french camino starting on aug 22 SJPDP ending oct 4th in mux

[pyrofly]

Hi everyone we are doing our first camino. A Father 68 and son 38 of spanish/cuban decent both fluent spanish speakers.

We will be Arriving at pamplona by train from Madrid on the 20th at 1440 and are looking for other pilgrims to share the cost of going to SJPDP. Please PM if you are in the same situation.

we plan on acclimating and resting on the 21 since we have traveled from Miami fl and will be jet lagged and exhausted from almost 2 days of plain train and buss hopping. We will start the walking on the 22 and have a relaxed pace as our return flight home from madrid is not until October 6th.

i am loving all the information on the forums and would love to talk to other pilgrims that will be doing the walk at around the same time.

 

[zesty_veronica]

Hey there!
My husband, David and I will be a day or so ahead of you as we start on 21 August from SJPP. We're coming up from Barcelona (somehow, some way, gotta get that figured out.) But hope to see you on the way. We could use some Spanish lessons/practice.

Pupici!
Vero (and David)
Peace Corps Volunteers in Romania

 

[pyrofly]

Buen camino veronica!!! We will be taking it slow so don't know if we will catch up. Maybe see you take off on the 21st. we will be at L’Esprit du Chemin getting our day of rest prior to starting the walk.

 

[zammy]

I have heard there's a new bus service from pamplona to SJPDP

 

[zammy]

http://www.caminodesantiago.me.uk/forum ... -port.html

Bus from Pamplona to Roncesvalles and Saint Jean Pied de Port

"The bus company Conda is providing a new bus route from 18 June until 11 September. It connects Pamplona with Roncesvalles and St Jean Pied de Port. It's a service intended for pilgrims. It leaves Pamplona (presumably from the main bus station) at 14h and from St Jean at 16h. Cost €15."

 

[pyrofly]

We are flying into madrid. and have to take 3 metros and a train to get to pamplona. no way we can make the 2pm bus. I found one that runs later but l'spirit albergue in sjpdp never heard of it.
They are checking with the busline for me as it appears that the later bus did indeed make the trip yesterday. I will let you know. Caroline with express donkey said she could not help me from pamplona. to take the bus to roncesvalles and then take a taxi.. no matter what we will make it to sjpdp on the 20th

 

[zammy]

What is you estimated arrival time in MAdrid?
three options:
I strongly suggest you book ahead train tickets from Madrid to Pamplona
or:
Find infoand book ahead sits on domestiqe flights from Madrid to Pamplona
or:
If you are a group of three- ask about a car, it might be cheaper and faster to get to Pamplona.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

no matter what we will make it to sjpdp on the 20th

I love the "can do" spirit. Once you lose it on the Camino, you may have a lot more fun.

What is the very worst thing that would happen if you weren't in SJPdP on the 20th? Alien extinction of all humans, or you take a bus later in the walk to make up a day? :mrgreen:

"The Camino provides." I don't really believe that, but what is provided is sufficient if you let it be. Enjoy your eagerness; I think we all have felt it. Enjoy the relaxation when it hits. I think we all have felt it, too.

 

[Mmc_56]

Hi Pyrofly and Vero....we will be right ahead of you both ! A friend and I will take the train and bus from Barcelona on the 19th, reservations made for Esprit that night, Orisson night of the 20th. 2 Canadian women, will have Forum, Canada Flag, and Cdn. Confraternity...and I will have Sask RR, patches on our packs. We plan on taking our time....no rushing for us, so I bet we see one another somewhere. Other than those nights, and Barcelona, we have no other rooms booked, will decide from day to day.

 

[kiwiDavid]

Hi Pyrofly - i'm in St Jean on the 21st / Orisson on the 22nd August for some sleep time for the jet lag too(flying from Australia).Would like to help with the travel but i'm coming across from San Sebastian/Bayonne way.Hope to catch you both on 'The Way' - KiwiDavid

 

[zesty_veronica]

HIya KiwiDavid....
We'll see you in SJPP and Orisson as my husband (Ameri-David, just to differentiate y'all... tee hee) and I have made reservations for those exact nights! And Pyro... yes, definitely we'll see ya on your restday in SJPP. Glad to see a small group of us starting the Way that week is a-forming!

Looking forward,
Vero

 

[kiwiDavid]

Hola Veronica & David - looking forward to saying hello to you and to everyone in this 'wave' along the Camino (Pyrofly - Mmc) - hope all the prep and details are coming together - not long now - kiwiDavid

 

[pyrofly]

I wish there were more hills in south Florida. Are you guys training for your caminos? Dad and I are up to 6 miles a day with fully loaded packs and we are raising our distance weekly. We have decided that on our "rest day"(AUG 21) we will use to split the 1st stage by resting at Orisson as suggested by another member on here. It looks like we will be walking with Zesty if all our planes trains and buses do what they are supposed to do.

See you all there.

 

[kiwiDavid]

Hi Pyrofly - i'm walking about 10-15 kms about 4-5 times a week with a pack of around 7-8kg(that's all my gear - includes water).There aren't any reasonable hills around here either but i'm not looking for any - there'll be a few coming up soon i'm sure. I'll probably do this for another week and then try to increase again with a short break at the half way mark as the distance increases .I've walked in the rain a few times to check the poncho and gaiters(which i had to waterproof) and at various times of the day(early morning / late evening)to check combinations of clothing to walk in.It's winter here so i've had a chance to wear windproof stuff as well(although usually briefly)as it warms up pretty quickly during the day.Had some tendernitis early on (fixed with boot inserts and dropped the distance for a short time)but no blisters.The feet get a bit numb and a few joints/muscles have protested but nothing major(some magnesium and occasional ibruprofen helps).I think it will be worth it when we hit the trail but am wondering if i should stop for a while(a week ?) just before i go.Any thoughts on a rest before the walk starts anyone ?
kiwiDavid

 

[texastrekker]

hi y'all!

i will be starting in sjpdp on august 22 as well. i have a hotel reservation in another town a mile away for 2 nights before i take off. if weather is good i'd like to try to get to roncesvalles but will make reservation at orrison just in case--no need to kill myself in a lightening storm or bad weather on day 1.

i will be coming from pamplona--have not made any reservations for transportation yet--what are y'all doing?

i have been training for months with another back pack--still need to get my final camino pack. i now train with 15 lbs inc fluids which gets lighter as i drink. no hills here but LOTS of high heat & very high humidity (just like a perpetual steam room). i am doing 4-5 days/wk of 6-9 miles and one day is my long day and i am up to 14 miles---sure glad i did that this week as i discovered my new boots that were great for 9 milers gave me blisters and were too small on the 14 miler and i was greased up with vaseline all the time and re applied as well. but my feet sure swelled up on that longer urban hike. so back to REI to get bigger boots or may re-think and use my trail running shoes??? i was hoping to get in some 20 milers before i left but time is running out and the heat is a killer.

for hills i do 90+ minutes on outside stairs & a rough gravel short 100 yard mini hill--lots of laps.

i found i need more carbs (i use hammer gel), electrolyte pills (salt stix) and gatorade for my training and i don't know if they are available in spain------i have had some nasty isotar drink in europe before and if thats all there is i will bring powdered gatorade to use.

hope we can meet up and maybe start together--am hoping to get an early start.
and yes its ok to take rest days--they make you stronger!

 

[pyrofly]

we are up to 7 miles (11km) dad with 5kg and me with 9.5 including 2ltrs of water. we are completing our miles in about 20 minutes. Dad is slowly adding weight to his pack until he feels comfortable with a full load. this week is all 7 miles next week we jump up to 9 (14.5km)The trekking poles have become second nature by this point. The new boots are breaking in nicely and we have tried different clothes on different days to see if any chaffing issues develop with any particular ones, so far they all seem good. debating trading crocs for tevas but with only a 6oz gain i think the tevas give me the option of sandal hiking. Have my gear in a spread sheet and tweaking ounces away here and there, but it's getting pretty finalized now. downloaded the camino ap on the itouch and skype. researched telephone sims for our unlocked phone. slowly but surely its coming along.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

You can walk in Crocs. My brother borrowed mine when he got a blister and his Tevas rubbed the blister spot. Consider leaving the 6 oz. behind!

 

[pyrofly]

Update... We are up to 10 miles a day mon-sat. We rest on sundays. I am carrying my full pack weight of 23 lbs including 2.5 liters of h20 and dads is doing it with 15lbs. We did one 12 mile day and one 18 mile day just to see what it would feel like. The heat is brutal down hear as is the humidity. We are now starting our walks after dinner and making it back home at around 10pm.
Tried walking in Crocs and hated it, the Tevas gave me a much better feel and I have done up to 6 miles in them with no problems.. I can see myself choosing these over my hiking boats in certain conditions. Dad is having a hard time with his feet. Blisters are forever present. He has tried foot lube, and numerous sock combinations with and without liners in every available material conceivable , but is now looking for a different pair of shoes. I have found a great combination I lube with a mix of 75% petroleum jelly + 25% pure silicone grease. This is basically waterproofs my feet. Then i use a coolmax liner sock followed by a thorlon trekking sock. Not one blister so far totally comfortable, unfortunately the same doesn't work for dad.

We decided against booking the train from madrid to pamplona if our plane was late and we missed the train we basically threw our money away. Buying the tickets when we arrive costs twice as much as an advanced online purchase so we may decide to rent a car instead. unfortunately we still have to take the bus from pamplona to SJPDP as there is no return in either roncesvalles or SJPDP.

Less than one month... cant wait!!!

 

[vagabondette]

Has your dad tried wearing womens knee-high nylons for his liner? It's what I use and I've never gotten a blister. But, it's not something most people think of as an option. Hopefully the new shoes help.

 

[BoldenMD]

Some people also report good results using injinji toe sock liners (http://www.amazon.com/Injinji-Performan ... sock+liner). I have a couple of pairs on the way to try, so I can't speak from personal experience. I'm starting from SJPP on 26 August and hope to make it to Muxia by Oct. 6, so we may see each other at some point along the way (or you may stay ahead of me the whole time. It sounds like you all are well-prepared.)

 

[kiwiDavid]

I've got to second that BoldenMD - i've used injinji toe sock liners(lightweight/seamless) with a medium weight sock over the top and they've kept me blister free(so far - i'm up to 20 kms)in a medium weight Keen boot.I know Spain will be a lot hotter but they're wick away material and i'll take my chances if they keep me blister free.I hope your Dads feet come good Pyro - maybe a change of footwear is the thing - i changed mine to a wider boot after trial and error.If it's getting too close to go time he could try some Nike type footwear - i've read in other places on the Forum that people have used them and they don't need to be broken in.Buena suerte - kiwiDavid

 

[kiwiDavid]

Hello to the thread - where is everybody (out walking ?) RED Letter day - got my first blister ! Also the knees are getting sore - i'm dropping my ks down a bit so i'm ok for the 20th - 18 DAYS TO GO !
Watched "The Way" again - made me feel good.Everythings packed - i can't think of anything else to leave out (unfortunately).Got the plane tickets - reassured the family (yes - i Will be coming back) - still looking at the guidebook - can hardly wait - Camino de Santiago - here we come - kiwiDavid

 

[cojudake]

Hi everyone we are doing our first camino. A Father 68 and son 38 of spanish/cuban decent both fluent spanish speakers.

We will be Arriving at pamplona by train from Madrid on the 20th at 1440 and are looking for other pilgrims to share the cost of going to SJPDP. Please PM if you are in the same situation.

we plan on acclimating and resting on the 21 since we have traveled from Miami fl and will be jet lagged and exhausted from almost 2 days of plain train and buss hopping. We will start the walking on the 22 and have a relaxed pace as our return flight home from madrid is not until October 6th.

i am loving all the information on the forums and would love to talk to other pilgrims that will be doing the walk at around the same time.

We too are staying in Pamplona on 20th and catching the 2pm bus to SJPDP on 21st to begin our walk on 22nd. We are a family of 3 from Australia but our entry route into Spain is Santander on the ferry from England. presently checking out accom in SJPDP but as of yet haven't booked anything. We did however find a new hostel in Pamplona -hope it turns out ok. I'm sure our paths will cross.

 

[pyrofly]

Out walking is right!! everyday 16 km in 3.5-4 hrs. my dads blisters are under control. He has been taping over them and they have healed. We have also found some incredible liners made by a company called bridgedale. The are a coolmax/polypropelene combo spun into a microfiber. the toe seam is almost non existant in other words they are absolutely yummy.
we had tried the inigi liners before and they just didnt feel right.

Had my first scare with dad. on a very hot humid day we pushed our distance again. He cramped up aand decided to sit down and then proceeded to faint. talk about getting scared. anyway he was out for about 10 sec and then came back with a smile. i said no camino if no doctors blessing. he went and had an ekg, a brain cat scan, a dopler of his carotids, bloodwork etc... the doctor said he is a-ok and attributed it to dehydration/electrolyte imbalance/heat syncope. Drink more water dad!!!!you scared me shitless.

Our bags are packed my renewed passport has finally arrived in the mail. going to the airport to pick out our seats and get our boarding passes next week. we are albergue researching right now basically trying to pick the most recommended ones to stay in and build a walk schedule based on that. obviously this is all futile since nothing may go as planed on the camino, but dad likes having a plan. I am a more " go with the flow" kind of guy and suggested that we make a list of the ones that had absolutely horrible reviews so we could skip them. Funny thing is that an albergues rated horribly by some are praised by others.... so who knows.

Glad to see other pilgrims are starting at similar times. It will be great meeting you all there.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

dad likes having a plan. I am a more " go with the flow" kind of guy

Have a plan with part of the plan to diverge from it frequently. :wink:

 

[miamijhp]

pyrofly said:
"we are albergue researching right now basically trying to pick the most recommended ones to stay in and build a walk schedule based on that. obviously this is all futile since nothing may go as planed on the camino, but dad likes having a plan."

This address can help you to find the best albergues for you and your father.:

http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/los ... o/frances/

Y recuerda que los padres siempre tenemos razon. (y si somos viejos tenemos mas razon)

 

[pyrofly]

miamijhp gracias por el site de eroski. Ya lo conociamos. y los abuelos mas razon todavia.

 

[DesertRain]

Hi there. I suspect our paths will cross. I am going to be (re)starting my camino on September 5th in Logroño with plans to meet family in SDC on October 4th. I will keep an eye out for you. PM me if you want my contact info to try to meet up. ¡Buen Camino!

 

[ieatmidget]

I'm arriving in SJPDP on August 21st and I'm probably gonna set out on the 22nd. I had some trouble finding a place to stay in town and only managed to get a room in a little inn called Errecaldia for the 21st, I was originally gonna maybe take a second rest day but this time of year must be a busy time so I'm just gonna trudge on the next day. So if you see a sorta pudgy looking guy with a big brown hat walking the trail that's probably me.

I'm from Vancouver, BC, Canada. Gonna pack along my old Spanish text from the college class I failed and hope to pick up some of the lingo along the way. I'm a fly by the seat of my pants sorta guy. 8)

 

[kiwiDavid]

Hi ieatmidget - i'm arriving in SJPP on the 21st too but was going to wing it with accomodation that night - some places you can't book so i thought i'd be alright - is that not the case ? kiwiDavid

 

[ieatmidget]

Hi ieatmidget - i'm arriving in SJPP on the 21st too but was going to wing it with accomodation that night - some places you can't book so i thought i'd be alright - is that not the case ? kiwiDavid

Well I just wanted to be sure I had a place to stay the first night because I'm gonna be landing in Paris, catching an easyjet flight to Biarritz, then I'll have to find my way to SJPDP from thre. So I figured I would be tired and I just didn't wanna risk having to sleep outside. I checked to see if l'spirit albergue had any room but it said it was full and called a couple inns in the area that were listed on tripadviser dot com and they were either full or didn't answer their phones, except for that place I managed to get. But I think there are more of those albergue places that I just didn't know about.

I just hope I'm able to get into town before it's too late at night, my easyjet flight arrives at about 5pm in Biarritz and it seems trains in the area heading into SJPDP are spaced apart by quite a bit. I may just say to hell with it and pay for a cab, maybe I'll be able to share a fare with some other pilgrims, here's hoping.

I'm sure you'll find somewhere to stay, gotta stay positive!

 

[kiwiDavid]

Ok man - no worries - i hope our paths cross somewhere - kiwiDavid