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Getting up early?

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SBrierley

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
August 2013
Getting up early to start walking? Whilst tryin to be considerate to others who get up later - and you are wearing ear plugs as most people suggest is a must - please people tell me how do you do it?.... do you set a alarm on your phone or watch and put it near your head? What about your ear plugs, do you still hear it? Do you rely on your natural body clock?..... or..... ?
 
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If you cannot wake naturally, setting any alarm is just an absolute pain to your fellow pilgrims. You may, of course, be woken by other early risers. When I walked, very few had mastered the art of getting their gear out of the dormitory into the common room completely silently, but they did make some effort. Others were completely lacking in courtesy, and packed their bags in the dormitory. At the albergue I stayed at in Sarria, some even turned on all the lights - at 5.00am!
 
I'm one of the lucky few who wake naturally at about 4.15am (much to the annoyance of my wife!)
As long as I'm in bed for 10.30pm then I'm fine for early starts.

By the way, what's an alarm clock?
 
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So how do you do it? Earplugs, no alarm and still early rise?
 
SBrierley said:
Getting up early to start walking? [...] please people tell me how do you do it?
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It depends upon where you sleep. In an albergue with many people to a large room, one is just about forced to get up early. Under less spartan circumstances a buzzer alarm under the pillow will do.
 
The "Up" bracelet by Jawbone is marketed primarily as a pedometer + sleep tracker, but has a very cool "smart alarm" feature that causes the bracelet to vibrate when it detects you are in a light sleep cycle within a specified window of time before your desired waking time. At ~US$120 it's pretty expensive for just this feature, but I use it every morning for just this reason. It allows me (heavy sleeper) to wake up early without waking my wife (light sleeper) who is on a slightly different schedule.
 
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Luka said:
So how do you do it? Earplugs, no alarm and still early rise?
Click to expand...
What is your idea of early rising?
I really wouldn't bother yourself about this. You will find that if you go to bed early (as most Pilgrims do) then you will also wake up early. You will be on a completely different routine. Remember also that most Albergues have a lights out time, which is usually by 10.30 pm ( sometimes 11 pm). The Hospitaleros have a VERY long day - up before 6 am and never to bed before lights out.. Therefore they are glad when lights out time arrives! As you get into your routine, you will find that many Pilgrims are in bed and sleeping by 9.30. However, please, NO alarms. Anne
 
Excitement is usually a good alarm clock, I find. Usually knowing that there is adventure ahead is enough to make sure I wake up very early. On my last hike I took an alarm clock so that my hike partner would finally wake up (she was not a morning person, even that didn't wake her most days). By the time she got up everyone else was out of their beds and packing up.

There's always the option to ask another pilgrim to give you a nudge in the morning if you look like you're deep in sleep by a certain time. I'm sure no one would mind as long as you remember that you asked them to do it and aren't a grumpy riser
 
Thanks for that comment about hospitaleros, Anne. It is a long day and as you say, many hospitaleros are up at about 5.45 am and from 10 pm a count down until you can switch the lights out at 10.30! Fortunately, often all pilgrims are in bed by 9.30 pm or 10.00 pm, so the exhausted Hospitalero can get an 'early night'. Many pilgrims are up well before 6.00 am.
 
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Thankyou people for your great replies I am normally a early riser by nature - I think I am a bit guilty of over thinking... I like the idea of asking someone else to give me a nudge if they see me still alseep... I like and agree with the idea of 'the excitement of the new days adventure will wake me early!' - Fanatastic cant wait! 3 months till I leave
 
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