Preparing for the Camino, Part 2

OK, now that we’ve discussed the general issues concerning the gathering of basic information about the Camino de Santiago, let’s talk about how we’re preparing equipment-wise.  First off, you have to remember that we can only take what we can carry in our backpacks.  But since we’re not camping on the Camino, we don’t have to worry about a tent, stove, or food and water for several days because we’re staying in albergues (hostels) for sleeping and shelter.  Some albergues provide evening meals and a light breakfast, otherwise we’ll be eating at small bars (a.k.a. cafes) or local restaurants.  We’ll carry bread, cheese, and sausage for lunch along the pathway, or stop for a sandwich or tapas in the villages we travel through.  So basically we’re just carrying two sets of clothes – what we’re wearing plus a spare set.  We’ll also carry a rain jacket and rain pants, a light pile jacket, a very lightweight sleeping bag and perhaps a silk or synthetic bag liner, basic toiletries and our normal prescription medications, a pair of sandals or flip-flops to wear in the evenings, plus miscellaneous odds and ends like guidebooks, small camera, small flashlight and/or headlamp, a journal, and a cell phone or smart phone.  Some folks get ambitious and take a tablet computer or netbook, but remember, the weight of these items adds up fast.  The recommended rule of thumb for the weight of the backpack, including the pack itself and all its contents, is 10 percent of one’s body weight.  That’s based on a person of average fitness and conditioning.  Others suggest trying to stay as close to 15 pounds as possible.

Clothing needs to be as lightweight and multi-purpose as possible, and definitely needs to be made out of quick-drying synthetics because we’ll be washing the clothes worn each day and donning the next day’s outfit as soon as we get out of our afternoon/evening shower.  All clothing therefore has to dry rapidly so it will be ready to pack for the next day before we go to bed.  Our basic outfit will be shorts with zip-off legs, a polypropylene tee shirt, and a lightweight long-sleeved shirt for sun protection and cooler weather.  We’ll also have a pile jacket or vest, and our rain jackets will double as windbreakers when needed.  We’ll also have wide-brimmed hats for sun protection, plus a pile cap and pile gloves for cool mornings or evenings as we wander around the towns and villages.  If it’s really cold, we both are bringing a pair of silk long-john bottoms for added warmth.  However, based on statistical data, we don’t anticipate temperatures below the low 50's at night or above the low 90's in the daytime – we’re hoping that the statistics hold true.

The two most important items of equipment are our backpacks and footwear.  A good backpack for the Camino is larger than a day pack, but smaller than an expedition pack.  Most experienced pilgrims recommend something between 35 and 50 liters capacity and weighing between two and four pounds empty.  Jeanette has chosen a 40-liter REI backpack, and I originally chose a 38-liter Osprey backpack.  However, since we’ve started training with loaded backpacks, I’ve discovered a chronic pinched nerve condition in my back, so I’m currently re-evaluating the type of pack I’ll be carrying.  The experts at REI have recommended a pack with a more rigid internal frame to relieve the stress on that particular part of my back.  The new pack I’m testing weighs slightly more than the Osprey and has a larger capacity – 48 liters – which will make packing a bit easier. 

As for footwear, while many pilgrims get by with running shoes or cross-trainers, lightweight,  hiking boots or low-top hiking shoes with sturdy soles and good lateral support are preferred.  We’ve therefore decided to wear lightweight, waterproof hiking boots.  As with the backpacks, we’ve gone through a number of boots to get a good fit – as of today, I’m on my second pair and Jeanette is on her third.  I highly recommend REI for major purchases such as boots and backpacks because of their very liberal return/exchange policy; basically buy it, try it for a while, then either keep it or return it for exchange or your money back with no questions asked.  If  undecided between brand A and brand B, they even say take them both home, try them, and return the one you don’t like.

Another accessory we’ll be taking are trekking poles.  Neither of us have used trekking poles in the past, but we’ve started using them during our training and have really come to appreciate the advantages they offer.  Besides providing balance on uneven terrain, we’ve been amazed to discover the amount of stress they take off our knees going downhill and the weight they take off our legs going uphill.  I’d estimate that if used properly, the trekking poles can transfer ten percent or more of my total weight from my legs to my arms, giving me more of a whole-body workout as I walk.  Plus they absorb a great deal of the normal shock that each step places on my lower back. 

Now for travel to and from Spain.  This is the major expense of the trip, currently running between $1200 and $1500 per person, round trip.  We don’t do a lot of airline traveling, but we have accumulated enough frequent flyer miles between the two of us to pay for one of the tickets, so that helped a lot.  There are numerous routes from the U.S. to Spain, but we’re taking the most direct we could find with the fewest changes along the way.  We’ll be flying from Denver to Newark, then directly to Madrid from Newark.  The return home at the end of the Camino will be the reverse.  We’ll be taking a bus directly from the Madrid airport to Pamplona, then spending one night in Pamplona to ease the jet lag.  The next day we’ll take another bus from Pamplona to St Jean Pied de Port, spend another night there in an albergue, and start walking the following morning.  On the return, we’ll take the bus or a train (we haven’t decided which) from Santiago back to Madrid, spend the night in a hotel at the Madrid airport and depart the following morning for home.  We’ve allotted 40 days for the walk itself, which means approximately 12½ miles per day.  We’re allowing three or four rest days along the way, primarily in the larger cities like Logrono, Burgos, and Leon.  If we find our strength and endurance growing as we progress and we reach Santiago sooner than originally planned, we’ll have the option of continuing on to Finisterre on the Atlantic coast west of Santiago or perhaps detouring through Portugal to visit the shrine at Fatima on our way back to Madrid.  But neither of those are on our basic itinerary, so we’ll just have to see if and how that works out.