Salutations to all

[AndrewSzollos]

Greetings!

My name is Andrew, I live in Ottawa, Canada, and plan on walking one of the routes of the El Camino perhaps as early as 2025.

It has been a dream of mine for a while but only recently have circumstances permitted to begin planning for it in earnest.

I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of a couple of books and have taken a cursory look at some routes but I know that there is no substitute for first hand experience and will very much appreciate any and all guidance from the community.

A couple of things about myself.

I have just turned 50, consider myself to be in good physical condition; I enjoy paddling and rowing and as a stone mason I have worked outdoors, on my feet, all of my life. However, bursitis in the knees and generative disk disease are my compatriots now, so I stubbornly have to accept them as travelling companions.

I am also an introvert and do not like crowds, but enjoy human companionship and interaction; I would prefer to take a route less travelled by fewer people. I also love architecture and can spend days just walking around any European city marveling at the history and beauty that is embedded in stone, so I might have to make a few compromises.

So, as it stands, I am thinking of the Camino Del Norte, in off season, if there is such a thing, with a light backpack and a sleeping bag with the occasional pit stop under a showerhead and on top of a pillow.

I thank you for reading through my rambling and very much look forward to your suggestions and ideas.

Andrew

 

[Arctic_Alex]

Myself being a switcher, introvert on one day and extrovert on another, both sides of my personality got all they could wish for even on an April Camino Francés
Like you, I am now going to try routes slightly less travelled. Such as the Primitivo next month, and hopefully the Via de la Plata next year.

Planning / deciding is already a pleasant part of the whole experience I think.

Buen Camino

 

[dbier]

Rather a key question set....how long will you be on the road, how good are you at navigating, either with or without offline maps, and do you want a Compostela at the end?

The more remote Caminos have architecture, but it's pretty scattered...and if you're hopeless at navigating like me, better get comfortable with getting lost.:/

OTOH, a longer Camino that goes through more cities will have architectural interests a little more closely spaced.

You can find books about the architecture and art along the Frances, but it's more hit or miss on the other routes.

Buen Camino

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Andrew, I have a concern that you may have some conflicts in getting your dream camino. With your knee problem you may not be able to walk longer distances day after day and so you would need lodgings not too far apart. That may mean you need to walk one of the more crowded caminos. Similarly, it may be best to be on a well used camino where luggage transport is possible just in case you find you have back problems. So that means more people.

You can test yourself to see if you need to walk a well walked camino. Pick a week ending in a three day weekend and walk a couple of hours each work day with a pack weighing about 10% of your body weight. Then each day on the weekend put on the pack and try to walk 20 or 25 kilometers. Then let your body parts vote on which camino you should take.

BTW, for test hikes I pad out the pack's weight with a lot of soda bottles filled with water. That ensures I have enough to drink but really I do that so I can dump out the water if the weight gets to be too much.

 

[AndrewSzollos]

Myself being a switcher, introvert on one day and extrovert on another, both sides of my personality got all they could wish for even on an April Camino Francés
Like you, I am now going to try routes slightly less travelled. Such as the Primitivo next month, and hopefully the Via de la Plata next year.

Planning / deciding is already a pleasant part of the whole experience I think.

Buen Camino

Hello Alex,

I have considered travelling with a donkey. But if I spend 45 days in the company of one I am pretty sure it would be coming home with me.
I think planning leads to preparation, and when your plans go awry you are at least prepared to tackle the surprises.

Cheers!

 

[AndrewSzollos]

Rather a key question set....how long will you be on the road, how good are you at navigating, either with or without offline maps, and do you want a Compostela at the end?

The more remote Caminos have architecture, but it's pretty scattered...and if you're hopeless at navigating like me, better get comfortable with getting lost.:/

OTOH, a longer Camino that goes through more cities will have architectural interests a little more closely spaced.

You can find books about the architecture and art along the Frances, but it's more hit or miss on the other routes.

Buen Camino

Thankfully, I have reached an age when I do ask the locals for direction if/when I am lost.

A Compostela would be nice, but not as a personal gratification certificate, but a wonderful memento.
Hopefully, I will be able to return multiple times.

Cheers

 

[AndrewSzollos]

Andrew, I have a concern that you may have some conflicts in getting your dream camino. With your knee problem you may not be able to walk longer distances day after day and so you would need lodgings not too far apart. That may mean you need to walk one of the more crowded caminos. Similarly, it may be best to be on a well used camino where luggage transport is possible just in case you find you have back problems. So that means more people.

You can test yourself to see if you need to walk a well walked camino. Pick a week ending in a three day weekend and walk a couple of hours each work day with a pack weighing about 10% of your body weight. Then each day on the weekend put on the pack and try to walk 20 or 25 kilometers. Then let your body parts vote on which camino you should take.

BTW, for test hikes I pad out the pack's weight with a lot of soda bottles filled with water. That ensures I have enough to drink but really I do that so I can dump out the water if the weight gets to be too much.

Good day Rick,

Thank you for your response and advice.

What can I say? Man makes plans and God laughs.
Thankfully, my ailments are little more than a nuisance at the moment, but I am well aware that could change for the worse in a year or two.

I plan of drawing up a full training schedule, researching the best boots, backpack ect.
I have also learned, through much stubboness, to listen to my body and accept that I am not a spring chicken any more.

Cheers!

 

[OTH86]

¡ Buen Camino, @AndrewSzollos ! Plan all you want, but keep an open mind… The Camino provides.
Re your ailments - make use of the pharmacies and physios along the way to help your knees and disks. I have arthritis everywhere, am in my late 70’s, am an introvert, and have walked the Camino Frances and other long distance paths multiple times over the last ten years… You’ll do fine!

 

[David Tallan]

If you are beginning to have knee problems, I'll start by recommending that you take and use hiking poles. I'll also alert you to the fact that some of the routes mentioned above (Norte and Primitivo) are said to be challenging in terms of elevation changes and the descents may be especially hard on your knees.

I generally think that the "crowded" state of the Frances and Portugues are a bit oversold and I might advise reconsidering avoiding these for a first Camino. I think if you walk the Frances at any time other than the highest season you shouldn't encounter crowds that would make an introvert uncomfortable before you reach Sarria, and if you start on the Frances and switch to the Invierno, you'll avoid those crowds as much as you you would on the Norte (or even more, since the Norte joins with the Frances before Santiago). Before Sarria, you should have plenty of opportunity to walk by yourself, if that is your wish. And the stronger infrastructure is nothing to be sneezed at for a first Camino. More infrastructure = more flexibility and that flexibility can be really handy if the experience of walking the Camino doesn't match the plans. For a first Camino it is easier to use the flexibility of greater infrastructure to adopt strategies for creating more solitude than to try and come of with strategies to create more infrastructure.

 

[AndrewSzollos]

If you are beginning to have knee problems, I'll start by recommending that you take and use hiking poles. I'll also alert you to the fact that some of the routes mentioned above (Norte and Primitivo) are said to be challenging in terms of elevation changes and the descents may be especially hard on your knees.

I generally think that the "crowded" state of the Frances and Portugues are a bit oversold and I might advise reconsidering avoiding these for a first Camino. I think if you walk the Frances at any time other than the highest season you shouldn't encounter crowds that would make an introvert uncomfortable before you reach Sarria, and if you start on the Frances and switch to the Invierno, you'll avoid those crowds as much as you you would on the Norte (or even more, since the Norte joins with the Frances before Santiago). Before Sarria, you should have plenty of opportunity to walk by yourself, if that is your wish. And the stronger infrastructure is nothing to be sneezed at for a first Camino. More infrastructure = more flexibility and that flexibility can be really handy if the experience of walking the Camino doesn't match the plans. For a first Camino it is easier to use the flexibility of greater infrastructure to adopt strategies for creating more solitude than to try and come of with strategies to create more infrastructure.

Hello David,

Thank you for your message and suggestions.
I have just started researching the routes themselves and have already received much advice and suggestions from the discussion forum.
The great arbiter on the success of the plans, will of course, be father time.
At the moment, my 'ailments' are little more than a nuisance and hopefully with careful training, exercise and caution, they will be as such when departure comes.
Oh, yes, there will be walking poles!
My introvert nature doesn't really prohibit me from social interactions; in fact I rather enjoy listening to people. It is at the end of the day that I require some solace in silence and tranquility to recharge; I would like to avoid crowded and noisy places at night time.

Cheers!

 

[David Tallan]

My introvert nature doesn't really prohibit me from social interactions; in fact I rather enjoy listening to people. It is at the end of the day that I require some solace in silence and tranquility to recharge; I would like to avoid crowded and noisy places at night time.

In that case, I will double down on my suggestion of the Frances or Portugues, with a focus on albergues that also have private rooms you can book.