Research and preparation for your Camino de Santiago will go a long way to making your trek more enjoyable and stress free once you’re on your way. I’ve put together a few points of opinion and advice for the 4 most important gear choice below.
1) Backpack
This is THE piece of gear. It will become like another body part. You’ll feel the security and liberation that comes from having all of your belongings on your back. That said, buy the minimum size you think you can get away with. The less you bring, the happier you will be.
- Size: I used a 46L pack, which worked perfectly. I could have used a 36L, perhaps, if I didn’t bring a sleeping bag. My husband Rich use a 48L pack. Definitely stay below the 50L pack range. You don’t need to worry about carrying food or a tent or more than 1L of water.
- Gender Specific: Women need a pack built for chests and hips.
- Adjustable torso length: I bought an Osprey pack and they came in several sizes in addition to gender, but I still needed to adjust the torso length so that the pack did not hit the back of my head.
- Hip belt
- Chest belt
- Water bottle side pocket
- Breathable or suspended back: Great for sweat relief.
- Side entry into pack: Optional but quite convenient.
- Sleeping bag compartment: Optional but quite convenient if you choose to bring a sleeping bag.
- Popular brands: We saw Osprey, Deuter and Quechua as the most common backpacks
I used the Osprey Kyte 46L. Rich used the Osprey 48L Kestrel. Both were purchased at REI and fitted with the help of their trained staff, who will also fill the bag with weights so you can get a realistic and comfortable fit.
If you are not planning on walking with your backpack and are intending to have it transported for you then you need a day pack. I would look for the following features:
- Size: ~20L or smaller
- Water bottle side pocket: Optional but more convenient than opening your pack to get to water
- Padded shoulder strap: Nice to have to prevent shoulder pain from too much weight
- Chest belt
- Waist belt: this will help distribute the weight better and secure the pack
- Needs to hold: water bottle, rain gear, first aid kit, layers of clothes you peel off as you warm up, snacks, and valuables (money/passport/credential/phone)
- Suspended back: Wonderful if you don’t have to worry about the pack being collapsible, otherwise choose a “stowaway” design. I used the 20L Osprey Tempest for our walking trip in Scotland last year.
A word about water: You’ll notice I have not recommended an integrated water bladder compartment. Most packs will have one anyway (although the bladder itself is not included). I DO NOT recommend using a water bladder. Water is readily available from pilgrim fountains and at bars and hostels. The weight of a filled water bladder will be too much and it is very inconvenient to re-fill. I bought a sturdy screw top 1 liter bottle of water in St. Jean Pied-de-Port and used that as my bottle for the entire Camino, storing it in a mesh side pocket. The water bladder compartment actually makes a nice pocket for stowing maps or an ipad. Besides, if you don’t have a water bottle, what are you going to fill up at the Wine Fountain?
2) Shoes
Shoes are a very personal choice and what works for one person definitely may not work for anyone else. The one universal truth about footwear for the Camino de Santiago is that you do not need hiking boots. As the experts says, it is not a technical trail. The surfaces are usually country roads (gravel), dirt, asphalt, concrete, or cobble stones. The way can be slick and muddy in places but is mostly very stable. Many people choose a trail running shoe. So what would I look for?
- breathable (try to stay away from Gore-Tex?)
- light weight
- good stability
- good cushioning for all day comfort
- rock kick plate to protect your toes
- big enough to wear with 2 layers of socks
- Nothing that can rub on the inside
Buy your shoes after you’ve been on your feet all day (after 4pm) on a warm day to help simulate the foot swelling you can expect and also bring the socks that you will wear. I think I actually over-compensated for projected swelling and bought my shoes a tad too bid in the toe box which led to blisters from sliding.
After you have purchased your shoes do several long-ish walks in them. If they aren’t working out return them and try again. MAKE YOUR SHOE PURCHASE EARLY.
Anecdotal evidence: Our Camino friend Mike started walking with hiking boots he had used previously with no problem in Oregon. He developed swelling and terrible blisters and was delayed several days in Léon. He ended up finishing his Camino wearing crocs. I saw another young couple who brought only trail sandals and socks. They regretted that big-time! I tried walking in sandals for an hour one day when my blisters were at their worst. I gave up almost immediately because gravel kept getting under my toes.
Additional Footwear
You need something to wear in the hostels and around town once you’ve reached your destination. Your trail shoes are not permitted inside the sleeping quarters of the hostels and are usually stored in racks in a designated space along with your hiking poles. You might also want something that you can wear in the shower.
Crocs seem to be a popular choice. Rich brought some fairly heavy trail sandals (way too heavy for me). I ended up choosing an open toe sandal that could be worn with socks and was the lightest weight I could find (Chaco Z/Volv). I took it as an omen that the color was named “Camino Orange”. REMEMBER – these will be in your pack so weight matters!
3) Rain Poncho
Most backpacks now come with an integrated rain cover. I have a nice 20L cover for my Osprey laptop bag and it is very handy during my commute. I would NOT recommend a pack cover for the Camino, however. This is because it does not cover the backpack straps. Water will eventually inundate the sponge-like straps and then the pack might get wet. You’d also need to protect your body with a rain jacket and rain pants.
Instead I recommend a rain poncho with a “hump” designed for use with backpacks. I first read about the very popular Altus brand poncho on the Camino forums. However it is made in Europe and thus difficult to get in the U.S. It is also pretty darn heavy. I bought a very similar design, available on Amazon.
Features to look for:
- “Hump” – this accommodates the backpack, but can also be stowed away for use without the backpack
- Lightweight: look up that weight before making a choice
- Long: Make sure you get a size that will help protect your legs. You really don’t want to bring rain pant
- Real sleeves
- Elasticized at wrist: There’s nothing quite like that stream of water running down your arm if you lift your arms up. The poncho I bought didn’t have elastic wrists so I made my own by keeping two rubber bands handy.
- Price: I bought my knock-off poncho for under $20 on Amazon.
4) Hiking Poles
I had a serious debate with myself about bringing poles because I had read many different opinions on the Camino forums about the merits of poles. Also, there was the issue of how to get them through TSA security at the airport. I am EVER grateful that I decided to bring them. I don’t understand why anyone would walk without them. What should you look for in your poles?
- Lightweight but strong
- Z-style: easier to pack and to adjust rapidly
- Rubber cap: Optional rubber cap for asphalt and concrete surfaces. The metallic clack of hundreds of hiking poles can grate a little bit. I am looking into buying Black Diamond Z-Pole Tip Protectors for my poles.
So I borrowed a pair of Black Diamond FLZ poles from some friends of ours and I loved them so much I got myself a pair. Rich took an old pair of much heavier poles from REI that have a twist-lock mechanism. If you have older poles you might consider upgrading to the lighter, more compact z-poles with the better locking mechanisms. Rich’s poles would slip out of place and took a lot more time each morning to adjust to the correct height.
How to pack your poles
TSA isn’t very friendly about hiking poles. It’s possible you could slip through security with your poles in a carryon bag, but also quite likely they’ll make you check them. Technically I believe they are prohibited.
Rich and I avoided the problem by putting our poles into a triangular mailing tube from FedEx and checking the tube as luggage. We took our backpacks as carryon luggage but then were forced to gate check them anyway. Once we got to our destination we threw the tube out. I was able to buy a new one with no problem at the post office in Santiago for the trip home. We also taped a utility jack knife to the inside of the tube so we’d have scissors, knife and corkscrew handy in Spain.
Note: So my daughter Genevieve asked me “Is you blog about the Camino now?” For the moment, that answer is “Yes”. I am hoping to prepare posts that can be resources for anyone thinking of walking the Camino de Santiago, but most especially for the group of pilgrims that have put their faith in me for our 13-stage trip from Léon to Santiago this September.
The Legend of St. James
Briefly, legend has it that St. James the Greater, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, went to northwest Spain to preach and convert pagans to Christianity. Returning to Palestine, he was taken prisoner and decapitated by Herod Agrippa in AD 44. His disciples stole the body and took it in a sarcophagus of marble on board a small boat. The current of the sea drove the boat to the Spanish coast (Galicia) and here the Apostle was buried in a secret place in a wood.
Centuries later, in 813, a hermit heard music in that wood and saw a shining light and thus the tomb was discovered. King Alphonse II declared St. James the patron of his empire and had a chapel built at that place, which was named Campus Stellae (field of stars). The original chapel soon became the cathedral of the new settlement, Santiago de Compostela.
In later traditions St. James is credited with several miracles, even fighting side by side with King Ramiro I in the decisive battle against the Moors, earning him the title of Santiago Matamoros (“Moor-slayer”).
What’s his name again?
Interestingly, Wikipedia says the name Santiago derives from the Hebrew name Jacob (Ya’akov) via “Sant Iago”. The English usage of James, instead of Jacob, may have been influenced by Old French, possibly in this manner: Yaʻaqov (Hebrew) → Iacobus (Greek) → Iacomus (Latin) → Jammes (Old French) → James (English). If you want to be more confused here’s the source article for you. The name James has many variants in Iberia including Xacobo or Xacobe (in Galician) and Jacobo. (e.g. Jacotrans backpack transport company and the Complexo Xacobeo Albergue in Triacastella). You’ll also see “Saint Jacques” along the way from the French.
Pilgrimage in the High Middle Ages
The first written records of pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela date to the 10th century. Originally the safe routes would have been the Camino del Norte and the Camino Primitivo. The Camino Francés route developed after the threat of the Moors was reduced. The 12th and 13th centuries marked the height of prestige for the pilgrimage with as many as 250,000 pilgrims traveling each year, essentially taking the place of the pilgrimages to the Holy Lands after they had been lost.
Medieval pilgrims walked for the promise of spiritual benefits (indulgences) for the pilgrim himself or for an ill or deceased person represented by the pilgrim. Additionally, Pope Calixtus II declared all years when the Feast of St. James falls on a Sunday (July 25th) as Holy years during which pilgrims can achieve a plenary indulgence (forgiveness for their sins) known as a Jubilee. The next Holy Year is 2021. Expect many more pilgrims on the trail!
Pagan Roots
The Camino Francés apparently took advantage of a pre-exiting Celtic pagan route which seems to have been mapped by following the Milky Way. The final destination was at Finisterre. “It is a proven fact that there was a pre-Christian necropolis on the site and also that the Path followed by the Camino existed long before the finding of St. James’ remains in the 9th century.” (source: A Pagan History of the Camino)
Here is another web page, which is an excerpt from a French book, with images that appear to show a clear correlation between the pilgrimage route and place names that come from the word “star”, archeological sites of megalithic dolmen and the location of ancient monasteries.
Pilgrimage Resurgence
It is widely accepted that the revival of the Camino de Santiago can be attributed to work started in the 1980’s by the parish priest of O Cebreiro, Father Elias Valiña. He was a scholar of the Camino and made it a mission to mark and promote the route, including starting the tradition of painting the iconic yellow markers. You can read more about him by clicking on the image above.
In 1993, the Camino de Santiago was designated a UNESCO World Heritage route and the number of pilgrims that walk it just keeps growing. In 1985, 1,245 pilgrims arrived in Santiago. By 2019, that number became 347,578. The graph peaks are Holy years.
(source: Religious Pilgrimage Routes and Trails: Sustainable Development and Management
edited by Daniel H Olsen, Anna Trono)
I just needed to share these two photo essays. I especially love Drew Robinson’s amazing photography, but also how he shares his Camino so well through those photos. The images over the Pyrenees are just as I remember and he captures the immensity of the sky all along the trail.
I loved starting walking before dawn because of the amazing birth of each day that we would witness. And the sunflowers! When my husband Rich and I walked in late September all of the sunflowers were standing dried in the fields, but all facing the same direction! That gave us something to wonder about.
This second photo essay from CaminoWays.com has some good photos of sights along several of the routes, but predominantly from the Camino Francés. Enjoy and hopefully get a mental image of walk your pilgrimage might look like!
The Way
The experience that influenced my husband Rich and I the most in deciding to walk the Camino de Santiago was watching the movie The Way, starring Martin Sheen and written, directed and produced by his son Emilio Estevez. We’d heard about the Camino from a number of people, one of whom has always wanted to walk it and never will, but I don’t remember how we found out about the movie. Regardless, this movie was a life-changer. After we finished viewing it we turned to each other and rather to my shock both agreed that this was something we wanted to do. As luck would have it, Rich had learned that he would receive a year’s sabbatical starting in the Fall of 2017, which also corresponded with our youngest child leaving to go to college. And so our plans were born!
I’ll Push You
Two weeks ago my sister Sally texted me. She wrote “Reading I’ll Push You about friends on the Camino. Really good!”.
I had been aware that there was a documentary about these two friends, one of whom is in a wheel chair. It’s kind of a legend along the route, but the film came out after we walked in 2017. So last week I got the book for free from the library and read it and it has been reverberating around my mind ever since. What an incredible story. And even more incredible to me because I can picture the exact hills that they are climbing and know how difficult their path was.
But I have to say the book gets the truth of the Camino. I encourage anyone to read the book or watch the documentary. To me the Camino is about the people – the shared experience, the helping hands, the self-discovery, and listening to what God has been trying to get you to hear.
The Camino Voyage
And finally, one more film that seems to capture the “why” of the Camino is the documentary The Camino Voyage. An inspiring story of four Irishmen doing their version of the Celtic Camino by rowing their boat from Ireland to Northern Spain over 3 years.
I looked up the official statistics for 2019 that are produced by the pilgrim’s office in Santiago. Last year 327,281 pilgrims arrived by foot; 19,563 by bicycle; 406 by horse; 243 by boat; and 85 by wheelchair. Amazing!
“I don’t like either the word [hike] or the thing. People ought to saunter in the mountains – not ‘hike!’ Do you know the origin of that word saunter? It’s a beautiful word. Away back in the middle ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going they would reply, ‘A la sainte terre’, ‘To the Holy Land.’ And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers. Now these mountains are our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through them reverently, not ‘hike’ through them.”
John Muir
I am feeling like I need to mourn 2019 for a little bit. Not because it was a good year. It was a mixed year, but it ended in a negative way, which is such a shame.
Things I’d like to Celebrate
- Genevieve graduated!!!! (maybe even a few more exclamation points are needed.) Our oldest child is a college graduate and is now learning about “adulting”.
- We went on a fabulous family trip to Italy (Milan, Florence, Venice and Trieste), which I planned so that Genevieve could see the art and history that she had been studying for her Medieval and Renaissance Studies minor.
- Rich and I went on a walking trip to Scotland with our friends Misty and Brian (the “Whiskey Walk” along the Spey River).
- I lost 8 pounds by using the Weight Watchers WW app.
- I started learning piano at age 51! Performed in my first musicale on January 4th.
Other positives
- I participated in The Bible Challenge (reading the whole bible in a year). I’m only days from completing it (we started February 1, 2019) and looking forward to celebrating.
- I embraced Bullet Journaling as a great way to plan, de-clutter my brain and track my habits
- “You Need a Budget” app – I originally explored this as a way to help the kids manage their money, but I LOVE IT!
Regrets
- My job. I felt purposeless and under-appreciated most of the year. My company sold off the main business I supported to a competitor and ultimately canceled my remaining project and laid off my group.
- I had a goal to finish a craft project and never seemed to have time for it. Blogging and crafts pretty much didn’t happen this year.
- I tried to adopt too many new things into my life at once (improving my Spanish, learning some Italian, meditation). I ended up sticking to only piano and bible study.
- Realizing I am “old” for my career space. Finding a new job has been very challenging because I have too many years of experience and command too high a salary. The right fit is harder to come by in a field that values youth. Hey, I AM NOT A “BOOMER”, but I might as well be.
What looking up?
OMG, OMG, OMG! I am going back the Camino!!!
I took a chance and did something I’d been wanting to do since we got back and I wrote an article for my church newsletter inviting folks to join me on a shortened version of the Camino Francès (Camino de Santiago). I now have a group of 8 pilgrims in addition to myself that I will help guide on a pilgrimage next September/October. I thought I might end up getting 3 or 4 people who were interested, so this is super exciting.
OK, I still don’t have a job and this is an uncomfortable feeling for me, but the opportunities are coming in and I will find a place that will value me and my experience and where I can make valuable contributions. I am reminded of a great line from the movie “The Mummy” where Rachel Weisz says “Patience is a virtue” and then Brenden Fraser replies “Not right now it isn’t!”
Safe travels Tristan! Today my son set off for his third year of university. He’s on to another adventure at The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. It was fun to help pack up his car this morning and see him on his way. He leads such a rich life at school with his theater endeavors, fraternity, friends, and this year a new job at the darling little coffee house Stirling’s.
Boy, time flies. Two years ago we had just sent Tristan off for his first year. The nest was empty and Rich and I were embarking on our Camino de Santiago walk right after Labor Day.
Now, for some catching up… Our daughter Genevieve graduated from Trinity University in May (big sigh of relief!) and now the nest is not quite as empty, as she is living at home and has her first full-time job. I figure this next year is all about “adulting” – learning about paychecks, taxes, making rent, paying for your own “stuff”, saving money, finding out life is a bunch of compromises and figuring out what you want in life. It all seems a bit much to ask of our over-sheltered adult children! And apparently it’s time for Mom (me, that is) to butt out. I shall try…
So I haven’t post in FOREVER, for good reason. I took on too many endeavors at the beginning of the year. I decided to faithfully study Spanish every day because I intended to volunteer at a pilgrim Welcome Center on the Camino de Santiago (that never happened). I committed to the Bible Challenge, a year of reading the bible 6 days a week. I started piano lessons as a complete beginner. I also had ambitions to exercise daily and meditate. I started Bullet Journaling too… All of a sudden I had no free time! So blogging was sacrificed because I felt like I had nothing worthwhile to say anyway.
Now at the end of August I am still faithfully, if somewhat painfully, keeping up with The Bible Challenge. Piano continues and I am VERY glad I decided to do this. It is exciting and keeps my brain and fingers working hard. Meditation is a very occasional thing. I like it, but can’t find a time and place that works well. And I quit with the Spanish after March. Exercise is only twice a week, once hour with my personal trainer Rebecca and once hour of pilates with my coach Olivia. I ADDED weight watchers in April (just using the WW app) and I’ve lost just under 10 pounds and will continue with this effort.
So, I am hoping to start posting regularly again. We had some adventures this summer that I’d like to share, such as another walking trip (The Speyside Way in Scotland). Here’s to a new start!
I admit that I have gotten lazy with keeping up with my commitment as a Keep Austin Beautiful Adopt-a-Creek volunteer. Cleaning the creek was part of my promise to promote a wildlife habitat, live a greener life and protect the environment. It was always something we enjoyed doing as a family and with our pup Bella.
There’s nothing quite like getting down in the creek, out of sight of the roads and houses and realizing what this land looked like before we paved it over and re-made it. There are fossils, flowers, berries, birds, turtles, snakes, dens belonging to mystery critters, the bones of other critters and many other things to admire. There are also endless signs of the damage we humans are doing. The creek bed is scarred by concrete sewer lines running through it. Obsolete infrastructure is left to decay and fall into the creek to be caught in the floods and pushed downstream. And the trash is so depressing.
Last weekend my husband Rich and I spent around 3 hours in the creek. The visible trash in the creek had become such an eyesore that when Saturday dawned sunny and clear I knew it was time to do something again. It was exhausting work. There was a lot of REALLY heavy trash, such as a huge metal sign. There were also many signs that a homeless camp had been washed away and into the creek. We recovered 3 sleeping bags and numerous items of clothing and other personal belongings, including the remains of a laptop. It must have been devastating for the owners to have lost these things.
In the hours after the cleanup Rich and I and Bella-puppy collapsed – sore and tired. I thought “I am ready to pass this torch to someone else”. Perhaps a younger family would like to take over this mission. And so I wrote out to the neighborhood and got a few nibbles of interest.
Saturday I met with a neighbor who isn’t sure he can take on this responsibility, but wanted to know more about what is involved. And do you know what? Talking to him made me realize that I still have a lot of desire to work on this project. I want to work on removing invasive trees and controlling the Johnson grass and bamboo. I still want to help clean the creek, also. I just lost sight of the fact that I should be reaching out to the neighborhood and getting a community of volunteers to help out. If I ask, they will come. I was taking the lazy way by not planning formal events, and by doing so I have been making things harder on myself and excluding others from participating in this very important act of stewardship of our Earth.
God’s bounty is beautiful. My winter garden is finally producing some nice lettuces and broccoli. The cauliflower are partially ready and I have four cabbages coming along (although caterpillars have helped themselves a bit). I just love that purple color. Rather unbelievable for a vegetable. I have another cauliflower, cheddar cheese-colored, and only a few inches in diameter, but the windstorm last night and today literally tore it apart.
Up next are the heirloom beets and watermelon radishes! For the second year in a row I did not plant any carrots and my beds I have reserved for onion starts have become overrun by poppy volunteers. It’s probably time to clear out those beds and get those onions in!
