“How much does your life weigh? Imagine for a second you are carrying a backpack. I want you to pack it with all the stuff you have in your life.”
In about a month from now (Sept 3rd) I’ll be boarding a plane and on my way for my Camino de Santiago adventure. I’ll be walking 800 km from a small town in France called Saint Jean de Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela, near the north-west coast of Spain. The Camino consists of pre-defined hiking routes that pilgrims have travelled for over 1000 years. The route that I will be taking is the most popular, called Camino Francis and I will need to walk about 25 km per day in order to complete my adventure in 32 days. I will be staying at hostels along the route that have been set up specifically to accommodate pilgrims. Some of these are public and some private and many have volunteers working at them. I’ve been told that most cost about 7 euros per night (your only allowed to stay one night) and the ‘pilgrim’s fare’ evening meal is available for purchase.
People from all over the world are walking the Camino everyday. They carry a credential or pilgrim passport, which gets stamped at each town that is passed through. Upon reaching the Cathedral in Santiago the Compostela is received (certificate from the church to say you’ve done it)! Of course by that time I’m sure any true reward will have already been received, otherwise the whole point would have been lost.
My first day of walking will be 25 km UPHILL over the Pyrenees. Needless to say, this is the day that worries me the most, but I have a few other worries too;
• What if I get blisters and can’t walk?
• What if I get sick?
• What if I get lost?
• What if I snore? – I will be staying in special Hostels for the pilgrims along the route.
• What if my pack is too heavy?
Packing is an important consideration for anyone walking 800 km! I literally have to ask myself the question “How much does my life weigh?” And another very important question I must ask, “Are the things I’m putting into my pack, things that I’m really going to want to carry on my back for roughly 35 days?
When I first started thinking about this trip, there was much technology I was going to take with me. On my list were my Kindle, a camera, and iPod Touch, as well as chargers for all these devices. I thought it would be a good idea to take a couple of pairs of shoes besides my hiking boots and what about my tea mug? What was I going to do about my hair? And after all….. there are certain things that we should not have to live without like makeup and anti-wrinkle face cream.
After reading that the total suggested weight a person carry should be no more that 10% of their body weight I began to be concerned. How can this be accomplished? According to my calculations I can only carry 13 lb including pack, sleeping bag and water!
It was time to re-assess! I have just made my list and I can’t imagine how all this stuff will only weigh 13 lbs!
Things I DON’T have to carry on my back:
• Pacer Poles
• Hiking Boots
• Hat
• Passport, Driver’s License, Credit Card, Debit Card, Money, Pen (worn on body)
Things I DO have to carry on my back:
• Ultra lite Back pack
• Ultra lite Sleeping bag
• Platypus water bag - Did you know that one liter of water weighs 2 lbs?!
• 2 pairs of ultra lite Columbia zip off pants
• 2 dry wick t-shirts
• 1 dry wick long sleeve shirt
• 1 lite water repellent hooded jacket
• 3 pairs of non-cotton underwear
• 2 sports bras
• Headband
• 3 pairs of wool hiking socks
Toiletries
• Toilet Paper (who knew?)
• Toothbrush
• Travel size Toothpaste
• Small bottle 2 in 1 shampoo & conditioner
• 2 in 1 soap for body wash and laundry
• Hairbrush
• Deodorant
• Chapstick
• Sunscreen
• Toiletry bag
• Ultra lite travel chamois-like bath towel
• First Aid Kit – needle and thread for blisters, Band-Aids, a couple of homeopathic remedies like Arnica (for injury) Ruta (for joint pain) Nux Vomica (for travel sickness), Tylenol (just in case)
Extras
• 1 small water bottle with clip (for extra supply)
• Back pack rain cover
• Rain poncho
• Pillow case (to stuff with clothes for pillow)
• Ear plugs (for snorers)
• Nail clippers
• 6 diaper pins (for hanging wet clothes)
Non-essentials
• iPod Touch for blogging (with charger)
• Spork (spoon and fork in one)
• Notebook
• Guidebook
Things I DON’T HAVE in my backpack are
• makeup
• hairdryer or flat-iron
• THE REST OF MY LIFE!
I do believe that all my preparations are almost in order and I have purchased everything on my list except a couple of minor items. I’ll let you know the results of the final weigh in, but I suspect all of this together is more than the recommended weight.
The other VERY important part of all this is the physical preparation required. I have read accounts of people who do nothing prior to walking and most say they suffer a great deal for the 1st two weeks until their body becomes conditioned. Hopefully some of the measures I’ve taken will cut down on suffering time and I’ll be able to enjoy my experience as pain free as possible. I’ve taken all kinds of advice about what kind of footwear, raingear, clothing and backpack to get. I’ve even taken Spanish lessons, but I’m afraid I will be performing a lot of hand gestures and my lifesaver will be an app on my iPod Touch called iSpeak Spanish. The #1 thing I’ve been doing is walking. For a year I’ve been walking, walking, walking and recently joined the Running Room’s Half Marathon Walking Group; a great bunch who teach and motivate and cheer you on. Tuesday night we did hills and last night another 6 km.
My plan is to be blogging along my journey so please check in and follow me on http://becomingawalker.blogspot.com/ . OK I’ll admit it…. I’m getting a little excited now that the time for leaving is so near!
