From Ottawa to SJPDP

Hello and welcome to the forum. October is an excellent time to walk the Camino. The weather will likely be good most of the time, but you must go prepared for everything! By November in Galicia, you can expect rain, but you will be experienced pilgrims by then!

You should make the Orisson reservation as soon as possible, since they do book up well in advance. I would offer the warning that starting from SJPP or Roncesvalles on a weekend might mean you are in a crowd of weekend starters. That would be a good reason to reserve both Orisson and Roncesvalles. If you find you are in a crowd, you can simply slow down, stay in an intermediate village, and take an extra day to walk to Pamplona, since you do have 45 days to complete the trip. I walked later in October and never encountered a problem, but I understand that the typical stages to Pamplona can get crowded as the weekend starters haven't yet spread out. Maybe this won't be the case by late September.

I must also say that the starting "crowds" from SJPP can be one of the most fun aspects of the Camino, so don't be anxious about it. Just make the appropriate reservations!