Older Pilgim Problems!

[Deleted member 31702]

Hi!I' Dave Galvin member.
I'm 'booked' to fly from Cairns, Australia via Japan to Paris on 1st April this year.
I am 67. This time last year I was recovering from a smashed pelvis. The prognosis was that I would only be able to walk with sticks - and not far.
Last week I walked 25km (with a bit of jogging to change the muscle groups used.) Too hot and very boring in this dry savannah where we live.
I heard about the Camino on the radio last July on the local radio. Quite simply I was told to go. No big voice, thunder, epiphany.
The following week my wife of 40 years, Val, bought me a Spanish dictionary, I found a basic Spanish book in the library and have spent many happy hours learning basic Spanish. It is so like the Latin of my school and novitiate days.

But- Val has now decided I can't go; she too wants a holiday. I agree:- I decided to borrow $10,000 from the bank on low interest - house as security giving us $5,000 each.
Payback - easy- I stop, have stopped spending $100 a week on beer. That would repay the interest and capital with money left over.

Sorry for the above but if I really am being thoughtless and selfish there would be no merit in going on the Camino expecting a good spiritual outcome. My hope of returning home as a less selfish person would be as dust and ashes. Val would have gone if I go without her good will.
On the the other hand, if the plane I booked 6 months ago goes without me, well, It will take a long time to recover my fragile sanity. (asperges syndrome etc). Any moral theologians out there? Help - podria ayuda me! Dave.

 

[Agnogel]

Hi Dave and welcome to the forum, I think Val may have had second thoughts but that is very understandable giving the fact of your medical history ect ect, Its a big if not huge step for both of you your about to fly half way round the world to be in a strange country all alone, That can not be easy for some one who has loved you for the last 40 years + I would not expect her to have anything less than to have a few concerns, If you can get your hands on the movie The Way for you both to watch together and discuss it with her it may help to ease her concerns, When i mentioned to my family I am about to walk the Camino some told me I was mad, and a fool may be they are right given my medical history. I was at a talk with the author John Brierley of the Camino de Santiago guide book last week and he spoke of 12 couples who met on the Camino and got married, after I had a few words with him and I asked did he know of any couples who got divorced over the Camino and he said lots do for what ever reasons, Giving up $100 worth of beer a week is not a bad thing I would not be doing my Camino if i had not given up mine over 11 years ago i have never looked back, I hope you come to the right decision for you both and take into consideration her and your concerns Buen Camino
PS click on the link its the way movie made by a fellow country man

 

[Tia Valeria]

If you both came and she takes transport between places while you walk then maybe you would both be happy. Takes a little planing for each day but could please both of you.

 

[Maggie Arundell]

Hi Dave. I'm 60 and have had a serious lung problem for the last 8 years. I'm starting in Roncesvalles hopefully 9 April. I may see you on the Camino. I too decided it was now or never.

 

[hughb]

I did the Camino last year aged 62. Started with a long time friend. After 4 days he dropped out. That was when my Camino started. Had dinner with an American lady on the night before I reach Santiago. She was 82 and had a double hip replacement 3 years before. She was an inspiration, just go for it, you will not regret it.

 

[Jenyat53]

Hi Dave
No guarantees you will come back a less selfish person but it's possible that you will be a better person than if you don't go and hold onto that loss resentfully.
I agree it will take a lot of negotiation with Val, she is coming from a loving place. She needs to be part of the decision making process.
I went in the middle of a tricky health issue because I just 'had to go' but only walked for 1/2 my planned time in between treatment. . I am hoping to go back in the next month or so for the last 480 kms.
Watching the movie may help Val understand the 'pull' of the Camino once it is felt.
They say that the Camino will have its way with you no matter what and I found that that process began for me 6 months before I set foot in Spain.
I am a different person not just for having walked but for all the issues surrounding the walk.
I wish you and Val all the very best and truly hope that you are able to live different aspects of the experience in togetherness.

 

[Deleted member 31702]

Hi Dave and welcome to the forum, I think Val may have had second toughts but that is very understandable giving the fact of your medical history ect ect, Its a big if not huge step for both of you your about to fly half way round the world to be in a strange country all alone, That can not be easy for some one who has loved you for the last 40 years + i would not expect her to have anything less than to have a few concerns, If you can get your hands on the movie The Way for you both to watch together and discuss it with her it may help to ease her concerns, When i mentioned to my family i am about to walk the camino some told me i was mad, and a fool may be they are right given my medical history. I was at a talk with the author John Brierley of the Camino de Santiagio guide book last week and he spoke of 12 couples who met on the camino and got married, after i had a few words with him and i asked did he know of any couples who got divorced over the camino and he said lots do for what ever reasons, Giving up $100 worth of beer a week is not a bad thing i would not be doing my camino if i had not given up mine over 11 years ago i have never looked back, I hope you come to the right decision for you both and take into consideration her and your concerns Buen Camino
PS click on the link its the way movie made by a fellow country man

thanks angol? for your reply
My wife would rather "roll around in a tub of pigshit" than go on the camino which she sees as a cheap holiday for "rich - middle class wankers". I offered Val a holiday trekking in Vietnam instead of my "obsession." No go.
So. slowly catchee monkey. Passport-next wednesday. Walking poles - next week. etc. Maybe a camping holiday on the rainforest beach. See yous all on the Camino. Thanks. Dave

 

[Deleted member 31702]

Hi Dave
No guarantees you will come back a less selfish person but it's possible that you will be a better person than if you don't go and hold onto that loss resentfully.
I agree it will take a lot of negotiation with Val, she is coming from a loving place. She needs to be part of the decision making process.
I went in the middle of a tricky health issue because I just 'had to go' but only walked for 1/2 my planned time in between treatment. . I am hoping to go back in the next month or so for the last 480 kms.
Watching the movie may help Val understand the 'pull' of the Camino once it is felt.
They say that the Camino will have its way with you no matter what and I found that that process began for me 6 months before I set foot in Spain.
I am a different person not just for having walked but for all the issues surrounding the walk.
I wish you and Val all the very best and truly hope that you are able to live different aspects of the experience in togetherness.

thanks 'jenyat' for your thoughtful reply.
The comment about resentment if I don't go is very apt.
I seem to be hearing tacit agreement from Val that I go. I would like Val to have a holiday too but she wouldn't enjoy going on her own. Were I female (God forbid!) the Camino or similar where one meets like-minded people
would be ideal for her, but without all the walking.
H0pe your health continues to improve.
Dave

 

[Deleted member 31702]

Hi Dave. I'm 60 and have had a serious lung problem for the last 8 years. I'm starting in Roncesvalles hopefully 9 April. I may see you on the Camino. I too decided it was now or never.

Dear Maggie.
Thanks for your reply.
It is a pity that Oz is so far away from Europe (and so expensive to get there.)
I think there is little chance of you catching me up unless I crack a gasket!
It is a good idea to start in Roncevalles; I'm apprehensive about the descent and falling on my back!
I shall hang my sleeping bag low and use those walking poles.
"See yous layder"
dacve

 

[Jenyat53]

Thanks Dave, I am being cautiously optimistic. I know I have to go back, the Camino is in my blood and nothing else will do .
So glad Val is coming to understand 'the pull' you are feeling.
My partner doesn't like walking and doesn't quite get my zeal, but is happy to go along with my need.
I found the SJPdP to Roncesvalles stretch the most amazing of all the walk I did (I stopped in Burgos after 11 days).
Having trained on Mt Majura in our backyard in Canberra I expected the first 8 kms to Orisson to be horrendous and was pleasantly surprised. The night at Orisson was magical, communal meal and the beginning of great friendships. With good walking poles and a careful pace the next day down to Roncesvalles was very doable.
Wherever you decide to start, I wish you a wonderful journey. Do you have a start time in mind?

 

[Anniesantiago]

Hi Dave,
Also remember, bag transport is inexpensive (about 7 euros per stage up to Sarria, where you can then get it for 3 euros per stage);
taxis are almost always an option;
and many times you can get local buses VERY cheap for at least portions of each stage.
I met a woman one year who began only walking 8 to 10 km per day.
When she got tired, she would call a taxi and go to the nearest albergue.
By the end of the Camino, her stamina had increased and she was walking full stages.
The Camino is so well supported, it's fairly easy to just do what feels right for you.
Buen Camino!
Annie

 

[Deleted member 31702]

Hi Dave,
Also remember, bag transport is inexpensive (about 7 euros per stage up to Sarria, where you can then get it for 3 euros per stage);
taxis are almost always an option;
and many times you can get local buses VERY cheap for at least portions of each stage.
I met a woman one year who began only walking 8 to 10 km per day.
When she got tired, she would call a taxi and go to the nearest albergue.
By the end of the Camino, her stamina had increased and she was walking full stages.
The Camino is so well supported, it's fairly easy to just do what feels right for you.
Buen Camino!
Annie

Thanks Annie for your thoughtful reply.
We can't afford two air fares from Oz.
The "tyranny of distance !
dave

 

[sriyantra]

Thanks Dave, I am being cautiously optimistic. I know I have to go back, the Camino is in my blood and nothing else will do .
So glad Val is coming to understand 'the pull' you are feeling.
My partner doesn't like walking and doesn't quite get my zeal, but is happy to go along with my need.
I found the SJPdP to Roncesvalles stretch the most amazing of all the walk I did (I stopped in Burgos after 11 days).
Having trained on Mt Majura in our backyard in Canberra I expected the first 8 kms to Orisson to be horrendous and was pleasantly surprised. The night at Orisson was magical, communal meal and the beginning of great friendships. With good walking poles and a careful pace the next day down to Roncesvalles was very doable.
Wherever you decide to start, I wish you a wonderful journey. Do you have a start time in mind?

Hi Jenya,
I was pleased to read this. I am planning on leaving SJPDP in August, walking to Orisson then getting a taxi back to SJPDP for the night, then getting the morning shuttle back to Orisson to continue to Roncesvalles. I really have a pull to start in SJPDP but worry about the steep incline, and descent, but also about getting lost because I am directionally challenged. It was reassuring to see you were "pleasantly surprised". I am 65 and am trying to train but am relocating my father, who is 90, from Adelaide to Hervey Bay so I have had to put my training on hold for two months. Back to it in March! My husband had major spinal reconstruction last September - $44,000 of titanium inserts, so he will walk/taxi and meet me at the end of the day. We figure we have to do the Camino our way, better that than never going. Thanks for the reassurance about the first two days. Sriyantra

 

[William Marques]

With a healing pelvis there are sections in the Pyrenees (and elsewhere) where if the track is muddy or slippery a quiet road is close by and it may be a safer choice for you.

 

[Deleted member 31702]

With a healing pelvis there are sections in the Pyrenees (and elsewhere) where if the track is muddy or slippery a quiet road is close by and it may be a safer choice for you.

Thank you William for your thoughtful reply.
My confidence about the Camino has been given a reality check!
No real bodily harm; a few cracked ribs and a hand like a football for a few days.
As soon the torrential rain stops I'll continue training.

" A lesson Learnt : a Cautionary Tale"

They said,'Don't go to the pub, It's going to rain heavily and it will be dark soon.'
So I grabbed an umbrella and two small torches and took the shortcut over the hill to the pub.
Had a beer and a chat; set off home along the main road.

(This road has recently been improved so that it is 2 metres above the ground. No white lines tho' ,only
white posts every 20 metres.There are no streetlight of course, nor signs to our village.)

To return home I would have to walk about half a kilometre and turn left, or another half a kilometre and go left.

So I walked along the edge of the new road way too far without seeing any exits.
Back-tracked and returned in the waning light of the torch, the torrential rain. After repeating this futile exercise
a few times I decided to 'go for it' a bigger gap between the guide poles.

"When, all of a sudden" as they say in bad novels - I found myself rolling down a steep incline.
I Must have banged my head because I was completely disorientated. My torches and umbrella had disappeared
and I seemed to be in a primeval swamp. I tried standing up a few times but just slid back into the swamp.
I crawled a long way, probably in circles. The continuing downpour stared to become a flood, and the flood a floodway.(It was I later learned)

Some time elapsed until I encountered a steep incline similar to the one I'd rolled down. It looked to be about 8m. to the top. I began to climb up; the surface seemed to be made of a thick layer of greased mixed with
small black marbles, all on a substrate of glass. It took a long time to climb. There was no other choice.
After a long long time a truck came along and the 'roadkill' appeared in his headlights.......

The publican has now shown me where I fell. 3m. down a slope then a two m. drop into a spillway under the road. !

pilgrims: DO NOT WALK AT NIGHT IF POSSIBLE. DO NOT WALK ALONE OR WITHOUT TELLING LOTS OF PEOPLE WHERE YOU ARE GOING AND WHEN TO EXPECT YOU BACK. DO NOT GO WITHOUT A STRONG TORCH. WEAR BRIGHT REFLECTIVE CLOTHING, CARRY A FOOTBALL WHISTLE.
USE COMMON SENSE, in which I seem to be sadly lacking.

 

[Icacos]

..................

" A lesson Learnt : a Cautionary Tale"

They said,'Don't go to the pub, It's going to rain heavily and it will be dark soon.'
So I grabbed an umbrella and two small torches and took the shortcut over the hill to the pub.
Had a beer and a chat; set off home along the main road.

(This road has recently been improved so that it is 2 metres above the ground. No white lines tho' ,only
white posts every 20 metres.There are no streetlight of course, nor signs to our village.)

To return home I would have to walk about half a kilometre and turn left, or another half a kilometre and go left.

So I walked along the edge of the new road way too far without seeing any exits.
Back-tracked and returned in the waning light of the torch, the torrential rain. After repeating this futile exercise
a few times I decided to 'go for it' a bigger gap between the guide poles.

"When, all of a sudden" as they say in bad novels - I found myself rolling down a steep incline.
I Must have banged my head because I was completely disorientated. My torches and umbrella had disappeared
and I seemed to be in a primeval swamp. I tried standing up a few times but just slid back into the swamp.
I crawled a long way, probably in circles. The continuing downpour stared to become a flood, and the flood a floodway.(It was I later learned)

Some time elapsed until I encountered a steep incline similar to the one I'd rolled down. It looked to be about 8m. to the top. I began to climb up; the surface seemed to be made of a thick layer of greased mixed with
small black marbles, all on a substrate of glass. It took a long time to climb. There was no other choice.
After a long long time a truck came along and the 'roadkill' appeared in his headlights.......

The publican has now shown me where I fell. 3m. down a slope then a two m. drop into a spillway under the road. !

pilgrims: DO NOT WALK AT NIGHT IF POSSIBLE. DO NOT WALK ALONE OR WITHOUT TELLING LOTS OF PEOPLE WHERE YOU ARE GOING AND WHEN TO EXPECT YOU BACK. DO NOT GO WITHOUT A STRONG TORCH. WEAR BRIGHT REFLECTIVE CLOTHING, CARRY A FOOTBALL WHISTLE.
USE COMMON SENSE, in which I seem to be sadly lacking.

Dave, I think you are all ready for the Camino

 

[Tigerandahalf]

PS click on the link its the way movie made by a fellow country man

Just watched that doc. It was very good. Some beautiful scenery and some nice tales from the guy. Didn't realise the mud could be so bad in places. He gave an interesting perspective on the whole camino and what people are looking for in doing the walk.

 

[Ullamae]

" A lesson Learnt : a Cautionary Tale"

They said,'Don't go to the pub, It's going to rain heavily and it will be dark soon.'
So I grabbed an umbrella and two small torches and took the shortcut over the hill to the pub.
Had a beer and a chat; set off home along the main road.

So glad to hear that you are well and nothing too seroius happened!

 

[Deleted member 31702]

Re-introduce myself:
I said "goodbye" to my correspondents on these pages as my date of leaving Aus. the day after tomorrow won't happen. In all my planning I just assumed I could borrow the money to fly to Europe etc.
After sulking a while I realized that I had better start saving/making money from now till 1.September- 14.
Reality struck! $$$!.
This time I will turn dream into reality.
Regards to Pilgrims; rich and poor.
dave

 

[Kanga]

Re-introduce myself:

This time I will turn dream into reality.
Regards to Pilgrims; rich and poor.
dave

Good to see you back Dave!