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Jitters

SuziK

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
First Camino! Plan for Spring 2022
I read and become fearful of the first few days from St Pied de Porte. Several posts use descriptors such as "pain" "agony" "injuries". I am concerned that having injuries, serious blisters (even when following recommendations), overall exhaustion will last for days beyond the first week. I am as prepared as I can be. My question: is it awful to sometimes look for a bus or taxi rather than over-do and not enjoy the journey, the scenery and experience? I don't want or plan to be a wimp but I am afraid I am not strong enough to do the uphill/downhill since I have only been able to shape-up in very flat mid-Ohio, USA. And I don't want the first days to set a negative tone in my heart and mind.
 
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I read and become fearful of the first few days from St Pied de Porte. Several posts use descriptors such as "pain" "agony" "injuries". I am concerned that having injuries, serious blisters (even when following recommendations), overall exhaustion will last for days beyond the first week. I am as prepared as I can be. My question: is it awful to sometimes look for a bus or taxi rather than over-do and not enjoy the journey, the scenery and experience? I don't want or plan to be a wimp but I am afraid I am not strong enough to do the uphill/downhill since I have only been able to shape-up in very flat mid-Ohio, USA. And I don't want the first days to set a negative tone in my heart and mind.
You’ll be fine. Start early, take it slowly, you’ve got all day. You can also break the day in half by booking at the Orisson refuge. It’s about 10km into the walk, the uphill bit. If your boots are well broken in you can avoid blisters with good socks and some anti friction balm. Stock up! Compeed makes the best balm and blister-bandages. I get them over there before I start the trail, as I can’t get them here in Canada.
The walk is beautiful, every part of it. Enjoy! That first sight of Spain through the trees is magical.
 
I read and become fearful of the first few days from St Pied de Porte. Several posts use descriptors such as "pain" "agony" "injuries". I am concerned that having injuries, serious blisters (even when following recommendations), overall exhaustion will last for days beyond the first week. I am as prepared as I can be. My question: is it awful to sometimes look for a bus or taxi rather than over-do and not enjoy the journey, the scenery and experience? I don't want or plan to be a wimp but I am afraid I am not strong enough to do the uphill/downhill since I have only been able to shape-up in very flat mid-Ohio, USA. And I don't want the first days to set a negative tone in my heart and mind.
Maybe start in Roncesvalles or Pamplona?
 
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I read and become fearful of the first few days from St Pied de Porte. Several posts use descriptors such as "pain" "agony" "injuries". I am concerned that having injuries, serious blisters (even when following recommendations), overall exhaustion will last for days beyond the first week. I am as prepared as I can be. My question: is it awful to sometimes look for a bus or taxi rather than over-do and not enjoy the journey, the scenery and experience? I don't want or plan to be a wimp but I am afraid I am not strong enough to do the uphill/downhill since I have only been able to shape-up in very flat mid-Ohio, USA. And I don't want the first days to set a negative tone in my heart and mind.

Saint Jean Pied de Port is just a stop like any other stop/ town on one of the many Caminos.
Too much romanticism because of movies like " the Way" imho.

From a practical point Pamplona is a much more logical start.
And no you will not cross the Pyrrennees but you will find enough rollings hills on the Francès to make it interesting.
 
.. and really consider taking the Valcarlos route and split it in two by staying half way if you are feeling realistic or if weather is in any way going to be rainy and windy up there, the route over the top will stay there forever and for you to take another good day.
if you take the lower route, however, you will have to take the whole elevation in 4-5 kms and it is a gut puncher, but then you are up at 1000 metres - remember water and protein/snacks/fruit for this one.
You will then meet the Ibañata chapel and then it is a saunter down to Roncesvalles...

If last minute cold feet, do not hesitate to opt for Pamplona, as suggested above
- and Bon Camino.
 
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Everyone has a different experience on their first Camino. The important thing is to take it at your own pace. Admittedly, that first stage is a bit rough and can be discouraging or intimidating to a lot of people. Don’t push it to Roncesvalles if you don’t feel up for it. As mentioned, you could just go up to Orisson on the first day. Other options could be shipping your pack, or taking a ride to Orisson and start walking from there, or starting from Pamplona as others have mentioned.
The physical challenges can be rewarding but enjoying your Camino should be one of your primary goals.
Never feel bad about taking a bus or taxi when you want or need to.
I’ve walked two Caminos in the last five years and at 68, I’m walking the Norte again beginning May 5.
Over-pushing yourself can sometimes lead to injuries so go at a pace you’re comfortable with.
As for blisters, I always massage my toes with a little Vicks vaporub then put on toe socks. They’re like gloves for your feet and will keep your wet toes apart, which is usually what causes blisters. Change socks during your hike if they get too wet. I’ve never had blisters doing this.
Have a great Camino.
 
I read and become fearful of the first few days from St Pied de Porte. Several posts use descriptors such as "pain" "agony" "injuries". I am concerned that having injuries, serious blisters (even when following recommendations), overall exhaustion will last for days beyond the first week. I am as prepared as I can be. My question: is it awful to sometimes look for a bus or taxi rather than over-do and not enjoy the journey, the scenery and experience? I don't want or plan to be a wimp but I am afraid I am not strong enough to do the uphill/downhill since I have only been able to shape-up in very flat mid-Ohio, USA. And I don't want the first days to set a negative tone in my heart and mind.

@SuziK Shortly before my first Camino I realized that neither I nor my mother, with whom I was walking, were fit enough for that first stage from St Jean Pied de Port. Both of us had been dealing with some health challenges, and despite training as much as possible I was worried. Then one day I suddenly thought, "You know, we could just start from Roncesvalles, lots do". As soon as that thought entered my head, it was like a huge weight lifted from my shoulders. I hadn't realized quite how worried I was. We had already booked everything up to St Jean, so we didn't change our travel plans but booked Express Bourricot to take us over to Roncesvalles. There is also a bus. We then stayed the night in Roncesvalles and attended the pilgrim's mass there, a lovely send-off at the start of our Camino. And we set off the next morning. Roncesvalles is a really special place, and it felt so right to be starting from there. We have done so three times now and would do so again. To me it feels like the start of the Camino Francés. And there are still plenty of hills to cross!

So as others have said, if you start slowly and gently and are reasonably fit you should be ok starting from St Jean, but if you are worried, don't feel you have to start walking from there. Roncesvalles is just as valid a starting point, and many do start there, especially Spanish people, as well as from Pamplona or further on. I would always recommend Roncesvalles as a beautiful starting point for the Camino Francés.

And no, there is absolutely nothing wrong with taking a bus or taxi when you need to, except within the last 100km before Santiago - and you'll be a seasoned walker by then!

Whatever you decide - Buen Camino!
 
Bless your heart, Getting There. Do not allow fear or anxiety to dictate how you want to proceed. Lots of folks walk from St. Jean to Roncesvalles; some have their backpacks transported to help lighten their steps. Others only do half way to the Virgen de Orisson and then take a taxi back to St Jean for the night, and then taxi back to where they left off. Others stop at Orrison or Borda.


But if you want to try and see how it goes, here are some tips that may help.
--------------------------------

If a person has some level of cardio fitness, making it up a long uphill grade is a matter of pace, maintaining calorie intake, hydration, and utilizing meaningful breaks.

1. As you head uphill, adjust your pace to a comfortable level which you are able to maintain without needing to frequently stop and start. Frequent stops and starts adds to exhaustion. It doesn't matter if your pace is 4 miles per hour or 0.5 miles per hour. What matters is continuously walking between planned breaks.

Set a planned interval for a short and deliberate break -- say every 20 minutes, lasting for five minutes. Set your pace so that you can walk until reaching break time.

Setting your pace is a dynamic process, you need to adjust it as circumstances dictate. Please set your pace based on what you need, not on how you feel.

How do you maintain a pace at a set speed? My trick is to periodically check myself by silently humming a tune... the same tune.... which is easy to sync to each step I take. Don't laugh, but I use 'Hark The Herald Angles Sing'. It is NOT the speed of the tune that determines my pace, but my pace will determine the speed of the tune. Once that pace is determined, then you can use the speed of the tune to check yourself.

Some folks may view this as too formulaic or too rigid, but that is not the case. It is simply a tool to assist in understanding your body's rhythm while walking. The more familiar you become with your body's needs while hiking -- which happens as your experience grows -- the less need there is for such tricks like humming a tune.

As the grade uphill gets steeper and I need to slow, I don't necessarily slow how fast I take a step, I adjust the length of each step. In other words, in keeping time with my song, I might go from, say, 10 inches between one footstep to the next, to only 5 inches between steps. That will automatically slow how fast I am moving, and still keep me in step with my song.

Inexperienced folks will start out fast and try to maintain that pace because they are fresh, full of energy, and not at all tired. . .yet. They want to keep up with those in better shape. They are in a race for beds. They are worried about being caught in the rain. Whatever.

They will start to crump within a fairly short distance up the hill; and the crumping will become cumulative with each step, even if they slow down later, because they have burned through their energy producing stores with that initial fast pace. They not only will crump, but they are now going to stay in a state of depleted energy which only a very prolonged break can solve.

Start slower than what you feel is a normal pace for you. Let people pass you by, and see how that pace feels as you continue uphill. If you start feeling too out of breath, slow down. If your leg muscles start feeling too fatigued, slow down.

Also, keep the above tips and cautions in mind AFTER you take a break. You will feel refreshed and you will be tempted to start out faster than you should. RESIST that temptation. :)

2. At every short break time, eat something. Your stomach and GI tract can only process food at a specific rate of time, so you want to match your intake of food to that optimum time frame. Eating food at about the rate of 100 calorie increments every 20 to 30 minutes is a good time frame. A quarter of a Snicker bar and a bite of cheese, or a handful of trail mix, or a bit of bocadillo,or some Peanut M&Ms, or some energy gel with some nuts, etc. The idea is to replenish your energy producing stores that your muscles will need for the next 25 to 30 minutes.

In addition to hydrating during breaks, a good technique is to be sipping and drinking water while you are walking. You need to stay hydrated without overdoing water consumption.

3. If it starts to become very difficult to walk 20 minutes without stopping in between, then lengthen your break from 5 minutes to 8 minutes, or 10 minutes. Give your calorie intake a longer period to do its job, and for you to re-oxygenate and fuel your muscle cells. If you find that it fairly easy to walk 20 minutes before stopping, then add 5 more minutes to your walk time between breaks. Still fairly easy? Then keep adding 5 minutes to the interval before stopping. However, I would advise not going longer than 1 hour without taking a break. I usually break every 55 minutes or so.

4. It is understandable if you have some jitters about a physically demanding and prolonged walk up into the mountains or hills. Or even on less aggressive elevations.

Doubt may pierce your mind with a persistent whisper of "can I do this?" which forces one's mind and gut to focus on perceived inadequacies. Doubt doesn't wait for evidence of one's ability to perform, or to look at what actually will occur during your hike. Nope, all Doubt is concerned with, is making you feel inadequate and insecure.

So as you prepare for your Camino you can either let Doubt have its fun with you, or you can push Doubt to the background and tell it to, "Shut up; you just wait and see what I can do!!!".

I go through at least a portion of the above every time late winter eases into spring and I begin preparing for the coming backpacking season, especially for planned multi-week backpacking treks. I went through that for my first Camino in 2017. I am hearing those voices again this year as I am planning on a Camino this Fall.

I just simply respond to the question of 'Can I do this?', by answering "I am as prepared as I can be, I will be flexible to things happening around me, and regardless of what happens, life will continue on".

After all, I am not going into combat, or heading into a burning building; I am just going for a walk. :);)
Thank you @davebugg - I'm not sure whether you are addressing this to me (as you replied to my post) or to the OP. If to me, I probably should have clarified that my reason for starting from Roncesvalles on subsequent Caminos was because to me it now feels the right place to start, not because I couldn't have walked from St Jean those other times. The first time, it was because I had realized my health situation would have made it unnecessarily difficult to attempt that walk. Not a question of fear or anxiety in my case, or doubt. But your advice is great, for those for whom this is the case, possibly including the OP, if they really want to walk that stage and are just having doubts. My point, and others', was simply that there are alternatives, and the experience of starting one's Camino elsewhere can be just as special.
 
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Thank you @davebugg - I'm not sure whether you are addressing this to me (as you replied to my post) or to the OP. If to me, I probably should have clarified that my reason for starting from Roncesvalles on subsequent Caminos was because to me it now feels the right place to start, not because I couldn't have walked from St Jean those other times. The first time, it was because I had realized my health situation would have made it unnecessarily difficult to attempt that walk. Not a question of fear or anxiety in my case, or doubt. But your advice is great, for those for whom this is the case, possibly including the OP, if they really want to walk that stage and are just having doubts. My point, and others', was simply that there are alternatives, and the experience of starting one's Camino elsewhere can be just as special.

My bad. Oops. I'll re-do with the correct attribution. :)
 
I read and become fearful of the first few days from St Pied de Porte. Several posts use descriptors such as "pain" "agony" "injuries". I am concerned that having injuries, serious blisters (even when following recommendations), overall exhaustion will last for days beyond the first week. I am as prepared as I can be. My question: is it awful to sometimes look for a bus or taxi rather than over-do and not enjoy the journey, the scenery and experience? I don't want or plan to be a wimp but I am afraid I am not strong enough to do the uphill/downhill since I have only been able to shape-up in very flat mid-Ohio, USA. And I don't want the first days to set a negative tone in my heart and mind.

Bless your heart, SuziK. Do not allow fear or anxiety to dictate how you want to proceed. Lots of folks walk from St. Jean to Roncesvalles; some have their backpacks transported to help lighten their steps. Others only do half way to the Virgen de Orisson and then take a taxi back to St Jean for the night, and then taxi back to where they left off. Others stop at Orrison or Borda.


But if you want to try and see how it goes, here are some tips that may help.
--------------------------------

If a person has some level of cardio fitness, making it up a long uphill grade is a matter of pace, maintaining calorie intake, hydration, and utilizing meaningful breaks.

1. As you head uphill, adjust your pace to a comfortable level which you are able to maintain without needing to frequently stop and start. Frequent stops and starts adds to exhaustion. It doesn't matter if your pace is 4 miles per hour or 0.5 miles per hour. What matters is continuously walking between planned breaks.

Set a planned interval for a short and deliberate break -- say every 20 minutes, lasting for five minutes. Set your pace so that you can walk until reaching break time.

Setting your pace is a dynamic process, you need to adjust it as circumstances dictate. Please set your pace based on what you need, not on how you feel.

How do you maintain a pace at a set speed? My trick is to periodically check myself by silently humming a tune... the same tune.... which is easy to sync to each step I take. Don't laugh, but I use 'Hark The Herald Angles Sing'. It is NOT the speed of the tune that determines my pace, but my pace will determine the speed of the tune. Once that pace is determined, then you can use the speed of the tune to check yourself.

Some folks may view this as too formulaic or too rigid, but that is not the case. It is simply a tool to assist in understanding your body's rhythm while walking. The more familiar you become with your body's needs while hiking -- which happens as your experience grows -- the less need there is for such tricks like humming a tune.

As the grade uphill gets steeper and I need to slow, I don't necessarily slow how fast I take a step, I adjust the length of each step. In other words, in keeping time with my song, I might go from, say, 10 inches between one footstep to the next, to only 5 inches between steps. That will automatically slow how fast I am moving, and still keep me in step with my song.

Inexperienced folks will start out fast and try to maintain that pace because they are fresh, full of energy, and not at all tired. . .yet. They want to keep up with those in better shape. They are in a race for beds. They are worried about being caught in the rain. Whatever.

They will start to crump within a fairly short distance up the hill; and the crumping will become cumulative with each step, even if they slow down later, because they have burned through their energy producing stores with that initial fast pace. They not only will crump, but they are now going to stay in a state of depleted energy which only a very prolonged break can solve.

Start slower than what you feel is a normal pace for you. Let people pass you by, and see how that pace feels as you continue uphill. If you start feeling too out of breath, slow down. If your leg muscles start feeling too fatigued, slow down.

Also, keep the above tips and cautions in mind AFTER you take a break. You will feel refreshed and you will be tempted to start out faster than you should. RESIST that temptation. :)

2. At every short break time, eat something. Your stomach and GI tract can only process food at a specific rate of time, so you want to match your intake of food to that optimum time frame. Eating food at about the rate of 100 calorie increments every 20 to 30 minutes is a good time frame. A quarter of a Snicker bar and a bite of cheese, or a handful of trail mix, or a bit of bocadillo,or some Peanut M&Ms, or some energy gel with some nuts, etc. The idea is to replenish your energy producing stores that your muscles will need for the next 25 to 30 minutes.

In addition to hydrating during breaks, a good technique is to be sipping and drinking water while you are walking. You need to stay hydrated without overdoing water consumption.

3. If it starts to become very difficult to walk 20 minutes without stopping in between, then lengthen your break from 5 minutes to 8 minutes, or 10 minutes. Give your calorie intake a longer period to do its job, and for you to re-oxygenate and fuel your muscle cells. If you find that it fairly easy to walk 20 minutes before stopping, then add 5 more minutes to your walk time between breaks. Still fairly easy? Then keep adding 5 minutes to the interval before stopping. However, I would advise not going longer than 1 hour without taking a break. I usually break every 55 minutes or so.

4. It is understandable if you have some jitters about a physically demanding and prolonged walk up into the mountains or hills. Or even on less aggressive elevations.

Doubt may pierce your mind with a persistent whisper of "can I do this?" which forces one's mind and gut to focus on perceived inadequacies. Doubt doesn't wait for evidence of one's ability to perform, or to look at what actually will occur during your hike. Nope, all Doubt is concerned with, is making you feel inadequate and insecure.

So as you prepare for your Camino you can either let Doubt have its fun with you, or you can push Doubt to the background and tell it to, "Shut up; you just wait and see what I can do!!!".

I go through at least a portion of the above every time late winter eases into spring and I begin preparing for the coming backpacking season, especially for planned multi-week backpacking treks. I went through that for my first Camino in 2017. I am hearing those voices again this year as I am planning on a Camino this Fall.

I just simply respond to the question of 'Can I do this?', by answering "I am as prepared as I can be, I will be flexible to things happening around me, and regardless of what happens, life will continue on".

After all, I am not going into combat, or heading into a burning building; I am just going for a walk. :);)
 
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@SuziK Shortly before my first Camino I realized that neither I nor my mother, with whom I was walking, were fit enough for that first stage from St Jean Pied de Port. Both of us had been dealing with some health challenges, and despite training as much as possible I was worried. Then one day I suddenly thought, "You know, we could just start from Roncesvalles, lots do". As soon as that thought entered my head, it was like a huge weight lifted from my shoulders. I hadn't realized quite how worried I was. We had already booked everything up to St Jean, so we didn't change our travel plans but booked Express Bourricot to take us over to Roncesvalles. There is also a bus. We then stayed the night in Roncesvalles and attended the pilgrim's mass there, a lovely send-off at the start of our Camino. And we set off the next morning. Roncesvalles is a really special place, and it felt so right to be starting from there. We have done so three times now and would do so again. To me it feels like the start of the Camino Francés. And there are still plenty of hills to cross!

So as others have said, if you start slowly and gently and are reasonably fit you should be ok starting from St Jean, but if you are worried, don't feel you have to start walking from there. Roncesvalles is just as valid a starting point, and many do start there, especially Spanish people, as well as from Pamplona or further on. I would always recommend Roncesvalles as a beautiful starting point for the Camino Francés.

And no, there is absolutely nothing wrong with taking a bus or taxi when you need to, except within the last 100km before Santiago - and you'll be a seasoned walker by then!

Whatever you decide - Buen Camino!
Thank you, you brought me peace I your experience
 
Bless your heart, SuziK. Do not allow fear or anxiety to dictate how you want to proceed. Lots of folks walk from St. Jean to Roncesvalles; some have their backpacks transported to help lighten their steps. Others only do half way to the Virgen de Orisson and then take a taxi back to St Jean for the night, and then taxi back to where they left off. Others stop at Orrison or Borda.


But if you want to try and see how it goes, here are some tips that may help.
--------------------------------

If a person has some level of cardio fitness, making it up a long uphill grade is a matter of pace, maintaining calorie intake, hydration, and utilizing meaningful breaks.

1. As you head uphill, adjust your pace to a comfortable level which you are able to maintain without needing to frequently stop and start. Frequent stops and starts adds to exhaustion. It doesn't matter if your pace is 4 miles per hour or 0.5 miles per hour. What matters is continuously walking between planned breaks.

Set a planned interval for a short and deliberate break -- say every 20 minutes, lasting for five minutes. Set your pace so that you can walk until reaching break time.

Setting your pace is a dynamic process, you need to adjust it as circumstances dictate. Please set your pace based on what you need, not on how you feel.

How do you maintain a pace at a set speed? My trick is to periodically check myself by silently humming a tune... the same tune.... which is easy to sync to each step I take. Don't laugh, but I use 'Hark The Herald Angles Sing'. It is NOT the speed of the tune that determines my pace, but my pace will determine the speed of the tune. Once that pace is determined, then you can use the speed of the tune to check yourself.

Some folks may view this as too formulaic or too rigid, but that is not the case. It is simply a tool to assist in understanding your body's rhythm while walking. The more familiar you become with your body's needs while hiking -- which happens as your experience grows -- the less need there is for such tricks like humming a tune.

As the grade uphill gets steeper and I need to slow, I don't necessarily slow how fast I take a step, I adjust the length of each step. In other words, in keeping time with my song, I might go from, say, 10 inches between one footstep to the next, to only 5 inches between steps. That will automatically slow how fast I am moving, and still keep me in step with my song.

Inexperienced folks will start out fast and try to maintain that pace because they are fresh, full of energy, and not at all tired. . .yet. They want to keep up with those in better shape. They are in a race for beds. They are worried about being caught in the rain. Whatever.

They will start to crump within a fairly short distance up the hill; and the crumping will become cumulative with each step, even if they slow down later, because they have burned through their energy producing stores with that initial fast pace. They not only will crump, but they are now going to stay in a state of depleted energy which only a very prolonged break can solve.

Start slower than what you feel is a normal pace for you. Let people pass you by, and see how that pace feels as you continue uphill. If you start feeling too out of breath, slow down. If your leg muscles start feeling too fatigued, slow down.

Also, keep the above tips and cautions in mind AFTER you take a break. You will feel refreshed and you will be tempted to start out faster than you should. RESIST that temptation. :)

2. At every short break time, eat something. Your stomach and GI tract can only process food at a specific rate of time, so you want to match your intake of food to that optimum time frame. Eating food at about the rate of 100 calorie increments every 20 to 30 minutes is a good time frame. A quarter of a Snicker bar and a bite of cheese, or a handful of trail mix, or a bit of bocadillo,or some Peanut M&Ms, or some energy gel with some nuts, etc. The idea is to replenish your energy producing stores that your muscles will need for the next 25 to 30 minutes.

In addition to hydrating during breaks, a good technique is to be sipping and drinking water while you are walking. You need to stay hydrated without overdoing water consumption.

3. If it starts to become very difficult to walk 20 minutes without stopping in between, then lengthen your break from 5 minutes to 8 minutes, or 10 minutes. Give your calorie intake a longer period to do its job, and for you to re-oxygenate and fuel your muscle cells. If you find that it fairly easy to walk 20 minutes before stopping, then add 5 more minutes to your walk time between breaks. Still fairly easy? Then keep adding 5 minutes to the interval before stopping. However, I would advise not going longer than 1 hour without taking a break. I usually break every 55 minutes or so.

4. It is understandable if you have some jitters about a physically demanding and prolonged walk up into the mountains or hills. Or even on less aggressive elevations.

Doubt may pierce your mind with a persistent whisper of "can I do this?" which forces one's mind and gut to focus on perceived inadequacies. Doubt doesn't wait for evidence of one's ability to perform, or to look at what actually will occur during your hike. Nope, all Doubt is concerned with, is making you feel inadequate and insecure.

So as you prepare for your Camino you can either let Doubt have its fun with you, or you can push Doubt to the background and tell it to, "Shut up; you just wait and see what I can do!!!".

I go through at least a portion of the above every time late winter eases into spring and I begin preparing for the coming backpacking season, especially for planned multi-week backpacking treks. I went through that for my first Camino in 2017. I am hearing those voices again this year as I am planning on a Camino this Fall.

I just simply respond to the question of 'Can I do this?', by answering "I am as prepared as I can be, I will be flexible to things happening around me, and regardless of what happens, life will continue on".

After all, I am not going into combat, or heading into a burning building; I am just going for a walk. :);)
I can’t express how helpful this is. I will have to remind myself to tell Doubt to go away, I’ve got this.
I can appreciate Hark the Herald Angels… I have to practically sing the Bee Gee’s Stayin’ Alive aloud to maintain my rhythm for CPR certification.
Bless your heart, SuziK. Do not allow fear or anxiety to dictate how you want to proceed. Lots of folks walk from St. Jean to Roncesvalles; some have their backpacks transported to help lighten their steps. Others only do half way to the Virgen de Orisson and then take a taxi back to St Jean for the night, and then taxi back to where they left off. Others stop at Orrison or Borda.


But if you want to try and see how it goes, here are some tips that may help.
--------------------------------

If a person has some level of cardio fitness, making it up a long uphill grade is a matter of pace, maintaining calorie intake, hydration, and utilizing meaningful breaks.

1. As you head uphill, adjust your pace to a comfortable level which you are able to maintain without needing to frequently stop and start. Frequent stops and starts adds to exhaustion. It doesn't matter if your pace is 4 miles per hour or 0.5 miles per hour. What matters is continuously walking between planned breaks.

Set a planned interval for a short and deliberate break -- say every 20 minutes, lasting for five minutes. Set your pace so that you can walk until reaching break time.

Setting your pace is a dynamic process, you need to adjust it as circumstances dictate. Please set your pace based on what you need, not on how you feel.

How do you maintain a pace at a set speed? My trick is to periodically check myself by silently humming a tune... the same tune.... which is easy to sync to each step I take. Don't laugh, but I use 'Hark The Herald Angles Sing'. It is NOT the speed of the tune that determines my pace, but my pace will determine the speed of the tune. Once that pace is determined, then you can use the speed of the tune to check yourself.

Some folks may view this as too formulaic or too rigid, but that is not the case. It is simply a tool to assist in understanding your body's rhythm while walking. The more familiar you become with your body's needs while hiking -- which happens as your experience grows -- the less need there is for such tricks like humming a tune.

As the grade uphill gets steeper and I need to slow, I don't necessarily slow how fast I take a step, I adjust the length of each step. In other words, in keeping time with my song, I might go from, say, 10 inches between one footstep to the next, to only 5 inches between steps. That will automatically slow how fast I am moving, and still keep me in step with my song.

Inexperienced folks will start out fast and try to maintain that pace because they are fresh, full of energy, and not at all tired. . .yet. They want to keep up with those in better shape. They are in a race for beds. They are worried about being caught in the rain. Whatever.

They will start to crump within a fairly short distance up the hill; and the crumping will become cumulative with each step, even if they slow down later, because they have burned through their energy producing stores with that initial fast pace. They not only will crump, but they are now going to stay in a state of depleted energy which only a very prolonged break can solve.

Start slower than what you feel is a normal pace for you. Let people pass you by, and see how that pace feels as you continue uphill. If you start feeling too out of breath, slow down. If your leg muscles start feeling too fatigued, slow down.

Also, keep the above tips and cautions in mind AFTER you take a break. You will feel refreshed and you will be tempted to start out faster than you should. RESIST that temptation. :)

2. At every short break time, eat something. Your stomach and GI tract can only process food at a specific rate of time, so you want to match your intake of food to that optimum time frame. Eating food at about the rate of 100 calorie increments every 20 to 30 minutes is a good time frame. A quarter of a Snicker bar and a bite of cheese, or a handful of trail mix, or a bit of bocadillo,or some Peanut M&Ms, or some energy gel with some nuts, etc. The idea is to replenish your energy producing stores that your muscles will need for the next 25 to 30 minutes.

In addition to hydrating during breaks, a good technique is to be sipping and drinking water while you are walking. You need to stay hydrated without overdoing water consumption.

3. If it starts to become very difficult to walk 20 minutes without stopping in between, then lengthen your break from 5 minutes to 8 minutes, or 10 minutes. Give your calorie intake a longer period to do its job, and for you to re-oxygenate and fuel your muscle cells. If you find that it fairly easy to walk 20 minutes before stopping, then add 5 more minutes to your walk time between breaks. Still fairly easy? Then keep adding 5 minutes to the interval before stopping. However, I would advise not going longer than 1 hour without taking a break. I usually break every 55 minutes or so.

4. It is understandable if you have some jitters about a physically demanding and prolonged walk up into the mountains or hills. Or even on less aggressive elevations.

Doubt may pierce your mind with a persistent whisper of "can I do this?" which forces one's mind and gut to focus on perceived inadequacies. Doubt doesn't wait for evidence of one's ability to perform, or to look at what actually will occur during your hike. Nope, all Doubt is concerned with, is making you feel inadequate and insecure.

So as you prepare for your Camino you can either let Doubt have its fun with you, or you can push Doubt to the background and tell it to, "Shut up; you just wait and see what I can do!!!".

I go through at least a portion of the above every time late winter eases into spring and I begin preparing for the coming backpacking season, especially for planned multi-week backpacking treks. I went through that for my first Camino in 2017. I am hearing those voices again this year as I am planning on a Camino this Fall.

I just simply respond to the question of 'Can I do this?', by answering "I am as prepared as I can be, I will be flexible to things happening around me, and regardless of what happens, life will continue on".

After all, I am not going into combat, or heading into a burning building; I am just going for a walk. :);)
 
It's very normal to have jitters and wonder if you are up for it.
Several people have suggested splitting the day and staying at Orisson or Auberge Borda, but you do need to reserve them in advance. If they are all booked for your dates you can take advantage of Express Bouricott's Mountain Shuttle. You book two nights in St Jean Pied de Port and walk part way up the mountain the first day, then they pick you up at a pre-determined time. The next morning they will deliver you to where you left off.

la-navette-du-matin (1).png
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
*sigh*
Don't let people scare you and don’t be guided by fear. Be brave and strong. Millions of pilgrims have done this before you - all ages, conditions, weather, preparation - and lived to tell the tale of their adventure.
‘On my first Camino, I ended up walking from SJPDP to Roncevalles in one day in the rain. Hard? Yes. Doable? Very. I was 62.
Don’t be afraid. You got this!! You have tens of thousands of fellow pilgrims, past present and future, cheering you on.
‘Please use common sense and follow the advice of those with more experience than you. But do not give in to fear.
 
Last edited:
b.t.w.
there is seasonable consideration.
Just now it is April and all things can happen on the Napoleon Route.
This is what going over could be like:


summer crossing will be preferable !
 
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I can’t express how helpful this is. I will have to remind myself to tell Doubt to go away, I’ve got this.
I can appreciate Hark the Herald Angels… I have to practically sing the Bee Gee’s Stayin’ Alive aloud to maintain my rhythm for CPR certification.
In like to sing " Gonna be there, up and over! " before taking that very first purposeful ( I nearly said ""Manly"" :) ) stride but then I have an awful tendency of making my signature mistake of standing on my bootlaces and winding up cursing on the hard road beneath my nose! This causes much mirth amongst the onlookers and leaves me suitably chastened and humbled as befitting my status of pilgrim. Oh yeah? That'll be the day!
Walk soft
stay safe
and
if you fall over
get up
Critics and gurus be damned
When you get to the Cathedral
your heart will tell you
what you need to know
and if it doesn't
then the hook will go in
and you'll come back
and do another Camino! :) :)

Samarkand.
 
I read and become fearful of the first few days from St Pied de Porte. Several posts use descriptors such as "pain" "agony" "injuries". I am concerned that having injuries, serious blisters (even when following recommendations), overall exhaustion will last for days beyond the first week. I am as prepared as I can be. My question: is it awful to sometimes look for a bus or taxi rather than over-do and not enjoy the journey, the scenery and experience? I don't want or plan to be a wimp but I am afraid I am not strong enough to do the uphill/downhill since I have only been able to shape-up in very flat mid-Ohio, USA. And I don't want the first days to set a negative tone in my heart and mind.
It is good to take these considerations - but don't let them turn into fears of the Camino!

When is your trip? If you can - increase the lengths of your walks before you go. If you can - find some hills to climb. That said - where I live is very flat by my house - and most of my walks are from my house. On Sundays - I walk 17 miles to my husbands work which is great practice - but all flat! I don't get to the nearby mountains. But at least I am walking. Building up to that 17 miles took lots of time and a Camino to get there haha!

Footwear - take your long walks (how ever long you can manage at home with your schedule - and train in your shoes/socks over long distances whenever you can. If thy don't work for you - switch them out until you find what does work for you.

Hills - if you don't get to practice on them - don't stress. The key to making it over the Pyrenees is to take your time, rest when you need to rest, and listen to your body. If you are able to - I do recommend breaking up the first day by staying in Orisson/Borda - especially if you haven't practiced many hills before you go. By doing this - you aren't overstressing yourself that first day and you are easing into the increased mileage. 8km the first day, 17km the 2nd day, 20ish km the 3rd day and by the end of the first week you will be getting used to walking 20-25km/day. I firmly believe starting off slower and building up to the longer distances reduces the risk of injury during the first week. If you can't get a reservation at Orisson/Borda - then shuttle back to SJPDP.

But - if you want to do that whole route in 1 day - you can - just allow yourself more time and patience while going over the mountain. I suggest if that is the case - make your reservation for Roncesvalles so that you don't "rush" in a fear of not getting a bed/meal. Stop at Orisson for a morning meal and rest. Purchase a sandwich and snacks for lunch. And take your time and rest often!!
 
I haven’t read all the responses. I hope I’m not repeating what others have said too. You can chase down my current “live on the Camino” for my experience with overdoing it and regretting it. I also come from a pancake state. It’s taken me a few weeks to get over the embarrassment I feel at taking a bus or taxi. I think I’m over it now. Feeling like crap for almost 2 weeks robbed me of a lot of Camino joy. Now I look ahead, and if I need to take a bus or a cab I try to arrange it so that it’s part of the total walking distance for that day. That way I still get to see some of the section and I still walked.

You can message me if you like.
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
I read and become fearful of the first few days from St Pied de Porte. Several posts use descriptors such as "pain" "agony" "injuries". I am concerned that having injuries, serious blisters (even when following recommendations), overall exhaustion will last for days beyond the first week. I am as prepared as I can be. My question: is it awful to sometimes look for a bus or taxi rather than over-do and not enjoy the journey, the scenery and experience? I don't want or plan to be a wimp but I am afraid I am not strong enough to do the uphill/downhill since I have only been able to shape-up in very flat mid-Ohio, USA. And I don't want the first days to set a negative tone in my heart and mind.
My knees aren’t what they used to be, and my cardio fitness is definitely not what it should be. In walking around the U.K. on very steep hills I just use a 20-30 step strategy. Take 20 steps, pause for a count of 10, and then take the next 20 etc. So what if it’s slow, I still get to the top, and I find that in those pauses I see and appreciate much more of the scenery than those faster than me. I start next week from SJPP. It’s my first Camino so taking my time at about 12-15 miles a day. As long as I get to Santiago for my booked flight home in mid June that will be fine. Wave if you pass me on the trail!
 
I haven’t read all the responses. I hope I’m not repeating what others have said too. You can chase down my current “live on the Camino” for my experience with overdoing it and regretting it. I also come from a pancake state. It’s taken me a few weeks to get over the embarrassment I feel at taking a bus or taxi. I think I’m over it now. Feeling like crap for almost 2 weeks robbed me of a lot of Camino joy. Now I look ahead, and if I need to take a bus or a cab I try to arrange it so that it’s part of the total walking distance for that day. That way I still get to see some of the section and I still walked.

You can message me if you like.
I second all the good advice from others. Another nice way to pace yourself is to enjoy the wonderful cities you will pass through. I highly recommend taking a full day or two in Pamplona, Leon and Burgos - beautiful cathedrals and museums. Get a private room to catch up on sleep and then enjoy the tapas/pintxos in the square
 
I read and become fearful of the first few days from St Pied de Porte. Several posts use descriptors such as "pain" "agony" "injuries". I am concerned that having injuries, serious blisters (even when following recommendations), overall exhaustion will last for days beyond the first week. I am as prepared as I can be. My question: is it awful to sometimes look for a bus or taxi rather than over-do and not enjoy the journey, the scenery and experience? I don't want or plan to be a wimp but I am afraid I am not strong enough to do the uphill/downhill since I have only been able to shape-up in very flat mid-Ohio, USA. And I don't want the first days to set a negative tone in my heart and mind.
Start slowly with the plan of using a taxi on that first section. There will be taxi's going up and down all day. On many days those beautiful views we all hear about are obscured by mist.
I read and become fearful of the first few days from St Pied de Porte. Several posts use descriptors such as "pain" "agony" "injuries". I am concerned that having injuries, serious blisters (even when following recommendations), overall exhaustion will last for days beyond the first week. I am as prepared as I can be. My question: is it awful to sometimes look for a bus or taxi rather than over-do and not enjoy the journey, the scenery and experience? I don't want or plan to be a wimp but I am afraid I am not strong enough to do the uphill/downhill since I have only been able to shape-up in very flat mid-Ohio, USA. And I don't want the first days to set a negative tone in my heart and mind.
Skip it. It's not worth the possible pain. Often those beautiful views are obscured by mist. When I walked in 2018, no one ever asked where one started. The discussion was always about tomorrow.
 
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I read and become fearful of the first few days from St Pied de Porte. Several posts use descriptors such as "pain" "agony" "injuries". I am concerned that having injuries, serious blisters (even when following recommendations), overall exhaustion will last for days beyond the first week. I am as prepared as I can be. My question: is it awful to sometimes look for a bus or taxi rather than over-do and not enjoy the journey, the scenery and experience? I don't want or plan to be a wimp but I am afraid I am not strong enough to do the uphill/downhill since I have only been able to shape-up in very flat mid-Ohio, USA. And I don't want the first days to set a negative tone in my heart and mind.
I had no idea what to expect on my first Camino...I started from SJPdP. It was very difficult. But, no amount of training in the Midwest (Indiana) could have prepared me. That being said, nothing, in my mind, will ever compare to those first few days of walking!!! So so beautiful. And definitely, if possible, reserve a bed at Orisson! Just go into it knowing you need to go slow...one foot in front of the other. You will not regret it! That is still the favorite part of all my Caminos! Good luck!
I read and become fearful of the first few days from St Pied de Porte. Several posts use descriptors such as "pain" "agony" "injuries". I am concerned that having injuries, serious blisters (even when following recommendations), overall exhaustion will last for days beyond the first week. I am as prepared as I can be. My question: is it awful to sometimes look for a bus or taxi rather than over-do and not enjoy the journey, the scenery and experience? I don't want or plan to be a wimp but I am afraid I am not strong enough to do the uphill/downhill since I have only been able to shape-up in very flat mid-Ohio, USA. And I don't want the first days to set a negative tone in my heart and mind.
 
I am not strong enough to do the uphill/downhill since I have only been able to shape-up in very flat mid-Ohio, USA
I too live in a very flat area. Before doing the SJPDP-Roncesvalles stage, I was as concerned as you are about my ability to do that section without setting up injuries id then carry along the route. In preparation, I did do some trips to hillier areas, but not many and not regularly.

I hit upon some articles by a runner called David Roche, who wins trail running races in mountainous areas despite himself living in a flat part of the US. He also coaches. His secret seems to be three key exercises that target the muscles you use on hills. The original article I read is now behind a paywall, but since then, he’s condensed that 5-minute workout into a 3-minute one. There’s a video. It’s really easy, and I do recommend at least giving it a look. I think it helped me. (I ended up being one of those who got to Orisson by 9am, when it was still in cloud, and I really wouldn’t have known what to do with a full day there! I loved the walk that day).

 
I read and become fearful of the first few days from St Pied de Porte. Several posts use descriptors such as "pain" "agony" "injuries". I am concerned that having injuries, serious blisters (even when following recommendations), overall exhaustion will last for days beyond the first week. I am as prepared as I can be. My question: is it awful to sometimes look for a bus or taxi rather than over-do and not enjoy the journey, the scenery and experience? I don't want or plan to be a wimp but I am afraid I am not strong enough to do the uphill/downhill since I have only been able to shape-up in very flat mid-Ohio, USA. And I don't want the first days to set a negative tone in my heart and mind.
I am from Oklahoma and I had the same concerns going into the first few days! However, I made it and I was not physically spent for the next few days, I was 69 yo when I walked the French way in 2019…
You will be fine, remember to lace your shoes or boots tightly before you leave in the morning, set your own pace and stick to it. Take breaks when you feel the need and pay attention to what your body tells you! If your feet hurt or burn, stop and remove your shoes and socks. If the socks are wet, replace them and dry your feet. Reapply what ever treatment you are using on your feet. Once your feet are dry, put on the dry socks and shoes and off you go…
You can do this!
 
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Bless your heart, SuziK. Do not allow fear or anxiety to dictate how you want to proceed. Lots of folks walk from St. Jean to Roncesvalles; some have their backpacks transported to help lighten their steps. Others only do half way to the Virgen de Orisson and then take a taxi back to St Jean for the night, and then taxi back to where they left off. Others stop at Orrison or Borda.


But if you want to try and see how it goes, here are some tips that may help.
--------------------------------

If a person has some level of cardio fitness, making it up a long uphill grade is a matter of pace, maintaining calorie intake, hydration, and utilizing meaningful breaks.

1. As you head uphill, adjust your pace to a comfortable level which you are able to maintain without needing to frequently stop and start. Frequent stops and starts adds to exhaustion. It doesn't matter if your pace is 4 miles per hour or 0.5 miles per hour. What matters is continuously walking between planned breaks.

Set a planned interval for a short and deliberate break -- say every 20 minutes, lasting for five minutes. Set your pace so that you can walk until reaching break time.

Setting your pace is a dynamic process, you need to adjust it as circumstances dictate. Please set your pace based on what you need, not on how you feel.

How do you maintain a pace at a set speed? My trick is to periodically check myself by silently humming a tune... the same tune.... which is easy to sync to each step I take. Don't laugh, but I use 'Hark The Herald Angles Sing'. It is NOT the speed of the tune that determines my pace, but my pace will determine the speed of the tune. Once that pace is determined, then you can use the speed of the tune to check yourself.

Some folks may view this as too formulaic or too rigid, but that is not the case. It is simply a tool to assist in understanding your body's rhythm while walking. The more familiar you become with your body's needs while hiking -- which happens as your experience grows -- the less need there is for such tricks like humming a tune.

As the grade uphill gets steeper and I need to slow, I don't necessarily slow how fast I take a step, I adjust the length of each step. In other words, in keeping time with my song, I might go from, say, 10 inches between one footstep to the next, to only 5 inches between steps. That will automatically slow how fast I am moving, and still keep me in step with my song.

Inexperienced folks will start out fast and try to maintain that pace because they are fresh, full of energy, and not at all tired. . .yet. They want to keep up with those in better shape. They are in a race for beds. They are worried about being caught in the rain. Whatever.

They will start to crump within a fairly short distance up the hill; and the crumping will become cumulative with each step, even if they slow down later, because they have burned through their energy producing stores with that initial fast pace. They not only will crump, but they are now going to stay in a state of depleted energy which only a very prolonged break can solve.

Start slower than what you feel is a normal pace for you. Let people pass you by, and see how that pace feels as you continue uphill. If you start feeling too out of breath, slow down. If your leg muscles start feeling too fatigued, slow down.

Also, keep the above tips and cautions in mind AFTER you take a break. You will feel refreshed and you will be tempted to start out faster than you should. RESIST that temptation. :)

2. At every short break time, eat something. Your stomach and GI tract can only process food at a specific rate of time, so you want to match your intake of food to that optimum time frame. Eating food at about the rate of 100 calorie increments every 20 to 30 minutes is a good time frame. A quarter of a Snicker bar and a bite of cheese, or a handful of trail mix, or a bit of bocadillo,or some Peanut M&Ms, or some energy gel with some nuts, etc. The idea is to replenish your energy producing stores that your muscles will need for the next 25 to 30 minutes.

In addition to hydrating during breaks, a good technique is to be sipping and drinking water while you are walking. You need to stay hydrated without overdoing water consumption.

3. If it starts to become very difficult to walk 20 minutes without stopping in between, then lengthen your break from 5 minutes to 8 minutes, or 10 minutes. Give your calorie intake a longer period to do its job, and for you to re-oxygenate and fuel your muscle cells. If you find that it fairly easy to walk 20 minutes before stopping, then add 5 more minutes to your walk time between breaks. Still fairly easy? Then keep adding 5 minutes to the interval before stopping. However, I would advise not going longer than 1 hour without taking a break. I usually break every 55 minutes or so.

4. It is understandable if you have some jitters about a physically demanding and prolonged walk up into the mountains or hills. Or even on less aggressive elevations.

Doubt may pierce your mind with a persistent whisper of "can I do this?" which forces one's mind and gut to focus on perceived inadequacies. Doubt doesn't wait for evidence of one's ability to perform, or to look at what actually will occur during your hike. Nope, all Doubt is concerned with, is making you feel inadequate and insecure.

So as you prepare for your Camino you can either let Doubt have its fun with you, or you can push Doubt to the background and tell it to, "Shut up; you just wait and see what I can do!!!".

I go through at least a portion of the above every time late winter eases into spring and I begin preparing for the coming backpacking season, especially for planned multi-week backpacking treks. I went through that for my first Camino in 2017. I am hearing those voices again this year as I am planning on a Camino this Fall.

I just simply respond to the question of 'Can I do this?', by answering "I am as prepared as I can be, I will be flexible to things happening around me, and regardless of what happens, life will continue on".

After all, I am not going into combat, or heading into a burning building; I am just going for a walk. :);)
Dave, I always enjoy your posts because I am always learning something new. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge!! Andrea
 
The first time I walked the Napoleon route I took the advice of the Pilgrim's Office and took the gentler path to the right for the descent into Roncesvalles. It seems that they always have a story of someone who sprained an ankle or broke a wrist when taking the steeper path in recent days.

It's the dotted line on this map from Gronze.com.

Screenshot_20220425-081709_Firefox.jpg
 
I read and become fearful of the first few days from St Pied de Porte. Several posts use descriptors such as "pain" "agony" "injuries". I am concerned that having injuries, serious blisters (even when following recommendations), overall exhaustion will last for days beyond the first week. I am as prepared as I can be. My question: is it awful to sometimes look for a bus or taxi rather than over-do and not enjoy the journey, the scenery and experience? I don't want or plan to be a wimp but I am afraid I am not strong enough to do the uphill/downhill since I have only been able to shape-up in very flat mid-Ohio, USA. And I don't want the first days to set a negative tone in my heart and mind.
Lots of good advice here to which I'll add one thing. Be gentle with your body, especially in the first week. If you get to Logroño without injury, you are probably good to go all the way to SdC.

There's a big difference between being tired (exhausted even) and being injured. Rest, nourishment and hydration can quickly conquer fatigue, but physical injury can end your Camino.

Focus on preventing injury. The most likely injury is blisters. Next most probably are muscle cramps (back and legs) or joint pain (hips, knees, ankles).

If you feel something beginning to hurt, stop and attend to it. Pain is a warning. Don't tough it out by trying to walk through the pain.

Don't let a hot spot turn into a big blister. Stop immediately and deal with it (a bit of tape and a change of socks can do wonders). If your muscles or joints start to hurt, stop to rest And STRETCH. If the pain doesn't go away when you start walking again, seriously consider taking a taxi to that night's destination.

"Just keep walking" is helpful advice, but to keep walking you must avoid injury.

Good luck. 😀
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
I too live in a very flat area. Before doing the SJPDP-Roncesvalles stage, I was as concerned as you are about my ability to do that section without setting up injuries id then carry along the route. In preparation, I did do some trips to hillier areas, but not many and not regularly.

I hit upon some articles by a runner called David Roche, who wins trail running races in mountainous areas despite himself living in a flat part of the US. He also coaches. His secret seems to be three key exercises that target the muscles you use on hills. The original article I read is now behind a paywall, but since then, he’s condensed that 5-minute workout into a 3-minute one. There’s a video. It’s really easy, and I do recommend at least giving it a look. I think it helped me. (I ended up being one of those who got to Orisson by 9am, when it was still in cloud, and I really wouldn’t have known what to do with a full day there! I loved the walk that day).

Thanks, watched the video however it only shows 2 exercises. Do you remember what the 3rd is??
 
Thanks, watched the video however it only shows 2 exercises. Do you remember what the 3rd is??
Ah! He’s summarised the original ones and cut out the forward lunge. I’ve found his YouTube channel and there are in fact four videos there, from his original five-minute workout. They’re at the bottom of the list here, with him in the neon green top and matching shorts. I’ll attach a screenshot too for clarity.
 

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The body has an amazing capacity to recover. You can feel awful in bed at night - throbbing feet and all - and be fine by morning. Just take it slowly. Break up that stage by staying in Orisson.

The Valcarlos route (some are erroneously calling it the 'lower route') has about the same overall elevation gain, but mostly at the end. It has much less downhill. You can break that one into two as well, by staying in Valcarlos.
 
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Bless your heart, SuziK. Do not allow fear or anxiety to dictate how you want to proceed. Lots of folks walk from St. Jean to Roncesvalles; some have their backpacks transported to help lighten their steps. Others only do half way to the Virgen de Orisson and then take a taxi back to St Jean for the night, and then taxi back to where they left off. Others stop at Orrison or Borda.


But if you want to try and see how it goes, here are some tips that may help.
--------------------------------

If a person has some level of cardio fitness, making it up a long uphill grade is a matter of pace, maintaining calorie intake, hydration, and utilizing meaningful breaks.

1. As you head uphill, adjust your pace to a comfortable level which you are able to maintain without needing to frequently stop and start. Frequent stops and starts adds to exhaustion. It doesn't matter if your pace is 4 miles per hour or 0.5 miles per hour. What matters is continuously walking between planned breaks.

Set a planned interval for a short and deliberate break -- say every 20 minutes, lasting for five minutes. Set your pace so that you can walk until reaching break time.

Setting your pace is a dynamic process, you need to adjust it as circumstances dictate. Please set your pace based on what you need, not on how you feel.

How do you maintain a pace at a set speed? My trick is to periodically check myself by silently humming a tune... the same tune.... which is easy to sync to each step I take. Don't laugh, but I use 'Hark The Herald Angles Sing'. It is NOT the speed of the tune that determines my pace, but my pace will determine the speed of the tune. Once that pace is determined, then you can use the speed of the tune to check yourself.

Some folks may view this as too formulaic or too rigid, but that is not the case. It is simply a tool to assist in understanding your body's rhythm while walking. The more familiar you become with your body's needs while hiking -- which happens as your experience grows -- the less need there is for such tricks like humming a tune.

As the grade uphill gets steeper and I need to slow, I don't necessarily slow how fast I take a step, I adjust the length of each step. In other words, in keeping time with my song, I might go from, say, 10 inches between one footstep to the next, to only 5 inches between steps. That will automatically slow how fast I am moving, and still keep me in step with my song.

Inexperienced folks will start out fast and try to maintain that pace because they are fresh, full of energy, and not at all tired. . .yet. They want to keep up with those in better shape. They are in a race for beds. They are worried about being caught in the rain. Whatever.

They will start to crump within a fairly short distance up the hill; and the crumping will become cumulative with each step, even if they slow down later, because they have burned through their energy producing stores with that initial fast pace. They not only will crump, but they are now going to stay in a state of depleted energy which only a very prolonged break can solve.

Start slower than what you feel is a normal pace for you. Let people pass you by, and see how that pace feels as you continue uphill. If you start feeling too out of breath, slow down. If your leg muscles start feeling too fatigued, slow down.

Also, keep the above tips and cautions in mind AFTER you take a break. You will feel refreshed and you will be tempted to start out faster than you should. RESIST that temptation. :)

2. At every short break time, eat something. Your stomach and GI tract can only process food at a specific rate of time, so you want to match your intake of food to that optimum time frame. Eating food at about the rate of 100 calorie increments every 20 to 30 minutes is a good time frame. A quarter of a Snicker bar and a bite of cheese, or a handful of trail mix, or a bit of bocadillo,or some Peanut M&Ms, or some energy gel with some nuts, etc. The idea is to replenish your energy producing stores that your muscles will need for the next 25 to 30 minutes.

In addition to hydrating during breaks, a good technique is to be sipping and drinking water while you are walking. You need to stay hydrated without overdoing water consumption.

3. If it starts to become very difficult to walk 20 minutes without stopping in between, then lengthen your break from 5 minutes to 8 minutes, or 10 minutes. Give your calorie intake a longer period to do its job, and for you to re-oxygenate and fuel your muscle cells. If you find that it fairly easy to walk 20 minutes before stopping, then add 5 more minutes to your walk time between breaks. Still fairly easy? Then keep adding 5 minutes to the interval before stopping. However, I would advise not going longer than 1 hour without taking a break. I usually break every 55 minutes or so.

4. It is understandable if you have some jitters about a physically demanding and prolonged walk up into the mountains or hills. Or even on less aggressive elevations.

Doubt may pierce your mind with a persistent whisper of "can I do this?" which forces one's mind and gut to focus on perceived inadequacies. Doubt doesn't wait for evidence of one's ability to perform, or to look at what actually will occur during your hike. Nope, all Doubt is concerned with, is making you feel inadequate and insecure.

So as you prepare for your Camino you can either let Doubt have its fun with you, or you can push Doubt to the background and tell it to, "Shut up; you just wait and see what I can do!!!".

I go through at least a portion of the above every time late winter eases into spring and I begin preparing for the coming backpacking season, especially for planned multi-week backpacking treks. I went through that for my first Camino in 2017. I am hearing those voices again this year as I am planning on a Camino this Fall.

I just simply respond to the question of 'Can I do this?', by answering "I am as prepared as I can be, I will be flexible to things happening around me, and regardless of what happens, life will continue on".

After all, I am not going into combat, or heading into a burning building; I am just going for a walk. :);)
This is one of the best responses! Thank you! This is what I needed to read today buen camino!
 
Just to add some context to my posts above, about the mountain leg exercises and my feeling that they helped me, as well as my reaching Orisson at 9am, etc… I also closely followed the advice @davebugg provides above. I have a health issue and can’t afford to take chances so there was a lot of stopping when necessary, careful pacing, food as needed, electrolytes in my water, and of course good socks and shoes etc. I am incredibly grateful that, come the day, my preparations and approach paid off. I did ship my heavier stuff forward to Roncesvalles that day too; I bought a little bag at the Lidl in SJPDP and used the albergue’s recommended courier. If you can leave at 7am, you should have time to take it at your own pace. And as others have said, you won’t be alone, so help is always nearby if need be. I was surprised by the little vans going back and forth to far beyond Orisson! Anyway, I do hope you have a wonderful experience of it!
 
I had no idea what to expect on my first Camino...I started from SJPdP. It was very difficult. But, no amount of training in the Midwest (Indiana) could have prepared me. That being said, nothing, in my mind, will ever compare to those first few days of walking!!! So so beautiful. And definitely, if possible, reserve a bed at Orisson! Just go into it knowing you need to go slow...one foot in front of the other. You will not regret it! That is still the favorite part of all my Caminos! Good luck!
Hey fellow Hoosier! 👋🏻
 
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Bless your heart, SuziK. Do not allow fear or anxiety to dictate how you want to proceed. Lots of folks walk from St. Jean to Roncesvalles; some have their backpacks transported to help lighten their steps. Others only do half way to the Virgen de Orisson and then take a taxi back to St Jean for the night, and then taxi back to where they left off. Others stop at Orrison or Borda.


But if you want to try and see how it goes, here are some tips that may help.
--------------------------------

If a person has some level of cardio fitness, making it up a long uphill grade is a matter of pace, maintaining calorie intake, hydration, and utilizing meaningful breaks.

1. As you head uphill, adjust your pace to a comfortable level which you are able to maintain without needing to frequently stop and start. Frequent stops and starts adds to exhaustion. It doesn't matter if your pace is 4 miles per hour or 0.5 miles per hour. What matters is continuously walking between planned breaks.

Set a planned interval for a short and deliberate break -- say every 20 minutes, lasting for five minutes. Set your pace so that you can walk until reaching break time.

Setting your pace is a dynamic process, you need to adjust it as circumstances dictate. Please set your pace based on what you need, not on how you feel.

How do you maintain a pace at a set speed? My trick is to periodically check myself by silently humming a tune... the same tune.... which is easy to sync to each step I take. Don't laugh, but I use 'Hark The Herald Angles Sing'. It is NOT the speed of the tune that determines my pace, but my pace will determine the speed of the tune. Once that pace is determined, then you can use the speed of the tune to check yourself.

Some folks may view this as too formulaic or too rigid, but that is not the case. It is simply a tool to assist in understanding your body's rhythm while walking. The more familiar you become with your body's needs while hiking -- which happens as your experience grows -- the less need there is for such tricks like humming a tune.

As the grade uphill gets steeper and I need to slow, I don't necessarily slow how fast I take a step, I adjust the length of each step. In other words, in keeping time with my song, I might go from, say, 10 inches between one footstep to the next, to only 5 inches between steps. That will automatically slow how fast I am moving, and still keep me in step with my song.

Inexperienced folks will start out fast and try to maintain that pace because they are fresh, full of energy, and not at all tired. . .yet. They want to keep up with those in better shape. They are in a race for beds. They are worried about being caught in the rain. Whatever.

They will start to crump within a fairly short distance up the hill; and the crumping will become cumulative with each step, even if they slow down later, because they have burned through their energy producing stores with that initial fast pace. They not only will crump, but they are now going to stay in a state of depleted energy which only a very prolonged break can solve.

Start slower than what you feel is a normal pace for you. Let people pass you by, and see how that pace feels as you continue uphill. If you start feeling too out of breath, slow down. If your leg muscles start feeling too fatigued, slow down.

Also, keep the above tips and cautions in mind AFTER you take a break. You will feel refreshed and you will be tempted to start out faster than you should. RESIST that temptation. :)

2. At every short break time, eat something. Your stomach and GI tract can only process food at a specific rate of time, so you want to match your intake of food to that optimum time frame. Eating food at about the rate of 100 calorie increments every 20 to 30 minutes is a good time frame. A quarter of a Snicker bar and a bite of cheese, or a handful of trail mix, or a bit of bocadillo,or some Peanut M&Ms, or some energy gel with some nuts, etc. The idea is to replenish your energy producing stores that your muscles will need for the next 25 to 30 minutes.

In addition to hydrating during breaks, a good technique is to be sipping and drinking water while you are walking. You need to stay hydrated without overdoing water consumption.

3. If it starts to become very difficult to walk 20 minutes without stopping in between, then lengthen your break from 5 minutes to 8 minutes, or 10 minutes. Give your calorie intake a longer period to do its job, and for you to re-oxygenate and fuel your muscle cells. If you find that it fairly easy to walk 20 minutes before stopping, then add 5 more minutes to your walk time between breaks. Still fairly easy? Then keep adding 5 minutes to the interval before stopping. However, I would advise not going longer than 1 hour without taking a break. I usually break every 55 minutes or so.

4. It is understandable if you have some jitters about a physically demanding and prolonged walk up into the mountains or hills. Or even on less aggressive elevations.

Doubt may pierce your mind with a persistent whisper of "can I do this?" which forces one's mind and gut to focus on perceived inadequacies. Doubt doesn't wait for evidence of one's ability to perform, or to look at what actually will occur during your hike. Nope, all Doubt is concerned with, is making you feel inadequate and insecure.

So as you prepare for your Camino you can either let Doubt have its fun with you, or you can push Doubt to the background and tell it to, "Shut up; you just wait and see what I can do!!!".

I go through at least a portion of the above every time late winter eases into spring and I begin preparing for the coming backpacking season, especially for planned multi-week backpacking treks. I went through that for my first Camino in 2017. I am hearing those voices again this year as I am planning on a Camino this Fall.

I just simply respond to the question of 'Can I do this?', by answering "I am as prepared as I can be, I will be flexible to things happening around me, and regardless of what happens, life will continue on".

After all, I am not going into combat, or heading into a burning building; I am just going for a walk. :);)
This is wonderful and good advice. Thank you.
 
Lots of great advice here. I'm a slow climber myself. If you start the same day I do on any stage with uphill, you're sure to pass me!

Just one thing to add: it can be such a relief to reach the top of the pass that it's easy to forget the rest of the walk. I make sure to bring enough food and water for the entire trip, and whenever I notice myself losing concentration on the descent - shaky legs, tripping on little things, I stop to eat and drink something. That's when people are more likely to get injured.
 
I read and become fearful of the first few days from St Pied de Porte. Several posts use descriptors such as "pain" "agony" "injuries". I am concerned that having injuries, serious blisters (even when following recommendations), overall exhaustion will last for days beyond the first week. I am as prepared as I can be. My question: is it awful to sometimes look for a bus or taxi rather than over-do and not enjoy the journey, the scenery and experience? I don't want or plan to be a wimp but I am afraid I am not strong enough to do the uphill/downhill since I have only been able to shape-up in very flat mid-Ohio, USA. And I don't want the first days to set a negative tone in my heart and mind.
Bless I had to take a week off at Leon because of a calf injury , not too sure how that came about , so went back to the UK, with prices cheap and only being a couple of hours I returned last Thursday and dome 100km in the past 4 days .. yes take it easy pending how long you have given yourself as the camino is a long trail and everyone has experienced some form of pain so if you not got a first aid kit get one with pain killers , blister patches and even some cream for your leg muscles , though prices are three or four times the price as in the UK.
 
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@SuziK Shortly before my first Camino I realized that neither I nor my mother, with whom I was walking, were fit enough for that first stage from St Jean Pied de Port. Both of us had been dealing with some health challenges, and despite training as much as possible I was worried. Then one day I suddenly thought, "You know, we could just start from Roncesvalles, lots do". As soon as that thought entered my head, it was like a huge weight lifted from my shoulders. I hadn't realized quite how worried I was. We had already booked everything up to St Jean, so we didn't change our travel plans but booked Express Bourricot to take us over to Roncesvalles. There is also a bus. We then stayed the night in Roncesvalles and attended the pilgrim's mass there, a lovely send-off at the start of our Camino. And we set off the next morning. Roncesvalles is a really special place, and it felt so right to be starting from there. We have done so three times now and would do so again. To me it feels like the start of the Camino Francés. And there are still plenty of hills to cross!

So as others have said, if you start slowly and gently and are reasonably fit you should be ok starting from St Jean, but if you are worried, don't feel you have to start walking from there. Roncesvalles is just as valid a starting point, and many do start there, especially Spanish people, as well as from Pamplona or further on. I would always recommend Roncesvalles as a beautiful starting point for the Camino Francés.

And no, there is absolutely nothing wrong with taking a bus or taxi when you need to, except within the last 100km before Santiago - and you'll be a seasoned walker by then!

Whatever you decide - Buen Camino!
Thank you! It is helpful to hear from people who understand!
 
Wow, such good advice above!

My 2 cents. Jitters are super normal and I think made worse by overthinking. You sound really prepared prepared so try focus on other things than the fear. You’re going to be more than fine, you’re going on a beautiful walk!

The only reason I didn’t hop back on the train at St Jean was because I had spent a fortune on my bag and shoes and I had rented out my flat.

I started off alone but a chatty French pilgrim caught me up. I was so busy trying to remember pasé composé that I forgot that I was unfit and terrified and next minute I was at the little caravan thing half way up. Rewarded myself with some tea and a chocolate and the rest of the day was fine.

Try focus on the fun bits, the beauty and have some treats as motivation. And if it’s too much, split the route, take a bus, send your bag ahead, have a rest day. It’s your Camino and you can do it however works for you.

Hope you have a fantastic time! I’m jealous. Don’t let fear spoil it for you. Buen Camino y animo
 
Ah! He’s summarised the original ones and cut out the forward lunge. I’ve found his YouTube channel and there are in fact four videos there, from his original five-minute workout. They’re at the bottom of the list here, with him in the neon green top and matching shorts. I’ll attach a screenshot too for clarity.
Thanks
 
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€46,-
Wow, such good advice above!

My 2 cents. Jitters are super normal and I think made worse by overthinking. You sound really prepared prepared so try focus on other things than the fear. You’re going to be more than fine, you’re going on a beautiful walk!

The only reason I didn’t hop back on the train at St Jean was because I had spent a fortune on my bag and shoes and I had rented out my flat.

I started off alone but a chatty French pilgrim caught me up. I was so busy trying to remember pasé composé that I forgot that I was unfit and terrified and next minute I was at the little caravan thing half way up. Rewarded myself with some tea and a chocolate and the rest of the day was fine.

Try focus on the fun bits, the beauty and have some treats as motivation. And if it’s too much, split the route, take a bus, send your bag ahead, have a rest day. It’s your Camino and you can do it however works for you.

Hope you have a fantastic time! I’m jealous. Don’t let fear spoil it for you. Buen Camino y animo
Thank you - your experience is helpful, I need to remember to find joy in each moment.
 
I had a few panic attacks last summer in the weeks leading up to flying out. Was this really what I wanted to do or was it something I had convinced myself I wanted to do? I had wanted to walk Camino for more than 20 years and it was finally happening!!! Terrifying!
It all worked out. I stupidly did not give myself a couple of days to get over the jet lag so I was very tired after flying in from North America the day before heading up the mountain from SJPdP. But, I had sensibly given myself permission before getting on the plane to bail at Orisson if I needed to. I did need to, I was too tired to eat and therefore too tired to walk. I ended up taking two taxis on my Camino and I do not feel badly about it. It's a very long walk, every single day. I loved every minute of it and learned over the month how to pace myself and when to just sit down by the side of the trail, take my shoes and socks off and just relax for 15 minutes.
Everyone will tell you to listen to your body. It's annoyingly correct. It's your Camino and you can do it.
 
Bless your heart, SuziK. Do not allow fear or anxiety to dictate how you want to proceed. Lots of folks walk from St. Jean to Roncesvalles; some have their backpacks transported to help lighten their steps. Others only do half way to the Virgen de Orisson and then take a taxi back to St Jean for the night, and then taxi back to where they left off. Others stop at Orrison or Borda.


But if you want to try and see how it goes, here are some tips that may help.
--------------------------------

If a person has some level of cardio fitness, making it up a long uphill grade is a matter of pace, maintaining calorie intake, hydration, and utilizing meaningful breaks.

1. As you head uphill, adjust your pace to a comfortable level which you are able to maintain without needing to frequently stop and start. Frequent stops and starts adds to exhaustion. It doesn't matter if your pace is 4 miles per hour or 0.5 miles per hour. What matters is continuously walking between planned breaks.

Set a planned interval for a short and deliberate break -- say every 20 minutes, lasting for five minutes. Set your pace so that you can walk until reaching break time.

Setting your pace is a dynamic process, you need to adjust it as circumstances dictate. Please set your pace based on what you need, not on how you feel.

How do you maintain a pace at a set speed? My trick is to periodically check myself by silently humming a tune... the same tune.... which is easy to sync to each step I take. Don't laugh, but I use 'Hark The Herald Angles Sing'. It is NOT the speed of the tune that determines my pace, but my pace will determine the speed of the tune. Once that pace is determined, then you can use the speed of the tune to check yourself.

Some folks may view this as too formulaic or too rigid, but that is not the case. It is simply a tool to assist in understanding your body's rhythm while walking. The more familiar you become with your body's needs while hiking -- which happens as your experience grows -- the less need there is for such tricks like humming a tune.

As the grade uphill gets steeper and I need to slow, I don't necessarily slow how fast I take a step, I adjust the length of each step. In other words, in keeping time with my song, I might go from, say, 10 inches between one footstep to the next, to only 5 inches between steps. That will automatically slow how fast I am moving, and still keep me in step with my song.

Inexperienced folks will start out fast and try to maintain that pace because they are fresh, full of energy, and not at all tired. . .yet. They want to keep up with those in better shape. They are in a race for beds. They are worried about being caught in the rain. Whatever.

They will start to crump within a fairly short distance up the hill; and the crumping will become cumulative with each step, even if they slow down later, because they have burned through their energy producing stores with that initial fast pace. They not only will crump, but they are now going to stay in a state of depleted energy which only a very prolonged break can solve.

Start slower than what you feel is a normal pace for you. Let people pass you by, and see how that pace feels as you continue uphill. If you start feeling too out of breath, slow down. If your leg muscles start feeling too fatigued, slow down.

Also, keep the above tips and cautions in mind AFTER you take a break. You will feel refreshed and you will be tempted to start out faster than you should. RESIST that temptation. :)

2. At every short break time, eat something. Your stomach and GI tract can only process food at a specific rate of time, so you want to match your intake of food to that optimum time frame. Eating food at about the rate of 100 calorie increments every 20 to 30 minutes is a good time frame. A quarter of a Snicker bar and a bite of cheese, or a handful of trail mix, or a bit of bocadillo,or some Peanut M&Ms, or some energy gel with some nuts, etc. The idea is to replenish your energy producing stores that your muscles will need for the next 25 to 30 minutes.

In addition to hydrating during breaks, a good technique is to be sipping and drinking water while you are walking. You need to stay hydrated without overdoing water consumption.

3. If it starts to become very difficult to walk 20 minutes without stopping in between, then lengthen your break from 5 minutes to 8 minutes, or 10 minutes. Give your calorie intake a longer period to do its job, and for you to re-oxygenate and fuel your muscle cells. If you find that it fairly easy to walk 20 minutes before stopping, then add 5 more minutes to your walk time between breaks. Still fairly easy? Then keep adding 5 minutes to the interval before stopping. However, I would advise not going longer than 1 hour without taking a break. I usually break every 55 minutes or so.

4. It is understandable if you have some jitters about a physically demanding and prolonged walk up into the mountains or hills. Or even on less aggressive elevations.

Doubt may pierce your mind with a persistent whisper of "can I do this?" which forces one's mind and gut to focus on perceived inadequacies. Doubt doesn't wait for evidence of one's ability to perform, or to look at what actually will occur during your hike. Nope, all Doubt is concerned with, is making you feel inadequate and insecure.

So as you prepare for your Camino you can either let Doubt have its fun with you, or you can push Doubt to the background and tell it to, "Shut up; you just wait and see what I can do!!!".

I go through at least a portion of the above every time late winter eases into spring and I begin preparing for the coming backpacking season, especially for planned multi-week backpacking treks. I went through that for my first Camino in 2017. I am hearing those voices again this year as I am planning on a Camino this Fall.

I just simply respond to the question of 'Can I do this?', by answering "I am as prepared as I can be, I will be flexible to things happening around me, and regardless of what happens, life will continue on".

After all, I am not going into combat, or heading into a burning building; I am just going for a walk. :);)
Love this! So helpful and practical. Thank you @davebugg
 
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I read and become fearful of the first few days from St Pied de Porte. Several posts use descriptors such as "pain" "agony" "injuries". I am concerned that having injuries, serious blisters (even when following recommendations), overall exhaustion will last for days beyond the first week. I am as prepared as I can be. My question: is it awful to sometimes look for a bus or taxi rather than over-do and not enjoy the journey, the scenery and experience? I don't want or plan to be a wimp but I am afraid I am not strong enough to do the uphill/downhill since I have only been able to shape-up in very flat mid-Ohio, USA. And I don't want the first days to set a negative tone in my heart and mind.
It is not awful to use other transport. I thought about it this way.... if an early Pilgrim was offered a donkey ride, do you think they would have said "No thanks. I am a pilgrim" ?? 😃
 
I had a few panic attacks last summer in the weeks leading up to flying out. Was this really what I wanted to do or was it something I had convinced myself I wanted to do? I had wanted to walk Camino for more than 20 years and it was finally happening!!! Terrifying!
It all worked out. I stupidly did not give myself a couple of days to get over the jet lag so I was very tired after flying in from North America the day before heading up the mountain from SJPdP. But, I had sensibly given myself permission before getting on the plane to bail at Orisson if I needed to. I did need to, I was too tired to eat and therefore too tired to walk. I ended up taking two taxis on my Camino and I do not feel badly about it. It's a very long walk, every single day. I loved every minute of it and learned over the month how to pace myself and when to just sit down by the side of the trail, take my shoes and socks off and just relax for 15 minutes.
Everyone will tell you to listen to your body. It's annoyingly correct. It's your Camino and you can do it.
Thank you. I just got here and start today. Like you at some point I gave myself an ok to take taxi or bus if needed, especially first few days since all the walking in Ohio is flat. Your tale of permission is reassuring- I was telling myself it’s ok, maturity means it is my journey and I’m not proving I can climb mountains. I’m here after 8 years of caring for my mom with Alzheimer’s, she died last November. Just to be in peace, hoping to rediscover myself now that not a caregiver and not a daughter.
Thank you for your thoughts
 
In 2016 I used the services of Express bourricot to drive me up to Croix Thibault. That way I did not have most of the ascend, but I got the experience of crossing the Pyrenees. I also used the way to the right down to Roncevalles - the one that is a little bit longer but not that steep. This worked well for me, and mad the start a good one. Bringing me back for more!

Buen Camino!

Edited to add: the camino gave me the confidence that I now know I can get up almost any hill (not including climbing) if i just take it my own pace and my own time. I have become a hiker 🥰
 
Last edited:
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.
In 2016 I used the services of Express bourricot to drive me up to Croix Thibault. That way I did not have most of the ascend, but I got the experience of crossing the Pyrenees. I also used the way to the right down to Roncevalles - the one that is a little bit longer but not that steep. This worked well for me, and mad the start a good one. Bringing me back for more!

Buen Camino!

Edited to add: the camino gave me the confidence that I now know I can get up almost any hill (not including climbing) if i just take it my own pace and my own time. I have become a hiker 🥰
MilenaS,
That confidence which you now feel will endure. If as you wrote you do
"take it my own pace and my own time" many of the problems of ordinary life will be much easier.
 
MilenaS,
That confidence which you now feel will endure. If as you wrote you do
"take it my own pace and my own time" many of the problems of ordinary life will be much easier.

Oh so true! The 2016 Camino changed so much for me! Even though it was just 10 days it just gave me so much. I went back for another 10 days in 2017. Now I am going back on May 14th and I just can't wait.

I heard a pilgrim in one of the documentaries say something along the lines: just knowing that the Camino is out there for me, that I can return if/when I need it, is such a safety in life.

This resonates with me so much. Sorry for "derailing" your thread @SuziK, but I really understand your jitters. Something similar almost made me not go on the Camino. But "taking a shortcut" made it possible for me, and I am forever grateful as I would not be without this experience!
 
I read and become fearful of the first few days from St Pied de Porte. Several posts use descriptors such as "pain" "agony" "injuries". I am concerned that having injuries, serious blisters (even when following recommendations), overall exhaustion will last for days beyond the first week. I am as prepared as I can be. My question: is it awful to sometimes look for a bus or taxi rather than over-do and not enjoy the journey, the scenery and experience? I don't want or plan to be a wimp but I am afraid I am not strong enough to do the uphill/downhill since I have only been able to shape-up in very flat mid-Ohio, USA. And I don't want the first days to set a negative tone in my heart and mind.
 
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.
Before my first Camino I read that that first day over the Pyrenees is the hardest day. So I figured if I could do that day I could do the rest.
It was the hardest …but the most amazing and one of the most rewarding days of my whole Camino.
I think I walked about 2 K before and I was already puffing and panting and resting. How was I going to do the rest?
Slowly … with lots of stops …. Taking of my socks and shoes at longer stops to air and rest my feet … listening to my favourite inspiring music … one step at a time …. slowly.
And then came the rewards towards the top of the mountain. The shrine to Mary. The beautiful mountain ponies. The vultures wheeling overhead. The most amazing views. Blue skies. The sheer beauty of it all. Unforgettable.
Start early, go slowly, travel light.
As long as the weather is good it is so worth it.
I was 56 at the time. I have a friend who walked that route at age 60 through appalling weather.
Go for it.
 
Thank you. I just got here and start today. Like you at some point I gave myself an ok to take taxi or bus if needed, especially first few days since all the walking in Ohio is flat. Your tale of permission is reassuring- I was telling myself it’s ok, maturity means it is my journey and I’m not proving I can climb mountains. I’m here after 8 years of caring for my mom with Alzheimer’s, she died last November. Just to be in peace, hoping to rediscover myself now that not a caregiver and not a daughter.
Thank you for your thoughts
I hope you are doing will after your first week! You can do it. Every region on Camino is so incredibly beautiful and everyone is more kind and helpful than I ever imagined possible. It is the perfect place to heal your soul. Buen Camino!
 

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