Introduction - Somport

[Eleanor]

Hola, desde Irlanda.
Hello fellow pilgrims.
Yes , I have been interested in El Camino ever since I married my Aragonése husband in 1970. Over the past 36 years I have come to love this wonderful region of Alto Aragón and know Somport well. My brother-in-law practices 'transhumance' up there with the family sheep. I had always hoped to make the pilgrimage to Santiago one day starting from Somport but what with a young family, etc..... And then in 1994 life nearly stopped altogether for me when I had to have a large brain tumour removed. Luckily it was benign and my rehabilitation over the last twelve years has been amazing. I was stroked on the left side but learnt to walk again. Now I am 61 and living a very full and active life. I never did recover my balance totally and walk permanently as if I were drunk! Having shelved my ambition to walk the Way I rekindled it when in 2004 I walked 18 klms. from Arrés to Artieda, in one day all-be-it only carrying a day pack. I also had a great carer, a German pilgrim, who helped me a bit down slopes and over a ford. I was thrilled.

Spurred on by this achievement I have decided to try to walk from Somport in April. I am thinking of starting about 20th to allow myself ,hopefully, time to get to Santiago befre the extreme heat of July. Maybe I can do it. At the moment it looks like I will travel solo as most people don't have two months to spare but I am hoping to meet pilgrims on the way who may slow down a bit to just help me over any obstacles.
I will of course offer what I can in return.

I will be asking lots of question over the next few months and hope to be able to help with advice as well. I am not a stranger to hiking having been a scout leader in the past and having always loved hill walking.

Is there anybody out there who is leaving Somport around the same time or anybody with a mobility problem who has done this themselves.? I would love to hear from you. This will be a real challnge but not my first...I never ceased to be amazed at graduating in 2005 at aged 60 with a B.A. (hons.) in Spanish and Medieval Irish and Celtic Studies. To do so was more difficult than even to learn to walk again. ..... just to prove there is life after brain surgery and it is for living. But no man is an island. We all need some support.

Besos para todos,

 

[Debinq]

Hola Eleanora

I walked from Somport to Puenta de la Reina last September and then jumped over to Salamanca -by train from Pamplona- where I started on the last half of the Ruta de la Plata, via Pueblo de Sanabria and Laza and Ourense to S-Íago - I found the camino Aragon delightful, altho' a little hardgoing at times; surprisingly it was the steep downhill tracks in the valley to Jaca which I found hardest! The camino Aragon took me 10 days in all as I also did the detour to the monastery at San Juan de la Pena - I loved being in that part of Spain - actually more so than in Galicia - the villages Sta Cruz de la Seros, Artieda, Ruesta and Sta Cilia stand out in my memory

By jumping the camino Frances I was taking advice from the CSJ which had sugested giving the congested camino Frances a miss - even in late summer/early autumn; when I arrived at the refugio in Puenta de la R (at approx 2.30 pm) there were already about 10 people waiting - that confimred to me that the CSJ advice was probably sound and was to be heeded; I liked the solitude of the Aragon way and parts of the VDLP as well.

If this winter stays as mild as it has been to date I'm sure you'll find the Aragon way quite easy - altho'if there is much snow later on I suggest you make sure the tracks are open in April - when in Canfranc at the info office I saw a 10 day old sign stating that the camino had been "cortado" due to wash-out by melting snow - even as late as September!

I found the descriptions on the "Mundicamino" website _ i downloaded them before I left _ the most helpful

hope these comments are useful - plse do not hesitate to ask futher questions if you have them - happy to answer if I can

buen camino

Peter (Debinq)

 

[Eleanor]

Hola Peter of Australia and greeting from Ireland,

I am glad you so enjoyed your Camino through Aragón and seeing all those names of the villages makes me excited. Isn't San Juan de la Peña a magical place and well worth the detour? I go there every time we visit my husband's village - Santa Engracia de Jaca. Swimming in the mountain rivers in September is such a pleasure. I am an enthusiastic promotor of this region - my second home - and couldn't think of walking El Camino without including it on my itinerary. Interested to see you did it in 10 days. At what speed? Are you young and fit? As I know the Valle del Aragón I agree with you that it must be very difficult. So far I havn't tried it but have seen some of the rocky parts going down from Somport and at Villanua. Did you use the old stepping stones to cross the river.? Don't suppose I could do that on my own. I am realistic enough to know I may need some help down this part of the Way with my bad balance so here's hoping somebody will come along.

Interest too that you moved over to Via de la Plata. From what I am reading the Galacian section of the Camino Frances may be very crowded which dosn't appeal to me either. I have been invited to join some people walking from O.Cerebo starting 17th April, taking ten days. I am tempted to go with them but feel it would be difficult to go back to Somport having already arrived in Santiago and they may be oing too fast for me so I think I am sticking to my plan to leave from Somport end of April. I have the security that my nephew will come to bail me out if I really get into trouble. It will be a question of "Feel the fear and do it anway" as my surfing son-in-law tells me.....

It is a pity I cannot use two walking sticks but left had is not very accurate and not to be trusted with a pole. But I have learnt to cope and with a little help .....

Again, thanks and I hope to keep in touch. I will look at the website soon.

Hasta la proxima, saludos