Wake up! It's a Camino not a Shame-ino!

[Pi Wakawaka]

Hola fellow peregrinos.
I am not far from reaching Santiago (2 days) and just wanted to share some advice, and have a rant.
Please WAKE UP when you wake up and make sure you take your OWN gear. Use a torch if it is dark. I went to leave my albergue this morning to find one of my pair of walking poles gone. These have done a lot of hikes with me and travelled half way around the globe. Needless to say, I was pissed off. One is not the same as two when it comes to knee problems and uphill, let alone that my poles are my friends just like my boots. Someone also took my friend's walking pole. She was gutted also.
AND... I am horrified and disappointed when I have come across so much pilgrim rubbish. Food wrappers, cigarette packets, empty water bottles, tissues and wipes, receipts, duct tape etc etc.
It is a pilgrim disgrace to come to Spain and disrespect the country and it's people. It is a privellage and an honour to walk a Camino. You ought to leave nothing but footprints and respect. Rant over.

 

[Mark Lee]

Yeah, I had stuff ripped-off too when I walked the Camino. I know. It sucks. As does the trash, the graffiti, the rude, the inconsiderate. Drunken pilgrims acting the fool. etc etc etc
The positive of it all is that type of behavior is the exception, and one thing I would be willing to bet on is that members of this forum don't participate in that behavior. Not saying that you were directing it to any members. I'm sure they sympathize with your negative experiences and observations.
ultreia

 

[Albertagirl]

This morning, I picked up garbage in my neighbourhood, which I dumped in the bin at the transit station. When I got to work, I emptied the dishwasher and put in it the dishes left in the sink. I did so to improve my own environment. The only person whose behaviour I can change is my own.
I know that on the camino this effort can be endless: the route stretches out before the pilgrim as an endless path of garbage, graffiti and toilet litter. Benches that one might like to sit on are surrounded with toilet paper. When on camino, one day I joined a group of pilgrims standing looking out at a beautiful, hilly landscape. Right at the path was a bench facing the view. Next to it was a memorial for a pilgrim who had died near there while on camino. All around was the usual litter, including food litter where people had lunched at the bench. Suddenly, I couldn't stand it. I took out a plastic bag and began to pick up tissues, orange peel and other food litter. An Asian couple joined me in picking up litter. I explained that it was wrong to desecrate a pilgrim memorial and they seemed to agree. It was satisfying to see the area tidy, appropriate for the beautiful scenery and the memorial. I picked up bits of litter all along the frances. But this was the only time that I felt that I was doing anything that actually had a noticeable, if local and temporary, effect. I shall go on picking up litter on the camino when I am there in the fall. To my mind, cleaning up the world is the job of a adult. It's never done, and one is never confident that the next generation will continue the job. I have great respect for the members of this forum who meet each year to spend a week cleaning up. You folks are the best of us. Thank you.

 

[C clearly]

Hola fellow peregrinos.
I am not far from reaching Santiago (2 days) and just wanted to share some advice, and have a rant.
Please WAKE UP when you wake up and make sure you take your OWN gear. Use a torch if it is dark. I went to leave my albergue this morning to find one of my pair of walking poles gone. These have done a lot of hikes with me and travelled half way around the globe. Needless to say, I was pissed off. One is not the same as two when it comes to knee problems and uphill, let alone that my poles are my friends just like my boots. Someone also took my friend's walking pole. She was gutted also.
AND... I am horrified and disappointed when I have come across so much pilgrim rubbish. Food wrappers, cigarette packets, empty water bottles, tissues and wipes, receipts, duct tape etc etc.
It is a pilgrim disgrace to come to Spain and disrespect the country and it's people. It is a privellage and an honour to walk a Camino. You ought to leave nothing but footprints and respect. Rant over.

I did not take your poles or your friend's poles, and I always try to do as you instruct and leave only footprints and respect. Why are you ranting at me? It seems a bit extreme to be so horrified and disappointed by annoying situations that can happen anywhere.

 

[Cayou]

1. I'd be very upset if my poles were 'taken' ... they are like old friends, hundreds of miles in the Sierra Nevadas, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Southern California ...
2. Great plan on the trash pick-up - I've done that as well. So, need to carry extra 'baggies' this August. I need a job and that will be perfect.

 

[Albertagirl]

1. I'd be very upset if my poles were 'taken' ... they are like old friends, hundreds of miles in the Sierra Nevadas, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Southern California ...
2. Great plan on the trash pick-up - I've done that as well. So, need to carry extra 'baggies' this August. I need a job and that will be perfect.

@Cayou:
If you buy food in the supermercados in Spain, you will get plastic bags, as at home, which you can use to pick up rubbish. Buen camino and keep up the good work.

 

[lbpierce]

Expectations reduce joy and to the extent we can live without them, we will be a lot happier. Easier said than done!

 

[whariwharangi]

So someone accidentally took your pole.

My guess everyone left their poles at the door with their boots ...

Prevention is about collapsing your poles and stuffing them in or tying them to your pack.

 

[Wokabaut_Meri]

As sad as it is, you should also consider that your walking pole was 'taken with intent' ie stolen. When we walked last year several pilgrims had 'lost' gear - pacer poles in particular - and one even had his sleeping bag taken while he was in the shower. I even stumbled upon an opportunist who was 'trying out' walking poles from the collection and who made a hasty retreat back onto the Camino when challenged.

 

[Waka]

I was very lucky regarding items mistakenly taken by other pilgrims. I tended to tie my poles together, not for safety but so I could recognise them in the morning, with the boots I secured a carabiner through the back loops.

Regarding rubbish, I have to agree with you, but I shamefully have to admit that I didn't pick up anyones rubbish along the way. Having said that I did see and number of Pilgrims doing this as they walked along, commendable, very commendable.
The next time I will also do my bit for the camino, after all I'm never in a hurry and what does a bag of rubbish weigh, certainly not as much as my 6 bottles of wine.

 

[bunnymac]

Hola fellow peregrinos.
I am not far from reaching Santiago (2 days) and just wanted to share some advice, and have a rant.
Please WAKE UP when you wake up and make sure you take your OWN gear. Use a torch if it is dark. I went to leave my albergue this morning to find one of my pair of walking poles gone. These have done a lot of hikes with me and travelled half way around the globe. Needless to say, I was pissed off. One is not the same as two when it comes to knee problems and uphill, let alone that my poles are my friends just like my boots. Someone also took my friend's walking pole. She was gutted also.
AND... I am horrified and disappointed when I have come across so much pilgrim rubbish. Food wrappers, cigarette packets, empty water bottles, tissues and wipes, receipts, duct tape etc etc.
It is a pilgrim disgrace to come to Spain and disrespect the country and it's people. It is a privellage and an honour to walk a Camino. You ought to leave nothing but footprints and respect. Rant over.

That's terrible if I had my poles stolen I would have been unable to continue. Have to agree about the rubbish. It's a real shame and not uncommon.

 

[koilife]

what does a bag of rubbish weigh, certainly not as much as my 6 bottles of wine.

If you only have room for 6 bottles, you need a bigger pack!

 

[Mark Lee]

So someone accidentally took your pole.

My guess everyone left their poles at the door with their boots ...

Prevention is about collapsing your poles and stuffing them in or tying them to your pack.

Yes, prevention is a way to reduce thefts, but one must never blame a victim for being trusting.

 

[Mark Lee]

As sad as it is, you should also consider that your walking pole was 'taken with intent' ie stolen. When we walked last year several pilgrims had 'lost' gear - pacer poles in particular - and one even had his sleeping bag taken while he was in the shower. I even stumbled upon an opportunist who was 'trying out' walking poles from the collection and who made a hasty retreat back onto the Camino when challenged.

Stealing a sleeping bag while the pilgrim is in the shower? That's some low "stuff" to do.....hopefully bad karma catches up.

 

[Wokabaut_Meri]

Stealing a sleeping bag while the pilgrim is in the shower? That's some low "stuff" to do.....hopefully bad karma catches up.

Actually I was totally blown away by the pilgrim's response. He was unbelievably philosophical, just said that the 'borrower' must have needed it more than he did then organised a taxi to Sarria and came back with an (expensive in total) replacement.

 

[scikowski]

I use labels with my name and phone numbers on my poles. Won't work in the dark, of course, if someone picks them up accidentally and can be removed if someone takes them purposely. And I use diaper (nappy) pins on the clothesline, having had garments go off with other pilgrims on past caminos. I had my towel continue its camino with another pilgrim and I couldn't believe how upset I was. Sometimes we just need a lesson on letting go and using what the camino provides.

 

[Mark Lee]

Actually I was totally blown away by the pilgrim's response. He was unbelievably philosophical, just said that the 'borrower' must have needed it more than he did then organised a taxi to Sarria and came back with an (expensive in total) replacement.

ha ha...I ain't that philosophical.
I've just taken the attitude of don't carry anything on the Camino you are not willing to lose, forget, donate or have stolen. I've had stuff on the Camino fall into all four of those categories, ha ha.
As far as the Camino providing, it does, but can be expensive. Took me about four days to find a replacement pair of sunglasses on my last Camino after mine were stolen....on the first day! ha ha

 

[Bonita]

I usually had a bottom bunk, so I would go back and sneak my shoes and poles and put them under the bunk.(I made sure the boots were clean). I could not have done the camino without either.

 

[alhartman]

I have always taken a part day toward the end of my camino to pick up trash. (End because by that time I am conditioned enough to bend down with my pack on!!) Something I learned many decades ago in the Boys Scouts--leave it cleaner when you leave than when you arrived. But a small gesture for sure, but my way to say 'thank you' to the path.
FWIW, I have always wondered why the junta and associations do not set up trash cans and porta-a-potties at least on the last 100km. At least that would make it a bit easier for many to get their trash where it belongs. (and yes, I know the argument that the areas around the toilets and trash would become worse and subject to vandalism)

 

[camster]

So someone accidentally took your pole.

My guess everyone left their poles at the door with their boots ...

Prevention is about collapsing your poles and stuffing them in or tying them to your pack.

Are you allowed to take your poles inside the albergue somewhere else than in the bin provided to leave them in? Is it 'mandatory' to leave your boots and poles where it is assigned? (I guess when I do my camino, I'll try and hide my poles inside my bag or just hang them on the outside of my pack, if allowed.)

 

[KinkyOne]

Ahm, I don't really worry about anything being stolen from me. All very much old and used stuff. Nobody wants that. And I would never go for Camino with brand new eqipment. My walking poles, for example, I thought they'd gave up on me in 2014 but some duct tape does miracles. You want them? Go take them

 

[mcvett500]

OK I'll admit that I worry about that stealing stuff so after a rainy day on the Meseta I stopped for the night a a fine Albergue. Since I had been trekking for days I thought (for once) nothing about stuffing my boots full of newspaper and cramming my trekking poles into the barrel along with other sticks and poles. once during the night I returned to my boots to re fill with dry paper and check the poles. Early the next morning I geared up and went outside only to discover my boots were there but my poles were gone. Crap I thought, if I see that guy, Grrrr. I put my boots on and picked up my pack but on the way past the barrel of poles I glanced down beneath the barrel and a crack in the wall to see my faithful poles stuck there. Took me awhile to get them out. Guess they didn't make it into the barrel at first. I felt relief and also the feeling that I should apologize to someone for my mental wrath. LOL, lesson learned. not to say it never happens but I left my stuff out on the bed in Hostels and outside of Bars in every town after that with the thought that I shouldn't be so worrisome. Made for a better, happier me that treated people like they should be treated, with the respect they showed me.

 

[rometimed]

Of the 20-30 people I regularly walked with on the Camino the only things I know of that were stolen was 1 set of poles an Israeli girl came with. She put up signs in some places as they were apparently quite expensive but never got them back. One albergue felt bad and gave her some random poles they had laying around that had been left there.

 

[Penny Kingma]

I'll be leaving for my first Camino on the 29th and I'm trying very hard not to let things I read disturb me. Theft, littering, unwelcoming individuals...it's sad to read. I've been dreaming of doing this for a very long time and refuse to leave the happy place I've pictured. I've chosen to use it as a way to prepare mentally for something that is already going to be both physically and mentally challenging. It's shown me that my determination to do this is stronger than first thought.

 

[Mark Lee]

Are you allowed to take your poles inside the albergue somewhere else than in the bin provided to leave them in? Is it 'mandatory' to leave your boots and poles where it is assigned? (I guess when I do my camino, I'll try and hide my poles inside my bag or just hang them on the outside of my pack, if allowed.)

The poles, just collapse them and stick them in your pack, or hook to the exterior of it.
As far as boots/shoes go, kinda mandatory to put them in the racks that may be in the entrance or outside. If you are concerned they may be stolen (highly unlikely), just remove the insoles and put them in your pack. I doubt if a wannabe thief would want a pair of hot footwear with no insoles.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I'll be leaving for my first Camino on the 29th and I'm trying very hard not to let things I read disturb me. Theft, littering, unwelcoming individuals...it's sad to read. I've been dreaming of doing this for a very long time and refuse to leave the happy place I've pictured.

Don't leave that happy place! All of these things exist where you are (with minor variations). Take the normal precautions. You wouldn't leave your wallet on the seat of an unlocked car; don't leave valuables unattended in an albergue with dozens of strangers. Trust but verify. Don't be cynical or naive. Trust your normal instincts; they have served you well for all these years. While the Camino is unique, it still exists in the world. Buen camino. You are going to love it.

 

[Mark Lee]

I'll be leaving for my first Camino on the 29th and I'm trying very hard not to let things I read disturb me. Theft, littering, unwelcoming individuals...it's sad to read. I've been dreaming of doing this for a very long time and refuse to leave the happy place I've pictured. I've chosen to use it as a way to prepare mentally for something that is already going to be both physically and mentally challenging. It's shown me that my determination to do this is stronger than first thought.

Please don't let any negativity you read on here put you off, and that also goes to all those future pilgrims out there reading this. Please....
Like I've said on here before, things tend to get blown way out of proportion on this forum. Embellished. Exaggerated. Like a bunch of fisherman talking about their catch. The first day walk over the Pyrenees becomes a trek over Everest. A couple of bedbugs here and there become biblical plagues. The meseta becomes the Sahara desert. An occasional tired, impatient hospitalero becomes an epidemic of rude volunteers, and an item here and there filched becomes roving bands of highwayman.
Certainly if you take about a half a million people and they walk across the same route every year, all about the same time, you are bound to have some issues as people is people. That will never change.
Believe me, if walking the Camino was as bad as it is portrayed on here at times, my arse wouldn't have walked it thrice, and contemplating number four.
Cheers and ultreia. You will have a great time.

 

[trecile]

The poles, just collapse them and stick them in your pack, or hook to the exterior of it.
As far as boots/shoes go, kinda mandatory to put them in the racks that may be in the entrance or outside. If you are concerned they may be stolen (highly unlikely), just remove the insoles and put them in your pack. I doubt if a wannabe thief would want a pair of hot footwear with no insoles.

Could I bring plastic bags to put my shoes in to bring inside with me?

 

[Mark Lee]

Could I bring plastic bags to put my shoes in to bring inside with me?

I'm sure you could. Nobody at the albergues would even notice. You bag them, put them on the floor near your pack, nobody would care. I'm not advocating that everyone does it, and I don't think footwear theft is much of an issue on the Camino (I never saw it), but if they ain't muddy and overly dirty and funky, why not?

 

[Albertagirl]

I'm sure you could. Nobody at the albergues would even notice. You bag them, put them on the floor near your pack, nobody would care. I'm not advocating that everyone does it, and I don't think footwear theft is much of an issue on the Camino (I never saw it), but if they ain't muddy and overly dirty and funky, why not?

Mark:
What about humidity? Boots left overnight in plastic would, I think, get very moist, having no chance to air out overnight.

 

[Mark Lee]

Mark:
What about humidity? Boots left overnight in plastic would, I think, get very moist, having no chance to air out overnight.

Yeah, you are right. I never took my footwear in the sleeping area, and was just saying that if one was concerned enough, they could. Like I recommended earlier, I always removed my insoles (aftermarket) and cleaned them off and put them in an outside pocket of my pack. Nobody ever messed with my funky shoes and if they did they wouldn't be much use with no insoles.

 

[Icacos]

Boots, I think, sometimes get taken by mistake....perhaps by still half-asleep pilgrims fumbling around in the dark looking for their footwear. Some people replace their boot laces with brightly coloured ones, or mismatched laces, to make them easily identifiable. Something placed inside your boots might be enough of a jolt to someone absent mindedly putting on your boots. A prickly pine cone would work.

 

[Wokabaut_Meri]

Please don't let any negativity you read on here put you off, and that also goes to all those future pilgrims out there reading this. Please....
Like I've said on here before, things tend to get blown way out of proportion on this forum. Embellished. Exaggerated. Like a bunch of fisherman talking about their catch. The first day walk over the Pyrenees becomes a trek over Everest. A couple of bedbugs here and there become biblical plagues. The meseta becomes the Sahara desert. An occasional tired, impatient hospitalero becomes an epidemic of rude volunteers, and an item here and there filched becomes roving bands of highwayman.
Certainly if you take about a half a million people and they walk across the same route every year, all about the same time, you are bound to have some issues as people is people. That will never change.
Believe me, if walking the Camino was as bad as it is portrayed on here at times, my arse wouldn't have walked it thrice, and contemplating number four.
Cheers and ultreia. You will have a great time.

Mark is right in his comments. The few thefts that I heard of firsthand would represent less than 0.0001% of the Camino groups that I encountered along the Way. Also both instances came after Sarria where the Way is much busier and where the occasional 'property confusion' and opportunistic acquisition occurred. I think that perhaps the OP is also referring to this section.

That said, there were also infinitely many, many more instances of generosity, kindness and genuine concern among pilgrims that usually go unremarked upon.

As many others have said, take the usual precautions with your valuables and trust your instincts. There is a Sufi saying: Trust in Allah but tether your camel

 

[Irish Bernie]

I had my boots stolen in Los Arcos but the hostel owner turned up with his old Salomen boots and gave them to me,have since used them on 3 Caminos,best boots i ever had,i would like to know though how he knew my shoe size,as i had never him before,just saying

 

[Scott Sweeney]

Where to go with a response...

Happenstance.

Perhaps your faith is being checked.

 

[Olivares]

Throughout the years of reading and sharing Camino experiences, the "disappearance" of gear is a recurring theme. While still fairly uncommon, it does happen to even the most careful. While it is fair to point out the need to be extra mindful of critical gear, the original poster remarked about the years and times he/she used these poles. So, clearly he/she knows how to take care of gear. Perhaps hinting to the contrary is not quite fair. I have to wonder if it has all to do with the specific section/trail That said, back in 2012, I recalled quite a bit of postings about chargers and electronics disappearing from outlets as people were showering or cooking. Let's not be too naïve about the Camino, either....

A BIT OF A SIDE NOTE: I personally found the stretch after Samos-SdC to be a completely different vibe than prior sections. I will say it: it was my personal experience that it was mostly Spaniards themselves who were the most discourteous, loitering, and plain rude along that last stretch Sarria- SdC. So much so, in my view, that even as I arrived at SdC, I vowed NEVER to walk that section again. I did not minded the increasing numbers on the trail, I did not minded the loud conversations, but I did minded the increasing rudeness and disregard for other's pilgrimage experience. Even though I saw hundreds of bikes going by from the moment I left from SJPDP, it was only after Sarria that I was almost ran over by bikes many times. Just horrendous.

 

[zammy]

This is the reason why I did it myself and recommended it to others planning to walk the camino:
reserve ahead at private albergues not the big ones.

 

[Anniesantiago]

I'm not going to leave my shoes or poles in a gear room. Im just can't afford to replace them. I've seen too much stolen this year. It's unbelievable. I take a plastic bag with me. I take off my walking shoes and put them in the bag and put them in my pack. I take out my 'rest' shoes and put them on. I mark my poles with bright yellow duct tape and collapse them and attach them onto my pack. I reserve a pair of brand new rubber tips for nights.

 

[Irish Bernie]

I'm not going to leave my shoes or poles in a gear room. Im just can't afford to replace them. I've seen too much stolen this year. It's unbelievable. I take a plastic bag with me. I take off my walking shoes and put them in the bag and put them in my pack. I take out my 'rest' shoes and put them on. I mark my poles with bright yellow duct tape and collapse them and attach them onto my pack. I reserve a pair of brand new rubber tips for nights.

My boots go where i go,we are a team and i would never risk the loss of a member of my team

 

[MaryLynn]

I'll be leaving for my first Camino on the 29th and I'm trying very hard not to let things I read disturb me. Theft, littering, unwelcoming individuals...it's sad to read. I've been dreaming of doing this for a very long time and refuse to leave the happy place I've pictured. I've chosen to use it as a way to prepare mentally for something that is already going to be both physically and mentally challenging. It's shown me that my determination to do this is stronger than first thought.

Don't even think of leaving your happy place! I've walked almost 4000km in the past five years, staying whenever possible in municipal or parochial albergues, and never had anything stolen. I have encountered only two snippy hospitaleros, and you will find many long stretches of the Camino without a scrap of litter. Think positive!

 

[mcvett500]

I'll be leaving for my first Camino on the 29th and I'm trying very hard not to let things I read disturb me. Theft, littering, unwelcoming individuals...it's sad to read. I've been dreaming of doing this for a very long time and refuse to leave the happy place I've pictured. I've chosen to use it as a way to prepare mentally for something that is already going to be both physically and mentally challenging. It's shown me that my determination to do this is stronger than first thought.

You'll have a good time, some of these post are just rants. I had a very good time and read nothing before I left so the adventures and miss-adventures just blended together. have fun.

 

[ELHS220]

I was very worried about someone taking my shoes either by error or outright theft. That started in Roncesvalles when I was directed to that shoe room with zillions of other pairs. "What happens if someone 'mistakenly' takes my shoes", I thought. So I always snuck them in with me. I was chastised for this a few weeks ago when I mentioned it in another post. I use special orthotics, though not special shoes, and there was no way they were going to leave my sight. The only "theft" I ever experienced was the loss of a transport payment envelope off my pack. When I reached the little hotel I had booked in Burgos, NO PACK! I was stunned. They called back to Atapuerca and there it was, with no envelope on it. It was delivered within an hour or so.

Hola fellow peregrinos.
I am not far from reaching Santiago (2 days) and just wanted to share some advice, and have a rant.
Please WAKE UP when you wake up and make sure you take your OWN gear. Use a torch if it is dark. I went to leave my albergue this morning to find one of my pair of walking poles gone. These have done a lot of hikes with me and travelled half way around the globe. Needless to say, I was pissed off. One is not the same as two when it comes to knee problems and uphill, let alone that my poles are my friends just like my boots. Someone also took my friend's walking pole. She was gutted also.
AND... I am horrified and disappointed when I have come across so much pilgrim rubbish. Food wrappers, cigarette packets, empty water bottles, tissues and wipes, receipts, duct tape etc etc.
It is a pilgrim disgrace to come to Spain and disrespect the country and it's people. It is a privellage and an honour to walk a Camino. You ought to leave nothing but footprints and respect. Rant over.

 

[Mark Lee]

I was very worried about someone taking my shoes either by error or outright theft. That started in Roncesvalles when I was directed to that shoe room with zillions of other pairs. "What happens if someone 'mistakenly' takes my shoes", I thought. So I always snuck them in with me. I was chastised for this a few weeks ago when I mentioned it in another post. I use special orthotics, though not special shoes, and there was no way they were going to leave my sight. The only "theft" I ever experienced was the loss of a transport payment envelope off my pack. When I reached the little hotel I had booked in Burgos, NO PACK! I was stunned. They called back to Atapuerca and there it was, with no envelope on it. It was delivered within an hour or so.

Ha ha...yeah, the chastising that occurs on here from time to time is a bit comical.
If one feels more secure bringing in their shoes with them, go ahead. Of course, common courtesy applies. If the shoes/boots are a muddy and smelly mess, maybe rethink that option.

 

[MTtoCamino]

It seemed to me the farther along you get from SJPDP the less the demands of keeping the boots at the entry of the alburgues. After Leon My boots stayed with my pack. It could be I was so conditioned to removing them at the door & putting on my Crocs I no longer paid much attention to it. After Santiago to Finnestere boots were worn into the rooms.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

So I always snuck them in with me. I

I hope the point of leaving boots at the door is to keep out dirt. Taking boots up to your bed is completely different from walking around in them. I do not feel the least amount of guilt about doing that! Poles too.

 

[koilife]

I hope the point of leaving boots at the door is to keep out dirt.

And in the case of my teenage boys' feet, the stench.

 

[HeidiL]

If there are loads and loads of boots, and some of them resemble mine, I tie the shoelaces together and tie the shoes to the rack. Then they won't be mistaken for someone else's, and an opportunistic thief will need some time to himself to undo my knots (old scout/girlguide here!).

 

[Mudcrone]

Hola fellow peregrinos.
I am not far from reaching Santiago (2 days) and just wanted to share some advice, and have a rant.
Please WAKE UP when you wake up and make sure you take your OWN gear. Use a torch if it is dark. I went to leave my albergue this morning to find one of my pair of walking poles gone. These have done a lot of hikes with me and travelled half way around the globe. Needless to say, I was pissed off. One is not the same as two when it comes to knee problems and uphill, let alone that my poles are my friends just like my boots. Someone also took my friend's walking pole. She was gutted also.
AND... I am horrified and disappointed when I have come across so much pilgrim rubbish. Food wrappers, cigarette packets, empty water bottles, tissues and wipes, receipts, duct tape etc etc.
It is a pilgrim disgrace to come to Spain and disrespect the country and it's people. It is a privellage and an honour to walk a Camino. You ought to leave nothing but footprints and respect. Rant over.

I mark my poles by wrapping a bit of pattern or colorful duct tape around them. Last year mine were stolen by two women in broad daylight outside while we were having café, Good news is that we were sitting having café the next day when the woman walked up with them. It was a delicate situation, but I got them back. However, I have also been a hospitalera and have seen people accidently grab the wrong poles out of the container early in the morning when they are half awake. Again marking them with tape or something distinctive.

 

[nathanael]

Ahm, I don't really worry about anything being stolen from me. All very much old and used stuff. Nobody wants that. And I would never go for Camino with brand new eqipment. My walking poles, for example, I thought they'd gave up on me in 2014 but some duct tape does miracles. You want them? Go take them

Unfortunately stealing does happen in albergue's. I met a young American lady who had her walking boots stolen from under her bed at an albergue , so figure it no respect or thought to how will this person continue her Camino.

 

[Mark Lee]

I mark my poles by wrapping a bit of pattern or colorful duct tape around them. Last year mine were stolen by two women in broad daylight outside while we were having café, Good news is that we were sitting having café the next day when the woman walked up with them. It was a delicate situation, but I got them back. However, I have also been a hospitalera and have seen people accidently grab the wrong poles out of the container early in the morning when they are half awake. Again marking them with tape or something distinctive.

Interesting to know what their logic, excuse or lies were regarding how they came in possession of the poles was?

 

[psychoticparrot]

This morning, I picked up garbage in my neighbourhood, which I dumped in the bin at the transit station. When I got to work, I emptied the dishwasher and put in it the dishes left in the sink. I did so to improve my own environment. The only person whose behaviour I can change is my own.
I know that on the camino this effort can be endless: the route stretches out before the pilgrim as an endless path of garbage, graffiti and toilet litter. Benches that one might like to sit on are surrounded with toilet paper. When on camino, one day I joined a group of pilgrims standing looking out at a beautiful, hilly landscape. Right at the path was a bench facing the view. Next to it was a memorial for a pilgrim who had died near there while on camino. All around was the usual litter, including food litter where people had lunched at the bench. Suddenly, I couldn't stand it. I took out a plastic bag and began to pick up tissues, orange peel and other food litter. An Asian couple joined me in picking up litter. I explained that it was wrong to desecrate a pilgrim memorial and they seemed to agree. It was satisfying to see the area tidy, appropriate for the beautiful scenery and the memorial. I picked up bits of litter all along the frances. But this was the only time that I felt that I was doing anything that actually had a noticeable, if local and temporary, effect. I shall go on picking up litter on the camino when I am there in the fall. To my mind, cleaning up the world is the job of a adult. It's never done, and one is never confident that the next generation will continue the job. I have great respect for the members of this forum who meet each year to spend a week cleaning up. You folks are the best of us. Thank you.

Note to self: Add some small garbage bags and latex gloves to packing list.

 

[Icacos]

Note to self: Add some small garbage bags and latex gloves to packing list.

What I think would be really nice is if we could purchase, over there, some litter picker uppers, but there don't seem to be any there for purchase. And, at least on this side of the pond, the inexpensive litter picker uppers are next to useless, and the good ones are quite expensive. And, anyway, who wants to travel with a litter picker upper?

 

[MTtoCamino]

What I think would be really nice is if we could purchase, over there, some litter picker uppers, but there don't seem to be any there for purchase. And, at least on this side of the pond, the inexpensive litter picker uppers are next to useless, and the good ones are quite expensive. And, anyway, who wants to travel with a litter picker upper?

I think it may be easy enough to fix a nail to a walking stick using a hose clamp... Then take it off when you need the pole.

 

[Miguel de Flandes]

And in the case of my teenage boys' feet, the stench.

Well, in my case too, so no problem whatsoever leaving them unguarded...

I pity the person who'd steal my shoes...

Buen camino
Miguel

 

[DurhamParish]

with the boots I secured a carabiner through the back loops.

Thank you for the fantastic idea.

 

[DurhamParish]

Don't be cynical or naive.

The best advice on this thread.

 

[Pi Wakawaka]

I did not take your poles or your friend's poles, and I always try to do as you instruct and leave only footprints and respect. Why are you ranting at me? It seems a bit extreme to be so horrified and disappointed by annoying situations that can happen anywhere.

Am I ranting at you? I am sure you are adult enough to know the answer. Minimising the respect deserved by viewing it as 'normal', is an irresponsible view.

 

[Pi Wakawaka]

I mark my poles by wrapping a bit of pattern or colorful duct tape around them. Last year mine were stolen by two women in broad daylight outside while we were having café, Good news is that we were sitting having café the next day when the woman walked up with them. It was a delicate situation, but I got them back. However, I have also been a hospitalera and have seen people accidently grab the wrong poles out of the container early in the morning when they are half awake. Again marking them with tape or something distinctive.

Hi. Believe it or not... 2.5 days after someone took my pole, I saw it in cafe... and had seen the guy at regular intervals. I was relieved to have my trusty old scratched up pole back and gave him his one. He did not even know he had a different one 2,5 days later!!!! It was funny watching his reaction.