Arn said:
Begin walking NOW every day with your full up pack on. Get the boots ready for the added weight and you ready for the added effort it will take. If you can comfortably make 15 to 20 km with a full pack before you depart...you'll have a much better experience overall and, still have a Plan A option.
I second that, and also, you may wish to begin drinking more booze now so's you can build up a tolerance for the Camino's alcoholic offerings... :wink:
Seriously, Arn is right about training now and getting used to/breaking in your equipment before you leave. I wish I'd done that, but I have a fetish for learning the hard way.
fiona said:
start at Burgos, use the Meseta to improve walking fitness,
fiona said:
Then return and walk SJPP to Burgos in the summer sunshine.
I have to admit I struggle with the idea of doing the Camino in stages. Of course, if that's the only way you can do it, then that's OK. But if you have the chance to do a straight shot from Roncesvalles to Santiago, I'd go for it. I walked from St. Jean to Santiago in the summer of 2007, and it was a pretty amazing and life-changing journey, like a quest or an adventure.
While on the Camino, I read about the "Three Stages of Life" the Way mirrors when you start in St. Jean (Roncesvalles should be close enough, though). Stage 1 is Youth, where you go too fast, fret, make dumb mistakes, etc. Stage 2 starts when you reach the Meseta, and it is Middle Age, where all your crap comes to the surface, and you have a sort of "mid-Camino crisis." Finally, Stage 3 kicks in around Galicia, and is like Old Age, where you've worked thru your stuff, become a seasoned walker, and can go the rest of the Way to Santiago (i.e. The End) in peace.
Anyway, that's why I recommend a straight shot, because I found the three-stage idea to be true for me. In addition, walking such a long distance affects you in areas such as physical fitness, body awareness, letting go of material things, simplicity, getting out of your comfort zone with strangers, learning to deal with adversity, and so on. I think a short jaunt lacks the transformative power of the long haul.
With all that in mind, I suggest you 1) train before you go, and 2) start in Roncesvalles. And if you're doing it in February, you'd better learn a lot about hiking in inclement weather. But whatever path you take, have a buen Camino! :arrow: