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Maybe you can start solo but you will never walk alone

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1st time i went alone, Going though French customs after I got of the plane I heard 2 people behind me 'Oh she speaks French we'll follow her!'. By the time we got off the bus at the train station we had 2 more in tow. So there we were 5 of us at a table enjoying a beer together in the sun while we excitedly waited for the train!
 
and just in the first day...! Camino Provides!
 
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While I have certainly enjoyed companionship on all of my Caminos, I suspect the truth of the thread title depends somewhat on route and season. If one were to walk the Ruta de la Lana in mid-winter, for example, I suspect one would often walk alone.
 
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IMHO the concept of " a Camino family " is not for everyone.
I like talking with other pilgrims en route and yes you meet lots of interesting people but I will never see them as my brothers and sisters. Family I have at home.

I saw some pilgrims getting into physical problems because they wanted to keep up with their new friends...
Again ,I bonded with pilgrims on the way but when it was time to part we did just that.
 
It's a good general rule, and good advice for those starting a "normal" Camino in "normal" season on the Francès ... though personally I am nearly always alone on the Camino, including walking, eating, resting, and sleeping alone.

Much of that has come from walks from home (did not meet one single pilgrim between Paris and SJPP on my 1994), but much too has come from walking a lot faster than most in the 90s, or a lot slower in the 2010s.

If your daily hiking speed is too divergent from the "norm", you will end up being isolated by it inside the crowd.

But it's true that if you're in an average state of fitness, you will find company along the Way on the Francès particularly.
 
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JabbaPapa said:
If your daily hiking speed is too divergent from the "norm", you will end up being isolated by it inside the crowd.
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Absolutely agree... and even more if you walk on winter.
Thank you for your comment!
 
I start alone and usually find a person(s) like minded (there are more that one person on the planet as warped as I am). In my seven decades, I've done so many things and had so many adventures I can enthrall fellow pilgrims for days and days. Then my daughter, from several thousands of miles away) whispers in my ear, "Dad, shut up. They are only being polite." Well, yes, she is right on occasion. On those occasions, I find I'm up earlier, or depart later than my captured audience, or they wait until I'm moving and slip in beside me. Over thirty-days, or so, I'll often cross paths with pilgrims I met earlier, or have a reunion upon arrival in the plaza before the Cathedral in Santiago.
When all is said and done. The Camino makes the important decisions.
Buen Camino
Arn
 
Good morning Arn,

Thank you very much for sharing. In my case, I love to cross paths and walk with the more senior pilgrims. As you mention, they have walked a lot (and not only on the Camino) and being able to enjoy their stories is a small gift they offer you.

Moreover, all of them have shown a curiosity about the wanderings of the younger ones that has always surprised me. I guess the generational leap in the last decades is being so strong that any story or experience can be interesting.

I remember on my second time on the Camino (I did it by bike with my brother) I overtook a very old Japanese couple. Neither of them was over 1.60m tall and they were carrying two backpacks that they could fit inside. The wife must have had severe knee pain so the husband carried both backpacks. They saw us coming and stepped aside to let us pass, bowing Japanese style. I was actually quite moved by the scene. We stopped to ask them if we could help them (my brother is a paramedic). The husband thanked us but replied, "thank you, thank you... but it's my duty". That day I decided that I would rather walk the Camino so that I would never miss the opportunity to learn from those stories again.

We have a proverb in Spain: "Man proposes and God disposes" which is closely related to "The Camino provides" so... let's learn from the people that the Camino puts in our way (or not) but I always remember what Seneca said: "we have two ears and one mouth precisely to listen more and speak less".

Buen Camino!
 
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Your daughter may well be very wise
 
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