LIVE from the Camino Leaving in 1wk!

[kat323]

Hello!

I'll be heading out for the Camino Frances by next Friday (and hopefully continuing on to Finisterre from Santiago). I'm having so many emotions/thoughts - excited, nervous, happy, do I have enough underwear, and so forth.

Any last minute mental advice for a newbie pilgrim?

Also, along the way, is there wifi in some cafés?...just so I can let family/friends know I'm okay.

What's the weather like right now? Shall I go ahead and permethrin treat all my belongings to ward off bedbugs?

Sorry, lots of questions. I've found answers to some on this forum, but most a big dated.

I'll also be traveling solo, so if there's anyone that is departing from SJPP next Friday morning, let me know! Or if there are any Americans from the southeast region heading out there - let me know, too!

Looking forward to this journey...it's been a couple years in the making.

Cheers,

Kat

 

[wimamkreutz]

Don't worry, Just walk, everything will be ok. Buen Camino!

 

[xin loi]

WIFI is not everywhere. Couple times we did 4 days without wifi. Don't rush. It's not a very hard walk, but 30+ days wears some people down while others just get stronger. If Neil Armstrong could walk to the moon, you can walk up these hills.

 

[lettinggo]

Hola

Get yourself to your starting point with an open mind and take it a day at the time.
Go slow the first week and adjust to what your body is telling you.
Have a great walk.

Buen Camino
Lettinggo

 

[kat323]

Thank you for all these great tips and advice!

I have found myself breaking down miles and numbers and days on paper just to make sure I cover the whole Camino Frances in my time frame...trying to make an itinerary for this walk was stressing me out. Letting go is good advice (and hard to do).

Will do my best! Just soaking up some quality time with my brand new niece before I go.

Kat

 

[Gazelle2]

Kat Having just completed The Camino in 30 days my advice would be to take each day as it comes , I actually according to my gps,walked 508 miles in total,I just walked each distance every day and never thought about the end goal as it seems so far off at the beginning.
What I would say is I never felt alone and had a wonderful time and met some great free spirited people along the way.
Keep an eye on your feet ,the minute you feel rubbing burning or a change in them deal with it immediately,it will more than likely be a blister which if not dealt with could become a real issue as thousands of people who walk The Camino will testify.I never got one as took appropriate action by covering the sore area with a compeed or plaster before it became a blister.You will soon get to know what I mean.
Lastly take your boots off each time you stop to give your feet and socks a chance to dry off you will be amazed the difference it makes trust me,as damp socks cause friction within your boot as you walk ,which in turn causes blisters
Good luck.

 

[David]

" I'm having so many emotions/thoughts - excited, nervous, happy, do I have enough underwear, and so forth."

Hello Kat - yes, completely normal mind activity - that trying to be prepared for everything, that trying to predict what will be happening and control it - perfectly normal!
But here is the thing, the 'mental advice' - the Camino, your Camino ... it is not controllable, it is out of your control! It will just happen, unfold ... so, the mental thing? Let go, don't try to control it, don't try to predict it - just go with it. Take care of your body (especially your feet), take care of your equipment, carry some food and water and just sort of amble along wondering what will happen next.

You will see many pilgrims out there who are not living the moment but living the future - how far will I walk, where will I stay, should I book a room, will there be a bed ... and this is fear, fear of not being able to control things ... so they get up in the dark and rush along and their Camino can turn into torture (though they most likely won't know this) ...
then there are the other pilgrims, who amble along, enjoying things as they happen, regularly stopping to take their boots and socks off and look at the view, look back to where they were hours ago and marvel at how far they have come. Those who stop for ages just to watch some ponies moving along the skyline, to play with a village cat .... they cover the same distances, they find a bed - the difference is that they are in the Now - be that sort of pilgrim

Buen Camino!!!

p.s. - yes, you have too much underwear - take only what you need, not what you think you might need.

 

[taozenqi]

" I'm having so many emotions/thoughts - excited, nervous, happy, do I have enough underwear, and so forth."

Hello Kat - yes, completely normal mind activity - that trying to be prepared for everything, that trying to predict what will be happening and control it - perfectly normal!
But here is the thing, the 'mental advice' - the Camino, your Camino ... it is not controllable, it is out of your control! It will just happen, unfold ... so, the mental thing? Let go, don't try to control it, don't try to predict it - just go with it. Take care of your body (especially your feet), take care of your equipment, carry some food and water and just sort of amble along wondering what will happen next.

You will see many pilgrims out there who are not living the moment but living the future - how far will I walk, where will I stay, should I book a room, will there be a bed ... and this is fear, fear of not being able to control things ... so they get up in the dark and rush along and their Camino can turn into torture (though they most likely won't know this) ...
then there are the other pilgrims, who amble along, enjoying things as they happen, regularly stopping to take their boots and socks off and look at the view, look back to where they were hours ago and marvel at how far they have come. Those who stop for ages just to watch some ponies moving along the skyline, to play with a village cat .... they cover the same distances, they find a bed - the difference is that they are in the Now - be that sort of pilgrim
Buen Camino!!
p.s. - yes, you have too much underwear - take only what you need, not what you think you might need
[/QUOTE
Thanks David, wonderful reminder of how to leave the desire to control and the burden of fear behind. May we be so blessed as to walk the Way and to stroll through Life with such awareness.
p.s. - and underwear is highly overrated!