Hi all,
I'm planning to start my first ever camino this Sunday! I'm currently packed, scared and excited all at once!! Is anyone else starting from Irun this Sunday?
Good luck to everyone on a great trip and hope to see you on the road somewhere,
Katrina
Katrina,
I just finished the del Norte on June 4 this year (first camino ever). I had trained for 7 months; hiking every morning (the last two months 10-15 km every day with full baxkpack), breaking in two sets of footwear (Keen hiking boots, Warthog trail sneakers), backpack with all the gear going to Spain, etc. The first stage, Irun to San Sebastian, all but destroyed my feet. The next 5-6 stages were difficult due to the injuries sustained on the first stage; blisters, blood blisters, ruptured blood blisters, skin seperation on bottom of foot.
I felt very unworthy on my first camino. Later on, at a pension in Guernika (end of my 5th Stage), I was speaking to a group of 6 or 7 pilgrims at dinner one night. There were experienced hikers, previous Camino pilgrim hikers, and non-pilgrim hikers. The conclusion to the discussion and overall consensus was: there is no way to completely prepare for the first six stages. Rocks, mud, steep up and downs, especially the steep downhills. We were all injured somehow. After Bilbao, smooth sailing with nicely healing wounds for me, but some went home I found out later from other pilgrims.
About mid way through my camino, I met an experienced trekking guide who showed me how to properly use my trekking poles. What a difference. Had I known how to use my poles earlier (I tried, and failed, so stowed the poles in my backpack), it would have been a totally different camino from the get go!
To sum it all up, for me, the first half of the del Norte; not good. The seconf half; wonderful!
I found out later that some pilgrims break the first several long stages in half, or further into thirds.
The del Norte is a challange, of body and mind., but worth the effort, in my humble opinion.
Protect your feet and legs. At the first instant of hotspots, soreness or obvious injury, address the issue. Vaseline on toes and balls of feet before putting on socks helps a lot. Compeed bacame my best friend and saviour for my feet. Ibuprofen (€1.97 for 40 600 mg. tablets) from La Farmacia can also help manage pain. By Bilboa, everybody I met knew of Vaseline, Compeed and Ibuprofen and had the items with them.
Hope this info helps. The del Norte is a steep learning curve, and again, well worth the effort
Buen camino, Katrina
First pic: descent into San Sebastian
Second pic: my right pinky toe after starting to heal