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Search 69,459 Camino Questions

First Time Pilgrim

St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
Greetings all!
I will be attempting my first pilgrimage in late April, at the age of 62.
Between now and then, I will be training and acquiring my gear.
I am looking forward to this privilege and I'm sure I will learn a lot from the various posts.
Bob


Hi Bob and welcome here. Take your time to navigate this informative forum .
We are a likeable bunch...;) so don't hesitate to ask your questions.

Happy preparations and Ultreia!
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
Greetings all!
I will be attempting my first pilgrimage in late April, at the age of 62.
Between now and then, I will be training and acquiring my gear.
I am looking forward to this privilege and I'm sure I will learn a lot from the various posts.
Bob

Welcome Bob
I too will doing my first pilgrimage starting in mid April 2017. At 63 I will also be getting my first tattoo upon completing my pilgrimage.

Peace
 
Welcome to the Forum,

I didn't walk my first Camino until I was 71 and now I have 3 under my belt and another one in the planning stages for 2017. According to the Camino statistics from Santiago, approximately 20 percent of all the Pilgrims finishing are 60 or older. So, in my opinion, age isn't a big deal.

Please look for and read as much information as possible about taking care of your feet. Proper boot size, socks, etc.. blisters seem to be one of the biggest reasons for not finishing. If your feet can make it, the rest of you will follow.

Beware, that the Camino is addictive. So is this forum. Both are good things.

Buen Camino,

DennisD
 
Welcome Bob
I too will doing my first pilgrimage starting in mid April 2017. At 63 I will also be getting my first tattoo upon completing my pilgrimage.

Peace

I will be starting April 27th.
Funny you should mention the tattoo. I was thinking of doing the same thing, to commemorate the accomplishment.
Bob
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
Greetings all!
I will be attempting my first pilgrimage in late April, at the age of 62.
Between now and then, I will be training and acquiring my gear.
I am looking forward to this privilege and I'm sure I will learn a lot from the various posts.
Bob

Bob,

Welcome. As a recently returned first-time pilgrim, on the Camino Francés, I offer the following advice (with all due apologies to Steven R. Covey). I am not for a moment suggesting that I adhered to these habits; rather, these are the product of my experience.

The Seven Habits of the Highly Effective Pilgrim

1. Have a purpose. As Peace Pilgrim said, a pilgrim is a wanderer with purpose. And the Irish Pilgrim Passport quotes the 5th Century Book of Lismore: “Going on pilgrimage without change of heart brings no reward from God. For it is by practicing virtue and not mere motion of the feet that we will be brought to heaven”. Whether it be religious, spiritual, personal or merely physical, or any combination of these, having a purpose provides a solid foundation for undertaking the Camino.

2. Stay focussed. This doesn’t mean developing an intense look in the eyes and striding forward with great energy every morning at 5.30am, but a regular check-in with the original purpose of your Camino, identifying and necessary adjustments and reasserting your goal, keeps the mind fresh and engaged.

3. Stretch yourself. You may already be outside your comfort zone in multi-occupant unisex dormitory accommodation. Well, go a little further. Strike up a conversation with a fellow pilgrim who might not be someone you’d normally meet or interact with. You already share a common goal of reaching Santiago, some time, and what’s the worst that can happen?

4. Stretch yourself – physically, this time. Learn a set of stretches for the feet, legs and arms, and perform these rigorously and conscientiously morning, noon and night. Ignore the pitying or astonished (perhaps even admiring?) looks of fellow pilgrims. A routine, faithfully executed, could stave off the dreaded shin splints or tendinitis, allow you to keep your mind on the greater purpose of your Camino (see 1 above!) and relieve you of the need to worry about whether you’ll be able to finish or not.

5. Walk to the beat of your own drum. Don’t be dragged into a race for space. If you fall in with a group that’s walking too fast or too slow for you, return to your own pace. It’s your Camino, not anyone else’s.

6. Seek solitude, so that thoughts can arise, and you can open your mind to ideas, inspiration, challenges, and so that you can meet yourself. You can do this anywhere, but the broad skies of the Meseta can provide an ideal backdrop.

7. Seek company. To a significant degree, the Camino is the people you meet and the conversations you have, whether trivial or profound. It’s in the easy camaraderie of the mid-morning coffee-and-tortilla-española, of the queue outside the albergue, of the shared meal. It’s also the deeper conversations you can have as you walk with a complete stranger.

And, though it breaks the Seven Habits format, the last tip is to use a pair of walking poles. You can buy them quite reasonably in St. Jean.

Buen Camino
 
Greetings all!
I will be attempting my first pilgrimage in late April, at the age of 62.
Between now and then, I will be training and acquiring my gear.
I am looking forward to this privilege and I'm sure I will learn a lot from the various posts.
Bob
Hi Bob, I'm also new and preparing for April/May camino at the age of 64. I live in Central Oregon, USA. I watch sales at REI and have purchased several items already. I'm still searching for perfect shoe. Best wishes to you on your journey.
 
Hi Bob welcome to the forum believe me your are not that old haha 60 is the new 40 :)

Zzotte
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
Hi Bob, I'm also new and preparing for April/May camino at the age of 64. I live in Central Oregon, USA. I watch sales at REI and have purchased several items already. I'm still searching for perfect shoe. Best wishes to you on your journey.
I have purchased a lot of products from REI also.
I settled on a pair of Merrell boots. They fit great!
Bob
 
Hello,
I am also posting for the first time and planning my first Camino, with two new friends, for the end of April/May 2017. The youngest of our group is 64. Two of us live in NH and one in TX. We have no experience with hiking but we all enjoy walking and are looking forward to a great experience on the CF. We all have shoes-trail runners or hiking shoes. We either have or know what we want for backpacks. It appears that I am the only person in our trio who feels the need for a sleeping bag. I am considering Sea to Summit Traveler which is less than one pound, but has mixed reviews. I have been focusing on travel info lately with the idea that we will fly to Madrid and then make our way to SJPDP. This forum has been so helpful. I am grateful for all who participate and are so willing to share their expertise. I am not brave but the many posts I have read have given me confidence. FRL
 
Welcome Bob,
How exciting to be planning your journey. Age did not seem to matter but attitude did!!! Pack light but do include 3 pairs of good socks... you will be very glad of your clean option!
Also as others have mentioned, walking poles are a must. I recommend the rubber tip as they do not damage historic sites and they do not go clickety.. click.. click all the way to Santiago.
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
Hello,
I am also posting for the first time and planning my first Camino, with two new friends, for the end of April/May 2017. The youngest of our group is 64. Two of us live in NH and one in TX. We have no experience with hiking but we all enjoy walking and are looking forward to a great experience on the CF. We all have shoes-trail runners or hiking shoes. We either have or know what we want for backpacks. It appears that I am the only person in our trio who feels the need for a sleeping bag. I am considering Sea to Summit Traveler which is less than one pound, but has mixed reviews. I have been focusing on travel info lately with the idea that we will fly to Madrid and then make our way to SJPDP. This forum has been so helpful. I am grateful for all who participate and are so willing to share their expertise. I am not brave but the many posts I have read have given me confidence. FRL

Hi I am from TX and did my first camino in September. I took a Sea to Summit sleeping bag and used it, loved it. It was 13 oz. had no problems. I sprayed it with permethrin found at REI the day before I left and felt that helped keeping bed bugs at bay.
I flew to Madrid took a taxi to the train station and the train to Pamplona. I got in around 6 and decided to take another taxi to SJ it cost £120 but worth it. The ride was very winding and up and down. I suffer from motion sickness so the taxi was a better choice for me and got me there quicker than a bus.

I got into SJ on Saturday and rested Sunday started walking Monday. Took many short rest stops and had chocolate bars. Take your time. Keep your socks dry. Change them often.
Enjoy your camino.

Buen Camino
 
Hello,
I am also posting for the first time and planning my first Camino, with two new friends, for the end of April/May 2017. The youngest of our group is 64. Two of us live in NH and one in TX. We have no experience with hiking but we all enjoy walking and are looking forward to a great experience on the CF. We all have shoes-trail runners or hiking shoes. We either have or know what we want for backpacks. It appears that I am the only person in our trio who feels the need for a sleeping bag. I am considering Sea to Summit Traveler which is less than one pound, but has mixed reviews. I have been focusing on travel info lately with the idea that we will fly to Madrid and then make our way to SJPDP. This forum has been so helpful. I am grateful for all who participate and are so willing to share their expertise. I am not brave but the many posts I have read have given me confidence. FRL


I did the Camino Frances last April/May and took that same Sea to Summit Traveler sleeping bag. I never regretted it. I used it every night, usually as a blanket (I also took a silk liner). I did not spray my bag or clothes. And was bedbug free. Oh, and I was 67 and had no physical issues on the Camino.

So go for it, and Buen Camino!
Priscilla
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
Great advice for first timers on this forum! Thank you. I will order my S2S sleeping bag tomorrow. FRL
 
Hi Bob.

As a pilgrim and hospitalera I noticed high-middle-aged pilgrims seemed to sustain fewer injuries than younger folks. They knew how to pace themselves. Enjoy.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Hi I am from TX and did my first camino in September. I took a Sea to Summit sleeping bag and used it, loved it. It was 13 oz. had no problems. I sprayed it with permethrin found at REI the day before I left and felt that helped keeping bed bugs at bay.
I flew to Madrid took a taxi to the train station and the train to Pamplona. I got in around 6 and decided to take another taxi to SJ it cost £120 but worth it. The ride was very winding and up and down. I suffer from motion sickness so the taxi was a better choice for me and got me there quicker than a bus.

I got into SJ on Saturday and rested Sunday started walking Monday. Took many short rest stops and had chocolate bars. Take your time. Keep your socks dry. Change them often.
Enjoy your camino.

Buen Camino
Nelia: I am doing the Camino next May/June flying out of Chicago. I want to start in Pamplona. Can I call you with questions?
 
Greetings all!
I will be attempting my first pilgrimage in late April, at the age of 62.
Between now and then, I will be training and acquiring my gear.
I am looking forward to this privilege and I'm sure I will learn a lot from the various posts.
Bob
Hi Bob, where are you starting from? Are you flying into Madrid?
 
Nelia: I am doing the Camino next May/June flying out of Chicago. I want to start in Pamplona. Can I call you with questions?
Yes.

Edited by Moderator: I have removed a telephone number. For members' safety and to avoid internet bots getting hold of personal information, we do not allow telephone numbers or email addresses to be posted. Please use the private messaging system here to exchange personal details.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

€149,-
I have purchased a lot of products from REI also.
I settled on a pair of Merrell boots. They fit great!
Bob

Love Merrell's I did el Camino del Norte with Merrell Moab ventilators low hiker great shoes :)

Zzotte
 
Transport luggage-passengers.
From airports to SJPP
Luggage from SJPP to Roncevalles
Greetings all!
I will be attempting my first pilgrimage in late April, at the age of 62.
Between now and then, I will be training and acquiring my gear.
I am looking forward to this privilege and I'm sure I will learn a lot from the various posts.
Bob
Hi Bob - I will be attempting my first in early May at the age of 68 and like yourself am now trying to establish what gear to take !!
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
Hi Bob, how exciting! I did my first this September and I walked on and off with pilgrims in their 60 and 70 and was in awe of their stamina ... age is not as relevant as a right attitude and right gear!
Keep it light and comfortable.
This forum was priceless for prep. both in pragmatic matters and trusting the journey... When they say that "the Camino provides" it is not a fluffy catch all, it is real and unique for each of us... it is the mystery of the Way of St-James.
Just as an example, I got really sick before leaving... one of those dreadful cold that flats you out. I was in no shape to take on a 22 hours travel journey and cross the Pyrenees soon afterwards.., but the day of my departure, I woke up just fine! Unfortunately my last minute preps suffered a little and I left without my guidebook. When I arrived at my Albergue in SJPP,within 5 minutes, I found out that a pilgrim was looking for someone who might want a gift of a bran new guidebook!(the very one I wanted).
I have many examples like this one... One time I was walking along and was starting to get really hungry and was hours away from a food supply... There, on a cement post, the kind that indicates KM, stood a kiwi and a small orange!!! They were delicious!!! Call these "coincidences" but never the less they were tailored to my needs of the moment and made me feel like I was "looked after".
On a more practical aspect... I discovered this hydration system here on the forum and took it for my camino. It was so perfect!!! Pilgrims stopped to ask me and look at it and marveled at it's efficiency and simplicity: It is available at Amazon.com and cost about $20, well worth it !
Buen Camino!

Blue Desert SmarTube Hydration System
 
Bob,

Welcome. As a recently returned first-time pilgrim, on the Camino Francés, I offer the following advice (with all due apologies to Steven R. Covey). I am not for a moment suggesting that I adhered to these habits; rather, these are the product of my experience.

The Seven Habits of the Highly Effective Pilgrim

1. Have a purpose. As Peace Pilgrim said, a pilgrim is a wanderer with purpose. And the Irish Pilgrim Passport quotes the 5th Century Book of Lismore: “Going on pilgrimage without change of heart brings no reward from God. For it is by practicing virtue and not mere motion of the feet that we will be brought to heaven”. Whether it be religious, spiritual, personal or merely physical, or any combination of these, having a purpose provides a solid foundation for undertaking the Camino.

2. Stay focussed. This doesn’t mean developing an intense look in the eyes and striding forward with great energy every morning at 5.30am, but a regular check-in with the original purpose of your Camino, identifying and necessary adjustments and reasserting your goal, keeps the mind fresh and engaged.

3. Stretch yourself. You may already be outside your comfort zone in multi-occupant unisex dormitory accommodation. Well, go a little further. Strike up a conversation with a fellow pilgrim who might not be someone you’d normally meet or interact with. You already share a common goal of reaching Santiago, some time, and what’s the worst that can happen?

4. Stretch yourself – physically, this time. Learn a set of stretches for the feet, legs and arms, and perform these rigorously and conscientiously morning, noon and night. Ignore the pitying or astonished (perhaps even admiring?) looks of fellow pilgrims. A routine, faithfully executed, could stave off the dreaded shin splints or tendinitis, allow you to keep your mind on the greater purpose of your Camino (see 1 above!) and relieve you of the need to worry about whether you’ll be able to finish or not.

5. Walk to the beat of your own drum. Don’t be dragged into a race for space. If you fall in with a group that’s walking too fast or too slow for you, return to your own pace. It’s your Camino, not anyone else’s.

6. Seek solitude, so that thoughts can arise, and you can open your mind to ideas, inspiration, challenges, and so that you can meet yourself. You can do this anywhere, but the broad skies of the Meseta can provide an ideal backdrop.

7. Seek company. To a significant degree, the Camino is the people you meet and the conversations you have, whether trivial or profound. It’s in the easy camaraderie of the mid-morning coffee-and-tortilla-española, of the queue outside the albergue, of the shared meal. It’s also the deeper conversations you can have as you walk with a complete stranger.

And, though it breaks the Seven Habits format, the last tip is to use a pair of walking poles. You can buy them quite reasonably in St. Jean.

Buen Camino

Thankyou so much for this advice Seamus. My first Camino will start from SJPDP on 1st April. As my gear is sorted, training started and flights from Oz booked, I'm now starting to think of the more spiritual side of this endeavour. All your points are great advice.
Also to all the regular writers on this forum THANKYOU. Your advice has been the bedrock of my 18mths of planning for my Camino - keep it coming.
 
Another 60-year-old here who just finished my first Camino a month ago (in Merrills) with not a blister nor worse. My experience was that it's not the high middle-aged pilgrims that were having physical issues because we have the wisdom to prepare, as you are. ¡Muy buen Camino, Roberto!
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
I'm glad I found this thread (at this point, I've read so many, that my mind is a veritable tangle :)

I just ordered the water system mentioned above. I've always wanted to use a Camel, but didn't think it was worth the money, but this is different!

What were your collectives experiences with light weight backpacks?

Also, any good physical preparation strategies? I'm fit, 55, a live long hiker, but have not practiced a regular exercise.

Excitement is gaining in the jitters!

Sue
 

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