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Thanks for your thoughts. I’ll keep your advice in mind, though I’m still hoping I can do a work around so that I can begin with a (slow) hike up to Orisson.I just read the title of this thread to Peg and she immediately said "NO." I have to agree with her based on the information you gave. Although you can taxi part way there is still a stretch where taxis can't go. Start your camino in Roncevalles.
I would like to give more objective advice but I just don't have enough information on your abilities and, for awhile, it will be difficult for me to get camino information.
I get winded whenever I’m on uphill walks. I recover quickly when I stop to catch my breath. My pulmonologist says that I’ll just have to take frequent pauses on the uphill parts of the Camino. That makes for slow average times when walking— I expect to take this into account by planning shorter stages. I’m not in a hurry and mainly want to avoid burning myself out at the beginning of the Camino by overdoing. Thanks for your response and thoughts.Hi JamesVT.
I stayed at Orisson last year. The walk up to it is very steep but short, about 8km I think. It’s a quiet road so you can stop safely along the way. I think there are a few benches along the way too. From Orrison to peak is a much gentler uphill incline, steeper downhill in places.
A lady staying in Orisson on the same night as me arranged a lift to near the peak with the luggage transfer service. The Orrison staff helped her with this.
How have you found your practice walks? If you’ve managed to get hill training with a backpack on this will give you an idea of how you’ll do on Camino. I found this made all the difference for me. What advice are you getting from your health care providers?
I hope it goes well for you. Buen Camino!
Since you seem to have the green light from your pulmonologist, I'd say do exactly as she/he advised....My pulmonologist says that I’ll just have to take frequent pauses on the uphill parts of the Camino...
thanksPerhaps you can use Express Bouricott's Mountain Shuttle
https://www.expressbourricot.com/persons-transport/
thanksPerhaps you can use Express Bouricott's Mountain Shuttle
https://www.expressbourricot.com/persons-transport/
thanksClick on the picture to get it bigger. On the same page will be some comments you may find useful.
Elevation profiles of the tracks from St. Jean Pied de Port to Roncevalles
If seen in a post click the chart to see a page with comments on the details.
thanksSince you seem to have the green light from your pulmonologist, I'd say do exactly as she/he advised.
thank youHi JamesVT.
I stayed at Orisson last year. The walk up to it is very steep but short, about 8km I think. It’s a quiet road so you can stop safely along the way. I think there are a few benches along the way too. From Orrison to peak is a much gentler uphill incline, steeper downhill in places.
A lady staying in Orisson on the same night as me arranged a lift to near the peak with the luggage transfer service. The Orrison staff helped her with this.
How have you found your practice walks? If you’ve managed to get hill training with a backpack on this will give you an idea of how you’ll do on Camino. I found this made all the difference for me. What advice are you getting from your health care providers?
I hope it goes well for you. Buen Camino!
thanks forHi JamesVT.
I stayed at Orisson last year. The walk up to it is very steep but short, about 8km I think. It’s a quiet road so you can stop safely along the way. I think there are a few benches along the way too. From Orrison to peak is a much gentler uphill incline, steeper downhill in places.
A lady staying in Orisson on the same night as me arranged a lift to near the peak with the luggage transfer service. The Orrison staff helped her with this.
How have you found your practice walks? If you’ve managed to get hill training with a backpack on this will give you an idea of how you’ll do on Camino. I found this made all the difference for me. What advice are you getting from your health care providers?
I hope it goes well for you. Buen Camino!
Thanks for your response— much to digest here. I’m definitely going to use a bag transport service, at least in the beginning stages. My pack weight is reasonable I think, around 12 or 13 pounds, but I don’t plan to carry that over the Pyrenees. I’m going to assume that my hiking poles will help get me up and down when necessary.James, I truly admire your ambition to tackle the Camino with the health challenges you have. There for sure is a way to do your Camino such that you have no additional health challenges when you reach Santiago. I hope you find that way.
It is really good news that your doctor says go ahead and do it at your own pace. Perhaps in doctor language you are at a certain level of pulmonary function that predicts 2,030 feet of vertical gain plus 5 miles horizontal gain (SJPDP to Orisson) will not be problematic for you lungs over the course of 8 hours with lots of rest stops during the walk.
For us lay people to offer opinions on whether this first stage to Orisson is doable for you, we need to talk a language that does not involve Oxygen levels in your blood. As others have asked, are you currently training on significant hills carrying your loaded pack? If yes how far are you going over what period of time with what elevation gain and how do you feel after that hike? How far can you hike on a hill with loaded pack (in time and distance) before you have to stop for a rest and how long of a rest do you need before you can go again? The better you can quantify these variables the better advice you will get from this community.
If you are not able to figure out objective performance data then try to estimate your stamina related to walking up stairs. How many levels/stories of a climate controlled office building could you walk up with your loaded backpack before you needed to stop for a rest…and how long of a stop would you need? Can you recover as quickly standing up as sitting down? Do your knees and hips limit you in sitting down on a low chair, step or the ground when it comes to getting back up on your feet again? Can you imagine yourself in one day climbing with your loaded backpack the 104 stories of the World Trade Center without using the hand rails, taking the elevator back down, then walking back up 65 stories, take the elevator down again, then walking 4.2 miles to Central park in rain or snow or heat? (all possible in late April). This scenario is roughly the equivalent exertion of SJPDP to Orisson in combined vertical and forward gain.
Traveling light is going to be important for you but traveling smart is going to be essential. Knowing when to stop and then actually stopping will be challenging. The pilgrim camaraderie will constantly be pulling your spirit forward long after your body is screaming to stop…listen to your body. There will always be a positive flip side when stopping (in addition to your health) that you would have missed had you kept walking be it a special view, feeling, thought or person you interact with while resting.
You may be exposed to the elements for longer periods of time each day due to your pace. Both the sun and rain can take a toll on you so be prepared with sun screen, a wide brimmed hat and good quality light weight rain gear. Before my Camino last year I thought hiking poles on the Camino were the Second silliest, gadgety, solution looking for a problem, gimmick I’d ever seen. I was wrong, I did use them on my hike, they were great, I will use them again. First place for useless, heavy, expensive, unnecessary equipment, in my uninformed mind was bringing an umbrella. I will be bringing one this fall of 2019. After some research I understand all the advantages I refused to consider in the past…just getting over the whole appearance/image thing seemed impossible but I am a function over form kind of guy so I’ll get used to it quickly. I would only consider a hands free version and the company euroschirm plus a few others make these trekking umbrellas. I still need to do more research before buying and if it turns out to be too fragile…fussy to use then I’ll admit it was a bad design but I really think this has a ton of potential for aiding in your comfort while hiking/walking in most conditions.
I asked earlier about recovery after exerting yourself. Is sitting much better than standing and if sitting in the wild, do you have problems getting back up. If sitting is very important then the last thing that might be useful to you is an “ultra-light chair” and yes, I realize this is an oxymoron. They are available in the 1 lb - 3 lbs range based on materials and seat height. Checkout Helinox. They are expensive but comfortable, they set-up/take down quickly (see videos), they are small & light…relatively speaking…but if you NEED a chair to rest in during your walk, then they are priceless. Pay close attention to the metric “seat height from ground” when shopping for one if squats are an issue for you.
There were many times on my Camino where I stopped at fantastic overlooks in the middle of nowhere. I would have loved to be sitting in my comfy Helinox camp chair with an umbrella blocking the cold rain or the heat of that raging sun while drinking a cold beer. Have you seen these new light weight, super efficient coolers that hold 2 beers and keep them cold all day? Just kidding…neither have I. Even without bringing a cooler to keep your beer in, you might want to look into daily backpack deliver service for your Camino. Bring a second super light and small backpack for your day time hiking essentials and send the rest ahead to your accommodations for the evening. This will free up space and weight and be less wear and tear on your knees, hips, lungs and every other body part that tends to hurt at night.
Thanks. I’m still considering that as a starting point.I would consider starting in Pamplona.
I was just going to post the same reply, but since you did it, I don't have to!I would consider starting in Pamplona.
There are two ways to go down to Roncesvalles. I recommend the route to the right that stays on the paved road and is much less steepFrom there on it's flat until you start the rather steep section into Roncesvalles which from memory is about 2 kms.
The path to Orisson is _very_ steep and remains so for two or three hours. The descent into Roncesvalles is steep. As with most things in life determination tends to get you there eventually but only you can decide whether it’s worth the pain and possible risk to your health. Many start in Roncesvalles, others start in Pamplona. It’s worth thinking about both. There are two other particularly steep sections on the Camino, the descent at Alto de Perdon and the tail end of the ascent to O Cebreiro, but I remember being particularly surprised at the length and steepness of the ascent to Orisson so perhaps avoiding it would be sensible. That said I’ve invariably ignored sensible advice, gone for it and lived to tell the tale. Buen Camino.I am starting the Camino from SJPP on April 27 and have a reservation at Orisson for the overnight. I am a very slow walker with two replaced knees and a replaced hip, but mainly I am mainly slowed down by a pulmonary condition that results in shortness of breath upon exertion, such as uphill walking. My strategy is to walk short stages each day, at a slow pace and with frequent breaks to catch my breath. I’m going to start early in the morning from SJPP walking to Orisson with the expectation that with the availability of a full day of slow walking I will get to the Refugio in time for checking in and dinner. I also expect that I will be “spent” from the first day’s walk up to Orisson and would like to reduce the length of my (uphill) walk on the second day to Roncesvalles. I am wondering whether on the second day if it would be possible to go by taxi or shuttle from the Refugio Orisson to a location at or near the Col de Lepoeder and from there walk down to Roncevalles on the road route? Is this possible? Alternatively, is there another spot where I could be dropped off by taxi before the Col that would shorten the uphill hike on the way to Roncesvalles? I thought I would ask the Forum for advice on this— I am starting my Camino in SJPP with the walk up to Orisson, where I have already reserved and paid, and want to be realistic about my ability to manage the demands of the second day’s walk to Roncevalles. Any thoughts or advice from other forum members would be much appreciated.
I am starting the Camino from SJPP on April 27 and have a reservation at Orisson for the overnight. I am a very slow walker with two replaced knees and a replaced hip, but mainly I am mainly slowed down by a pulmonary condition that results in shortness of breath upon exertion, such as uphill walking. My strategy is to walk short stages each day, at a slow pace and with frequent breaks to catch my breath. I’m going to start early in the morning from SJPP walking to Orisson with the expectation that with the availability of a full day of slow walking I will get to the Refugio in time for checking in and dinner. I also expect that I will be “spent” from the first day’s walk up to Orisson and would like to reduce the length of my (uphill) walk on the second day to Roncesvalles. I am wondering whether on the second day if it would be possible to go by taxi or shuttle from the Refugio Orisson to a location at or near the Col de Lepoeder and from there walk down to Roncevalles on the road route? Is this possible? Alternatively, is there another spot where I could be dropped off by taxi before the Col that would shorten the uphill hike on the way to Roncesvalles? I thought I would ask the Forum for advice on this— I am starting my Camino in SJPP with the walk up to Orisson, where I have already reserved and paid, and want to be realistic about my ability to manage the demands of the second day’s walk to Roncevalles. Any thoughts or advice from other forum members would be much appreciated.
I am not sure this is true, unless the route is declared unsafe.They will refund any monies you paid.
Nope, no refunds unless the route is closed.If you change your mind about Orisson and will not need the bed, contact them and cancel the reservation. They will refund any monies you paid.
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