Live in Milwaukie, OR and planning a Camino pilgrimage hopefully in 2019

[J&Jgoingthedistance]

My name is Janet and I walked a half marathon in June of this year in the Wilsonville area and meet a woman, I believed her name was Vicky (I did not get her last name) who shared with me her plans to walk the Camino trail in Sept-October of this year. As she shared this information with me, I found myself drawn to wanting to learn more about the Camino and to look into whether this was a journey I could take. I shared with my significant other my experience of meeting Vicky and this new desire to experience this journey for myself. I found that my boyfriend was extremely interested as well. So, we are wanting to learn more about this pilgrimage and get to know other people in the Portland area who have done the journey. (And Vicky, if you happen to see this, I would love to reconnect and follow your journey this Fall. Meeting you impacted me greatly and I thank you.)

 

[tomnorth]

It’s funny, I often tell people that walking the Camino is like walking a half marathon a day for 38 days in a row. There is a wealth of information in these forums. I suggest searching things out you’re particularly wondering about. Chances are if you’ve got questions, they’ve been dealt with here many times over. Fair warning...once you’ve been bitten by the Camino bug, you’ll have it for life!

 

[Holly Mitchem]

American Pilgrims on the Camino has a very active Portland chapter with monthly hikes and potlucks. You can find them online. Buen Camino!

 

[Deleted member 67185]

Hello, J&J, and a warm welcome to the Forum Below are a couple of links which may be of help as you begin

Portland Oregon chapter of American Pilgrims on the Camino (APOC)

FAQs about a pilgrimage on a Camino

The good news is, you are in a forum with a wonderful group of people. Most are here to help people like you to achieve their pilgrimage goals. We can offer you encouragement, knowledge, and point you in the direction that will help you help yourself.

My suggestion to start is this:

1. Take a deep breath. Write down in large letters the reasons why you want to go on Camino. Place that piece of paper where you can see it every day. That way, if anxieties and fears threaten to overwhelm you as you plan, you can just breath, read what you have written, and focus on those reasons until the negative stuff fades.
2. Make a list of questions and concerns that you have.
3. Go to the Search Engine at the top of the Forum pages.
4. Enter the words or phrase that you want more information about. You will get a huge amount of information to explore.
5. If you find that you need help with anything, post a new thread so that your question or concern can be readily seen. If you post a question within someone else's thread, you won't receive as big of a response.
6. Remember that perfect timing as it relates to how you feel, scheduling, and day to day life issues, seldom align themselves perfectly. If one waits for such to occur, doing something like a pilgrimage will always be in danger of taking a back seat while you wait for that perfect alignment to happen.

 

[tomnorth]

Hello, J&J, and a warm welcome to the Forum Below are a couple of links which may be of help as you begin

Portland Oregon chapter of American Pilgrims on the Camino (APOC)

FAQs about a pilgrimage on a Camino

The good news is, you are in a forum with a wonderful group of people. Most are here to help people like you to achieve their pilgrimage goals. We can offer you encouragement, knowledge, and point you in the direction that will help you help yourself.

My suggestion to start is this:

1. Take a deep breath. Write down in large letters the reasons why you want to go on Camino. Place that piece of paper where you can see it every day. That way, if anxieties and fears threaten to overwhelm you as you plan, you can just breath, read what you have written, and focus on those reasons until the negative stuff fades.
2. Make a list of questions and concerns that you have.
3. Go to the Search Engine at the top of the Forum pages.
4. Enter the words or phrase that you want more information about. You will get a huge amount of information to explore.
5. If you find that you need help with anything, post a new thread so that your question or concern can be readily seen. If you post a question within someone else's thread, you won't receive as big of a response.
6. Remember that perfect timing as it relates to how you feel, scheduling, and day to day life issues, seldom align themselves perfectly. If one waits for such to occur, doing something like a pilgrimage will always be in danger of taking a back seat while you wait for that perfect alignment to happen.

You should save this as a template to provide to new people considering their first Camino.

 

[Anamya]

I don't know Vicky and already like her

Janet, walking the Camino is a great experience. For some it's a pilgrimage, for some it is an adventure, for some it is a challenge. Only you will find out what it is going to be for yourself, but it is SO worth trying!

You will have plenty of time to research and prepare. Davebugg above gave some very good tips to start.
Mind if I give 2 cents as well? I also walked with my partner, and a very important thing is to have a clear idea of how do you think both will behave along the route. How do each of you cope with tiredness? Pain? What will you do if one is loving the experience, but the other not much? Are you ok with being in shared accommodations (albergues)? Do you prefer to pay a bit more and stay in private places?

I mention that because we had cases before here in this forum of people who just found out their walking partners were in a very different mindset and the walk was losing its shine - so the more you are flexible with other, the better!

Once you have done what was suggested in previous posts, start choosing a route and a starting city that fits your taste/curiosity/time availability/physical condition. There is no rule for where to start, so feel free to choose! The only 'rule' is that if you want to receive a certificate, you have to walk the last 100km to Santiago on the same trip, with no vehicle support.

Welcome to the forum, and Buen Camino!

 

[John Crawford Howell]

Hi Janet and welcome to the small world that is now your Camino family. In May last year, while in Reliegos, I stayed in the same albergue as a young woman from Silverton, less than 40 miles south of you. We had a connection because I grew up partly in Silverton. I live now in Anacortes two hundred miles north of you. What we discover on the Camino is how interconnected we all are—the more so when we learn we share a common journey whose true purpose may not reveal itself until we are well along the path to Santiago. I wish you a buen Camino.

 

[Renee1824]

My name is Janet and I walked a half marathon in June of this year in the Wilsonville area and meet a woman, I believed her name was Vicky (I did not get her last name) who shared with me her plans to walk the Camino trail in Sept-October of this year. As she shared this information with me, I found myself drawn to wanting to learn more about the Camino and to look into whether this was a journey I could take. I shared with my significant other my experience of meeting Vicky and this new desire to experience this journey for myself. I found that my boyfriend was extremely interested as well. So, we are wanting to learn more about this pilgrimage and get to know other people in the Portland area who have done the journey. (And Vicky, if you happen to see this, I would love to reconnect and follow your journey this Fall. Meeting you impacted me greatly and I thank you.)

Hello Janet: My name is Renee and I live in Milwaukie Oregon as well! Wow! You don't see that a lot. Are you still planning the 2019 walk? I am planning for 2020 for Camino Portugues. How have your plans gone or have they been postponed?

 

[Sho]

Hi, Janet. The APoC Portlandia chapter has its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/171847979620906/ . It's an active group with wonderful people.