food, scenery, other people’s stories...
And, as Gilead Lewis-Krause observed in his memoir about doing both the Camino and the Japanese Shinkoku pilgrimages, you always have the option just to walk on from or lag behind those people who are burdening you in some way. Nobody is offended by the need of one walker to stay behind or move on.
I wish you very well on your journey.
I’m a smidge concerned about your shoes. A young woman was walking with me on the first day in the very same shoes and had several blisters just 12 km into day 1. We ran into a lavender field full of bees (to which I am very allergic, and so I had to walk on very fast and leave her to limp in to the first day’s destination). I did not see her again until the day before Santiago. She told me that she had to rest for 3 days in Pamplona and buy new boots and was not able to take anymore rest days after that. I was relieved to see that she had finished, but she would tell you that no matter how comfortable Sketchers are at home, they just aren’t meant for the trail with a pack.

Your answer is just amazing! Thank you so much for taking time and reply to my post, about the shoes: I´ll try to see what can I do about it, probably buying new ones just before the road is also not such a great idea...

 

[vitalija]

congratulations on your decision to do this. I received a great tip that I saw few have but found it very useful and that is a sink rubber stopper (flat) . you will have many sinks to wash clothes, etc but few have stoppers so it comes in very handy.

Buen Camino

Thank you for taking time to reply to me, I think it´s a great tip, I´ll look up where I can buy it

 

[Deleted member 39850]

Your answer is just amazing! Thank you so much for taking time and reply to my post, about the shoes: I´ll try to see what can I do about it, probably buying new ones just before the road is also not such a great idea...

Vitalija;
Many people find that Keen shoes are perfect (the hiking sandals, trail shoes, or hiking boots) and they do not require being broken in. When I wear out one pair, I simply move to a new pair and continue on. The tend to have a wide toe-box -- which I appreciate when adding hiking socks to the mix. If you find they fit you nicely, you will not have to worry about breaking them in.
That said, fit i crucially important. I *cannot* wear Vasque boots (they give me patellar tendonitis). So focus on fit.
Another option for a boot that is ready to go and doesn't require breaking in is the Salomon, so you could give them a try.
Wishing you very well!

 

[vitalija]

Vitalija;
Many people find that Keen shoes are perfect (the hiking sandals, trail shoes, or hiking boots) and they do not require being broken in. When I wear out one pair, I simply move to a new pair and continue on. The tend to have a wide toe-box -- which I appreciate when adding hiking socks to the mix. If you find they fit you nicely, you will not have to worry about breaking them in.
That said, fit i crucially important. I *cannot* wear Vasque boots (they give me patellar tendonitis). So focus on fit.
Another option for a boot that is ready to go and doesn't require breaking in is the Salomon, so you could give them a try.
Wishing you very well!

Thank you so so much! I will definately check out the options

 

[vitalija]

Thank you so so much for your answers! I did my ´few days of Camino´ and it was amazing! Without the encouragement and tips from this forum I maybe wouldn´t have managed. Now just planning to maybe do another Camino in a few years

 

[ksam]

LOL! Your walking basically what we did in '08 for what sound like some of the same reasons. The others I was walking with wouldn't couldn't do more than around 100k. But it was a lovely enjoyable wake and a great way to get over the jitters!

Personally, I am also a big Keens fan. I'm onto my fifth pair now. Wish you the best of travels and a heartfelt Bom Caminho!