New Pilgrim doing the Camino Frances in Nov 09

[bubbles]

Hiya!

I've thought about doing the camino for a few years and finally decided to take the plunge this year! Currently, the plan is to start my pilgrimmage in SJPP on 2 Nov 09. Coming from a tropical country, my biggest worry is the weather!!
If any of you have done the camino in Nov, I'd appreciate any advice you can give, or share your experiences with me.
And just another more basic question about forwarding my baggage. From what I could gather, I can send my bags to Santiago from any post office in Spain. But I wonder if I can do the same at the post office in SJPP?

Many thanks!
from a nervous first-time pilgrim...

 

[Canuck]

Hi Bubles,

Welcome to the board!

I imagine you can send your bags to Santiago from anywhere in the world, assuming it's not your backpack...but look up Ivar for a better alternative.

As for the time of the year, if you have flexibility in your plan I would recommend you do it earlier in the fall, i.e. beginning of September. Staring in November will put you through some pretty cold days, especially for someone from a tropical country.

I have walked the camino in November and some nights were very cold in the albergues. Some of them don't have heat while others are closed entirely.

Others will chime in with their own experience. You've hit the mother lode for information.

Jean-Marc

 

[brendan nolan]

Hi Bubbles and welcome to the Forum
The bags shouldn't be a problem but since you're coming from the tropics you should really think about the weather conditions and what Jean-Marc says about heating in the refugios.
Starting in November you are very likely to find frost and snow, especially in the mountain areas, and that includes your first days of walking in the Pyrenees. Not wanting to depress you, but you should know that over recent years some pilgrims failed to listen to local advice about the weather in the Pyrenees and fatally failed to survive. The Pyrenees are not the highest point along your route :!:
As you progress along the route and towards December so the likelihood of adverse weather increases - think of temperatures normally below 10C, morning and evening approaching zero, with the possibility of temps below zero especially with the wind-chill factor, ie 2C but feels like minus 5C because of the cold wind. If you could start a month earlier I think you are likely to find conditions a lot easier. It's the fact that you're from the tropics that concerns me. I recall Sil, from South Africa, saying that she thought 9C was cold. You can go onto web sites for places along the route and look up the weather records for previous years.
Whatever you decide, I wish you well in your planning.
Buen Camino,

Brendan

 

[bubbles]

This forum is definitely God-sent! Thanks, Jean-Marc and Brendan for your advice. Definitely some food for thought. I'm now thinking of doing the camino in Apr/May. Hopefully the weather may be better then, though I've read that it's unpredictable! :?

 

[brendan nolan]

Hi Bubbles ,
Yes the weather in April/May is unpredictable, it can be wet and cold [not as bad as November/December], but you could also get some beautiful weather and if you start later in April you are more likely to see the wonderful Spring vegetation. But at least starting in April you are more likely to be moving into warmer rather than colder weather.
Enjoy your planning and again,
Buen Camino,

Brendan

 

[Anniesantiago]

Hi there Bubbles!

I'm a warm weather person also, living much of my life in the tropics.

If I could give you one piece of advice regarding the weather, it is that it is unpredictable, so plan on LAYERING and if you have a tendency to be cold, buy a lightweight rainSUIT rather than poncho so your hips stay warm. That made a huge difference for me.

I began with a poncho but quickly switched over to a rainsuit with rainpants. I won't leave home without them again!

Buen Camino! Maybe we'll see you in Santiago. We're going to walk Sept/Oct/Nov 09. Haven't quite decided our route yet.

 

[bubbles]

If I could give you one piece of advice regarding the weather, it is that it is unpredictable, so plan on LAYERING and if you have a tendency to be cold, buy a lightweight rainSUIT rather than poncho so your hips stay warm. That made a huge difference for me.

This is great advice! I'll be sure to work that into my to-buy list. do you have any advice about sleeping bags? would I need a 3-season one?

frankly, this forum is a great site for fellowship. and the community spirit is so strong. i feel that my camino journey has begun already. and hopefully, at the end of my journey, i'll find inspiration and a sense of purpose which i hope i can share with other pilgrims too! :lol:

bueno camino to you too!

 

[Arn]

Bubbles,

All the above is great info, may I suggest a thread I added to the "cold in high places' topic. It speaks more to the "how to stay warm' angle. And, it covers the proper use of sleeping bags.

Buen warm and wet is fine...wet and cold is not...Camino

Arn

 

[Canuck]

may I suggest a thread I added to the "cold in high places' topic.
Arn

Arn,
I experienced a bit of cold weather myself in winter warfare and winter survival exercises (35 years in the Canadian Army).

I just read your thread above and in my opinion you've nailed it!!!!!

Excellent suggestions that should be posted as as ''sticky'', especially for the warm climate pilgrims.

Cheers
Jean-Marc

 

[Arn]

Jean-Marc,

We should trade some cold weather stories over some warm beer...or is that trade warm weather stories over a cold beer?

Hey, thanks for the kind words. Takes a special kinda person to be able to operate under those conditions. good on ya.

Arn

 

[Canuck]

Arn,

I prefer the second option, although a good wine would fit both.

What's that ''good on ya'' ? Have you rubbed shoulders with the Aussies?

Cheers
Jean-Marc

 

[Arn]

Jean-Marc asked:'good on ya'' ? Have you rubbed shoulders with the Aussies?

many times...while in Viet Nam I met some Aus Arty types and on Thanksgiving Holiday 67' I was in the very first contingent to go to Sydney for R&R. Later in my career, I served in several intel units that had an AUS officer and...being the intel analyst for the South Pacific Region, I spent some time with AUS types in Timor...so yes!

Buen eucalyptus treed Camino
Arn

 

[Anniesantiago]

Bubbles, I walked the Camino Frances in November and I got by very comfortably with a Marmot Pounder Plus sleeping bag. It weighs 1.5 pounds, is very lightweight, and plenty warm. Most of the alburgues will give you a blanket in addition. If not, you can put on all your clothing.

It doesn't make sense to someone who has not walked the Camino, but a few pounds LESS in your backpack can make a HUGE difference between a pleasant walk and a nightmare! I can't tell you how many people begin with a loaded pack and end up either leaving clothing and gear along the way at the Alburgues or sending them home by mail.

I'd suggest you pack LESS rather than more. Anything you find you need, you will either find at the Alburgues in the "free box" or you can purchase in Spain.

On the Camino, I wore the following:
1 lightweight pants
1 short-sleeved shirt
1 underpants
1 sox
1 pair New Balance Trail Shoes
Sun/Rain Tilley Hat

In my backpack, which is a very lightweigh Acteryx, I carried the following:
Sleeping Bag
1 lightweight pants with zip-off legs
1 long-sleeved shirt
1 fleece shirt
1 lightweight polyfiber packable windbreaker/jacket
1 pair underpants
1 sox
1 water bottle (refill it at each fountain along the way)
Small microfiber towel
1/2 bar Naptha soap (purchased in Spain)
1/4 bar bathsoap
toothbrush and small toothpaste
comb
Along the way I bought a rainsuit. Next time I'll take a lightweight rainpants and rainjacket.

I tied a pair of Teva Sandals on the outside to wear after showers each evening to let my feet breathe and rest.

In my fannypack, I carried:
Camino "passport"
Cash for the day
pen/lightweight journal
tiny camera
Ipod (with sleep music)

In my MONEY POUCH I carried:
passport
credit/debit card
Extra cash
1 pen and lightweight journal

That was it (I think?) Next time I'll leave the Ipod home and take good earplugs.

Once in Spain I purchased a palo (walking stick). They're VERY nice and VERY inexpensive (4 Euro) and I purchased a small kitchen knife so I could cut bread, cheese, meats for picnics.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Oh yes, the other things I purchased in Spain that I fell in love with and that made the walk more pleasant:

Compeed! They do not have it in Oregon, or at least I've never seen it. But it is WONDERFUL! Buy it ahead of time and slap it on any hotspots you have on your feet as soon as you notice them, BEFORE they become blisters. It's amazing -- stays on for days -- even in the shower. And keeps you from getting blisters.

We also found these weird little tubes. They were part gauze-like and part jell-like. You cut it and slipped it over your toes to keep them from rubbing together. We got both the Compeed and the tubing at the Pharmacia (look for the GREEN CROSS) for reasonable prices.

 

[ksam]

Compeed! They do not have it in Oregon, or at least I've never seen it. But it is WONDERFUL!
We also found these weird little tubes. They were part gauze-like and part jell-like

Hey Annie...we have here in the states! They just package it differently!! Took me a while to figure out that the Compeed I'd seen recommended here was the same stuff I had in my cabinet for when my mechanic son tried to remove a large chunk from his hand while under the hood of a car! Look for BandAid in a blue and silver box...it's the same wonderful stick forever gel stuff! Keeps the wound perfectly sealed off and sterile. Expensive compared to a regular "bandaid" but worth every single penny!

And Bubbles...Annie (and all the others!) are so totally right when they say pack light. I thought we had, but spent several hours and at least an extra 4k trying to find the Correo to mail my/our stuff back! Save your self the time, effort and expense...if you need it you can buy it!! It's not like your going to another planet! They have stores in Spain!!

Happy Planning and wishing you Buen Camino, Karin, from up north here in Jersey!

 

[Arn]

Anniesantiago recommended: you can put on all your clothing

No...No...No...sleeping bags are nothing more than insulators...the clothes you wear prior to getting in your bag will maintain for a long time what ever you experienced prior. If you were cold, i.e. your core IS cold..you will remain cold. The reason is that clothing, in and of itself, generates NO Heat...unless it's attached to a battery pack. On the other hand, your body temperature is normally in the high 90's.

Since the sleeping bag is an insulator...it functions most efficiently when there's limited layers between the bag and your skin. Adding a light pair of silk or flannel pj's is good...just to keep your bag from direct contact with the skin...but, other than that...a light pair of socks and a hat is all that's necessary to keep toasty warm If you have the right bag. Usually, a 20 degree F/-6.6 C rated bag is good for the April-early June time frame and, often a 40 degree F/4 C will work.

Buen toasty as can be Camino
Arn

 

[Arn]

oops...northern Spain temps in November are within the 40 degree F/4 C range.

I'm still on the Camino with a April-May mindset.

Arn

 

[alipilgrim]

a warm hat and gloves are a good idea - good for cold nights in albergues, and early morning starts on the Camino. Take the minimum! Tons of stores in Spain, all larger cities have sports stores or all-in-one stores so you pick up anything else you think you need while there. Much easier and less expensive than taking it with you from home, then having to dump it along the way cause your pack is too heavy!

 

[bubbles]

Wee! Thanks for all the advise, especially the parts about keeping warm (my top priority!! :lol: )

But really, it sounds like I should do a fair bit of shopping in SJPP (I've read that the shops there have things which pilgrims need?). Since I live in the tropics, some of the things like sleeping bags and fleece are pretty scarce or expensive. :shock:

Bueno camino!

 

[Arn]

Bubbles,

May I suggest you take a look at these sites:

http://www.rei.com/?cm_mmc=ps_overture_ ... -REI-_-rei

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/lp2/ca ... essed=true

They mail all over the world and there's some great sales going on right now. Sleeping bags, boots and fleece/silk items are light and best if tried before you go.

Buen Camino

Arn

 

[alipilgrim]

Not necessary to buy it all in SJPP, buy/take the very essentials, anything else you can get further down the road - Pamplona is just a fews day away and it has EVERYTHING. And you can restock items along the way, only carry soap/shampoo for a week or less, and refill when needed. Buy snacks, groceries each day (but be prepared for Sundays when most stores are closed), etc. Otherwise, you are just carrying excess weight