LIVE from the Camino Reporting in...

I've been walking the Camino Frances for over a week, and thought I should report in, given all my asking for advice ahead of my Camino. In a nutshell, this is a wonderful experience, more than I hoped for, and different than I could have imagined.

A couple things that might help others preparing to leave soon (forgive any typos as I'm typing in the dark on my phone with one finger):

--I made up my mind at the last minute at St Jean to hike over the pass, and am so glad I did. It was exhilarating. I was very lucky with the weather the 2 days I hiked over (I stayed at Orrison, and would have had a very hard time doing it in a day). The next day there was snow, hail, sleet and vertical wind.

--it's been chilly especially in mornings and evenings here in Navarre. Not much rain but a cool wind. I'm very glad I brought my lined rain pants, and am wearing them for warmth until afternoons heat up. My down jacket or wool base layer which I didn't bring would have been nice in the evenings, but I probably would still leave them home as I'd be carrying them when walking. But it isn't warm here yet, so pack your layers.

--some pilgrims have complained that it's crowded, but I am walking alone most of the time, meaning I see no one ahead or behind me for long stretches. I'm comfortable with this, in fact prefer it--but if you are traveling solo, you will probably find yourself alone when walking unless you deliberately hook up with someone.

--on the other hand, albergues, some anyway in smaller towns, are booking up. I am figuring out how far I want to go each day, and booking ahead if I can for the next night. I'm slow, and arrive at 4:0o or 5:00 pm, so it's harder to be assured of a bed, and I like knowing I'll have one. But I'm also not worrying about it, no need for fear of scarcity here, that's a good Camino lesson.

--my running shoes are keeping my feet happy. No problems with sneakers in combination with mud or rocks. Plenty of both, including on downhill stretches, and I'm not sure I could have managed those safely without poles. Love my Pacer Poles....

--as the Old Camino Hands predicted, as soon as I started walking, I forgot about gear lists, fears, and assorted albergue anxieties. It's all good....

I forgot something-- I'm very glad I studied Spanish before I came. My verbs are in the present tense and I have a vocabulary of about 100 words, but I can order a meal, get directions, and carry on a minimal but meaningful conversation with a local. It seems like very few pilgrims have any Spanish at all, and many Spanish especially in the countryside don't speak English. Pilgrims do ok with no Spanish, but it has greatly added to my experience on the Camino that I can at least attempt to communicate, and it's fun trying. The Spanish are very forgiving of mangling their language....

Thanks for writing, all! I left behind (by accident) my last non-essential "what if" gear item, a backup phone charger, in an albergue 13 miles behind me. Feels great to be traveling so light.