In July I completed the Camino Frances with my nine-year-old daughter, Sohee. We walked from SJDPP to Santiago in 41 days, including about five rest days. I relied on this forum for help with planning our trip, and I’d like to help add something meaningful for other would-be parents in return.
First, of all, I had been planning to walk the Camino for a couple of years. I’d been back and forth about taking my daughter, but when it came time to buy the tickets I decided to take her. About my Sohee: she is small for age, adopted from Korea (interfamily, my wife’s side), and innately athletic. She’s been doing day hikes with my wife and I since she came to live with us, at age three. Sohee’s done some one day, overnight backpacking in the Smokies, Ozarks and in the Rockies, and walked about half-way down into to the Grand Canyon.
I didn’t know how she was going to handle the walk, but I thought the worst case was we just walked five or ten kilometers per day and wouldn’t get to Santiago before our return date. We had 49 days total. Sohee ended up doing better than expected.
We arrived in SJPDD from Birriatz at about nine a.m., and it took us until about 11:30 or 12 to get our stuff sorted out and to get gone. We weren’t in that big of a hurry because we had a room in Orrison. On the way up, I started to doubt I could keep up with Sohee. The weather was nice, and she climbed like a mountain goat. I had not trained in May (don’t ask) and was huffing and puffing. That night was fun, and we were on our way by about 7 a.m.
The weather was bad, and we ran into our first real challenge on the descent. Sohee’s goat climbing skills only applied to going uphill. She struggled going down, and on that last three or so kilometers down the rain was pouring and she had a very hard time. That descent was hard for adults too, but it was extra difficult for her. When I got down to the hostel we had our fist major change of plans. I ended up shelling for that expensive hotel. Sohee had that kind of tiredness that you see on kid’s faces after a week of overnight summer camp or an all weekend rodeo or swim meet.
That ended up being the toughest day, although there were some tough descents later in Galicia and that 18 kilometer stretch of nothing in the Meseta was emotionally draining. We just took it slow, 20 or 22 kilometer days to start. Worked up to some 30 to 33 kilometers day at the end. We stopped at every decent river (except in Zubiri, where it was too cold) for Sohee to swim.
We spent probably ten nights in classic alburgues, and probably twenty in either pensions or private alburgue rooms, and another ten nights in hotels. The private rooms and hotels ended up putting us over budget, but it came from out short-term savings and not credit cards, so it wasn’t a deal breaker.
Sohee became stronger and stronger as the trip progressed, physically and psychologically. We did rely at times on the aid and support of strangers, which was new to me. I usually give way more help than I need, but walking with a nine-year-old was challenging in ways I hadn’t expected. Some of the cheers and celebrations adults gave Sohee helped in ways I wonder if the other adults really understood. They made Sohee feel like a champion.
We saw some other children on the Camino who looked happy. We saw some other kids who looked incredibly miserable. I don’t know what to say to other prospective families, except it is doable.
First, of all, I had been planning to walk the Camino for a couple of years. I’d been back and forth about taking my daughter, but when it came time to buy the tickets I decided to take her. About my Sohee: she is small for age, adopted from Korea (interfamily, my wife’s side), and innately athletic. She’s been doing day hikes with my wife and I since she came to live with us, at age three. Sohee’s done some one day, overnight backpacking in the Smokies, Ozarks and in the Rockies, and walked about half-way down into to the Grand Canyon.
I didn’t know how she was going to handle the walk, but I thought the worst case was we just walked five or ten kilometers per day and wouldn’t get to Santiago before our return date. We had 49 days total. Sohee ended up doing better than expected.
We arrived in SJPDD from Birriatz at about nine a.m., and it took us until about 11:30 or 12 to get our stuff sorted out and to get gone. We weren’t in that big of a hurry because we had a room in Orrison. On the way up, I started to doubt I could keep up with Sohee. The weather was nice, and she climbed like a mountain goat. I had not trained in May (don’t ask) and was huffing and puffing. That night was fun, and we were on our way by about 7 a.m.
The weather was bad, and we ran into our first real challenge on the descent. Sohee’s goat climbing skills only applied to going uphill. She struggled going down, and on that last three or so kilometers down the rain was pouring and she had a very hard time. That descent was hard for adults too, but it was extra difficult for her. When I got down to the hostel we had our fist major change of plans. I ended up shelling for that expensive hotel. Sohee had that kind of tiredness that you see on kid’s faces after a week of overnight summer camp or an all weekend rodeo or swim meet.
That ended up being the toughest day, although there were some tough descents later in Galicia and that 18 kilometer stretch of nothing in the Meseta was emotionally draining. We just took it slow, 20 or 22 kilometer days to start. Worked up to some 30 to 33 kilometers day at the end. We stopped at every decent river (except in Zubiri, where it was too cold) for Sohee to swim.
We spent probably ten nights in classic alburgues, and probably twenty in either pensions or private alburgue rooms, and another ten nights in hotels. The private rooms and hotels ended up putting us over budget, but it came from out short-term savings and not credit cards, so it wasn’t a deal breaker.
Sohee became stronger and stronger as the trip progressed, physically and psychologically. We did rely at times on the aid and support of strangers, which was new to me. I usually give way more help than I need, but walking with a nine-year-old was challenging in ways I hadn’t expected. Some of the cheers and celebrations adults gave Sohee helped in ways I wonder if the other adults really understood. They made Sohee feel like a champion.
We saw some other children on the Camino who looked happy. We saw some other kids who looked incredibly miserable. I don’t know what to say to other prospective families, except it is doable.
