Up coming trip

Valleygirl said:

Is it safe to do the walk alone if a woman?

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Hi, it is safe. And you never walk alone on the camino. Wish you well and a Buen Camino, Peter.

ditto. Many women start alone.

I will walk alone staring May 30 -- I expect to meet new friends along the way. I like the idea of making my own decisions on when/where to eat, where I'll sleep and my pace. It's the best of both worlds

Yes, I also understand that there may be outside forces that guide my decisions.....weather, darkness, bed availability, feet.....

Very safe!

I sure hope so...I'm starting on May 1. To be clear, I have met several wonderful forum members who will be walking at the same time, so even though I am "walking solo" I don't think I will ever be totally alone--unless I choose to be.

Hard to say for sure it depends how you tackle it. Many do the crossing in 2 days, stopping in either Orrison or Valcarlos if doing the lower route over the Pyrenees but I think either route is doable if you give yourself enough time and go SLOW. I am probably going to be more challenged than most by starting in SJPP for reasons I have gone into before on this forum but I plan to take steps to make my crossing easier if not totally kosher by Camino standards ... for instance I am stopping in Orrison which is highly recommended but reservations are required on Day 1 BUT on Day 2, instead of just setting off from Orrison I am taking advantage of the express bouricot people transfer service and I am skipping ahead a bit after Orrison to start walking at Croix Thibault to shorten my Day 2 considerably so I will not be walking the entire distance as most (all?) others do. I do this because while I am confident in my ability to walk the elevation changes and maybe even the distances required, it is still too early in my walk to be sure it won't absolutely crush me and potentially ruin the REST of my Camino so I am playing it safe while still getting to enjoy at least some of the crossing. That and the fact that I was planning to start with reduced distances anyway of 10-15 km a day and no more made me just a teeny bit worried about hoofing it the approximately 20km or so (elevation adjusted) on Day 2 ... maybe on Day 30 but not Day 2 ... so I am cheating ... right off the start ... after that however I am planning on walking the distance provided I am able The third step I am taking to make my crossing a bit easier is to send my bag ahead for the first 2-3 days. That will allow me to get my walking legs all sorted out before I add more demands to my back. I have been walking with my pack at home and so far so good but i figure i can do without it over the mountains ... hubby plans to carry his however but he does not have the same concerns that I do. For what it's worth up until about 2 weeks ago when things got very very busy around our house we were walking pretty much every day (since January) up to about 8 km a day on flat and/or rough hilly terrain but that's about as far as my training got ... it will have to do.

Yes, I have done so several times and never felt unsafe! Buen Camino! SY