Walking the Camino de Santiago
Getting ready physically for the Camino.
On the beautiful, sun-shiny Saturday just past, Francine and I walked 18 kilometers. I’m still a little achy! Francine’s foot was bothering her, and she very nearly called it quits at 4k. Instead, we slowed our pace down from 13-minute kilometers to 15-minute kilometers, and that made all the difference in the world. We still needed rest breaks every so […]
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This post has been in edit for 1055 days. It was one week until my first Camino. I was in full on panic mode. Now that I am in full on panic mode being less than a week away from departure, I feel as though I’m not prepared. I understand that this is a normal pre-Camino stage. I’m mainly concerned […]
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Every pilgrim carries a credencial to identify him or her as a legitimate pilgrim. They are issued by various Confraternities of Saint James, and you can also get them at Cathedrals and other places along the Way. All pilgrim albergues and refugios require that you have a credencial in order to stay there. You get it stamped at least twice […]
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Our Camino training has begun in earnest. We’re taking smaller walks throughout the week – some for speed, some for hills. On the weekends, we’re taking longer hikes with full packs. Today, that’s 12k. Over the coming weeks, this will ratchet up to 24k. Of course, the real “training ” for the Camino is in Navarra!
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The number of days to our next Camino continues to drop precipitously. Less than three months to go! At this point, equipment and footgear is all acquired. For shoes and socks, I have stuck with Keen. Their “garage” store is in downtown Portland, and it’s well worth a drop-by if you’re in the area. The shoes are rugged and comfortable […]
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Francine injured her foot a ways back, and we have not been training as we ought. Yesterday, however, we had a nice hike with full Camino packs through Point Defiance Park. There was some trouble with water. At some point in transit to the trailhead, Francine’s backpack water bladder leaked about a liter of water into her pack. After a […]
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My annual camp/cabin trip was this past weekend. Basically it’s the same group of guys every year, with the occasional comings and goings. Back in the day, we camped. One particular weekend, about seven or eight years ago now, it rained so hard that it put out our campfire. Since then, it’s been U.S. Forestry service cabins. This is the […]
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Of all the photos I took on our 2013 Camino – and I took thousands of them – this is the one that for me best sums up the spirit of the pilgrimage. It was taken as we walked through the Galician forests on our way to the Royal Monastery of Samos. It reminds me very strongly of Bilbo’s Old […]
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One year from today, Easter Sunday, 27 March 2016, Francine and I intend to board an airplane and set out on our second Camino. Because next year is a leap-year, that’s 366 days from today. Yesterday, I celebrated the tenth anniversary of my Baptism. A year from today, Easter will fall on exactly the same day that it did back […]
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A couple of months back, Francine and I took a short hike that absolutely winded us. Wiped us out. Clearly, we’re out of shape. So we’ve started our 2016 Camino training much the way we did for 2013: we’re beginning with loops around Snake Lake. There’s a flat loop of trail around the lake, and a fairly steep hill-climb with […]
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