- Time of past OR future Camino
- '22-C. Inglés; '23 C. Catalan, C Aragon, C Franc
Especially if you are a hiker, pilgrim, want to be Pilgrim, anybody that really enjoys the outdoors and hiking PLEASE heed the following...
I am a soon to be 77-year-old male, healthy and in decent shape. I was hiking the Camino Baztan and all was going well. On the third day I was going from Urdax to Elizondo. With the threat of rain and the idea of going over the Otsondo Pass, I knew that that was beyond my capability. Therefore I decided to walk the road knowing full well that it was dangerous as well.
When I reached the top of pass I was really exhausted. There were two lessons in hindsight as is often the case. I hadn't eaten properly in the morning and I had not carried enough water. The temperature that day I understand was around 30° C (90F). I live in South Louisiana where it is crazy hot and I am accustomed to the heat. However I had not accounted for the fact that I had sweated so much. When I reached the top I was exhausted. But I had food with me and I partook. However I was out of water.
After resting and waiting for about 30 minutes for food to digest and boost my energy, I trod off down the road. Very mindful to walk on the left and "be careful", thinking, stupidly, that whatever was might happen on the road was going to be the result of a vehicle be the car motorcycle or bicycle and it would be their fault.
All of a sudden my left shoe caught a ridge in the road and let's just say I had an intimate relationship with Mother Earth. It's bad enough to fall. It's worse when you fall INTO the roadway!
Here's the scary part. The road was curving to my left which meant oncoming traffic was curving to the right, there was a bush in the way they couldn't see me I couldn't see them. There were a lot of very fortunate things that happened that day.
When I fell I actually fell into the roadway the path that cars would normally take. The extremely fortunate thing was there was nothing coming. Had there been, there would be an obituary somewhere about me likely entitled Pilgrim Killed Walking the Camino Baztan, and I would have been a statistic. That was one very fortunate thing there was nothing immediately coming.
I had had a couple of other falls and knew the first thing that I had to do was to get my backpack off and so I could roll off the roadway. Just as I was starting to do that two motorcyclists went zooming by and immediately stopped. Fortunate number two that they were motorcycles and were able to easily maneuver around me. A car may not have been able to do that. One guy ran back toward the other side of the bush and stopped traffic fortunate number 3.
As I write this I'm having to catch myself if I were talking to you directly I'm not sure I could keep it together realizing just how fortunate incredibly fortunate and blessed I am.
One of the motorcyclists spoke English and I assured him that while I was banged up, bloodied knee bruised, that I was okay nothing was broken everything seemed to function. I had not hit my head fortunate number four. He helped me scooch out of the roadway and into the grass. Fortunate it was here and not in Louisiana as the grass there it's filled with chiggers and fire ants. This was just nice lush green soft wonderful grass, which I now appreciate more than ever.
I thanked them graciously and profusely and sent them on their way assuring them that I was okay and that I didn't need an ambulance. I knew I was going to be fine. So I sat there in the grass pulled out the first aid kit. (You pilgrims got one right?) And proceeded to clean up my knee and put a couple bandages on. Take a deep breath, sling my backpack over my shoulders and start slowly down the same roadway where I could have died. Much more mindful of each and every foot fall.
As I was thinking about this event and road walking and how dangerous it really is I came up with a rule ... actually I came up with two rules.
Rule Number one: when you hear a car coming and getting closer STOP WALKING! You can't fall over or trip or twist your ankle if you're standing still (some of you might argue that about me :-) I might add there is this is no guarantee.
I did not know anything was coming and I have become very attuned to road sounds.
Rule number two: FOLLOW RULE NUMBER ONE. FOLLOW THE RULE. FOLLOW THE RULE.
I'm sure as I continue to process this I will come up with more rules mostly for myself but I will likely pass them on through this amazing forum.
So let me assure all the readers on this forum that I'm fine still a little bruised on my knee but nothing's broken and I can walk without pain. Because I've fallen several times in the last several months I don't trust my legs so I'm not sure if I'm going to continue to walk. I made my way to Pamplona by bus from Elizondo and from there to Santander, where I caught the train to Ferrol and a bus the next day to Santiago. So today is Sunday June 1st and I've been here for a day or two.
Some lessons
1. Don't underestimate the Camino know your route. I was going to say adversary but the Camino is not your adversary.
2. Don't overestimate your ability. As an eight-time pilgrim, I knew my ability and I knew that going over that mountain in the rain was beyond my ability. Which is why I chose the road.
3. Eat nourishing high calorie food went undertaking El Camino and it doesn't really matter which one.
4. Carry enough water or know where the water fountains are along the route. I can tell you they're not along the road.
5. I cannot over-emphasize training. I shake my head sometimes in amazement at the comments on the this forum and talking to other people that the Camino will train you. The Camino can also kill you. Be prepared. That means more than walking on a treadmill or working out in the gym. It means getting out there day after day after day week after week in order to get built up to where you can do a Camino. Where I live in South Louisiana it is very flat I think the tallest hill in our town might be 20 m and in the past I've spent days going up and over and up and over sometimes as many as 25 times at a session. I did not do that this year. Don't be fooled that you can just start from your front door and start walking to Camino. It means running scenarios through your mind as to what you might do if... Like what if you fall face down on your back on your side how many buckles do you have to undo and where are they, do you use a chest belt, all these questions that you should know the answer to.
6. Not so much for this Camino but another lesson is pay attention to what other people tell you especially more experienced pilgrims. There was a woman last year who wanted to go one way and I suggested that she not do that because it was off the track and then everybody was going over here and if there was something to happen to her she could be in real trouble. I heard later she was in real trouble and fortunately was found by some other pilgrims and turned out okay.
7. Have faith in yourself and if your religious have faith in your God. Know that you can figure things out. I previously stated that I had fallen a couple of times with and without my pack on. But I knew instantly from previous experience and from thinking a lot about it what do I do if I fall over with my pack on on my back. I knew. Get your pack off! And then deal with whatever comes up. Don't flail around like a turtle on his back. Get your pack off and then deal with the situation.
I'm sure the wisdom of the forum can come up with some more "rules" I would be most interested in hearing them. But I want to leave you with one thing more. Create a rule whatever that rule is and follow the rule! Follow the rule. It may be something as simple as putting a rubber band around your toothbrush and your toothpaste so you don't have to search for two things. Or it may be something as serious as walking on the road and follow the rule. My rule is when I hear a car I stop! I follow the rule!. So please follow whatever rule you set for yourselves.
Thank you for letting me tell you this story I hope you don't have a similar experience. If things had been just a little bit different in my situation, there would have been an obituary somewhere a pilgrim was killed and I would be a statistic.
Bart (Bartman) Ruark
I am a soon to be 77-year-old male, healthy and in decent shape. I was hiking the Camino Baztan and all was going well. On the third day I was going from Urdax to Elizondo. With the threat of rain and the idea of going over the Otsondo Pass, I knew that that was beyond my capability. Therefore I decided to walk the road knowing full well that it was dangerous as well.
When I reached the top of pass I was really exhausted. There were two lessons in hindsight as is often the case. I hadn't eaten properly in the morning and I had not carried enough water. The temperature that day I understand was around 30° C (90F). I live in South Louisiana where it is crazy hot and I am accustomed to the heat. However I had not accounted for the fact that I had sweated so much. When I reached the top I was exhausted. But I had food with me and I partook. However I was out of water.
After resting and waiting for about 30 minutes for food to digest and boost my energy, I trod off down the road. Very mindful to walk on the left and "be careful", thinking, stupidly, that whatever was might happen on the road was going to be the result of a vehicle be the car motorcycle or bicycle and it would be their fault.
All of a sudden my left shoe caught a ridge in the road and let's just say I had an intimate relationship with Mother Earth. It's bad enough to fall. It's worse when you fall INTO the roadway!
Here's the scary part. The road was curving to my left which meant oncoming traffic was curving to the right, there was a bush in the way they couldn't see me I couldn't see them. There were a lot of very fortunate things that happened that day.
When I fell I actually fell into the roadway the path that cars would normally take. The extremely fortunate thing was there was nothing coming. Had there been, there would be an obituary somewhere about me likely entitled Pilgrim Killed Walking the Camino Baztan, and I would have been a statistic. That was one very fortunate thing there was nothing immediately coming.
I had had a couple of other falls and knew the first thing that I had to do was to get my backpack off and so I could roll off the roadway. Just as I was starting to do that two motorcyclists went zooming by and immediately stopped. Fortunate number two that they were motorcycles and were able to easily maneuver around me. A car may not have been able to do that. One guy ran back toward the other side of the bush and stopped traffic fortunate number 3.
As I write this I'm having to catch myself if I were talking to you directly I'm not sure I could keep it together realizing just how fortunate incredibly fortunate and blessed I am.
One of the motorcyclists spoke English and I assured him that while I was banged up, bloodied knee bruised, that I was okay nothing was broken everything seemed to function. I had not hit my head fortunate number four. He helped me scooch out of the roadway and into the grass. Fortunate it was here and not in Louisiana as the grass there it's filled with chiggers and fire ants. This was just nice lush green soft wonderful grass, which I now appreciate more than ever.
I thanked them graciously and profusely and sent them on their way assuring them that I was okay and that I didn't need an ambulance. I knew I was going to be fine. So I sat there in the grass pulled out the first aid kit. (You pilgrims got one right?) And proceeded to clean up my knee and put a couple bandages on. Take a deep breath, sling my backpack over my shoulders and start slowly down the same roadway where I could have died. Much more mindful of each and every foot fall.
As I was thinking about this event and road walking and how dangerous it really is I came up with a rule ... actually I came up with two rules.
Rule Number one: when you hear a car coming and getting closer STOP WALKING! You can't fall over or trip or twist your ankle if you're standing still (some of you might argue that about me :-) I might add there is this is no guarantee.
I did not know anything was coming and I have become very attuned to road sounds.
Rule number two: FOLLOW RULE NUMBER ONE. FOLLOW THE RULE. FOLLOW THE RULE.
I'm sure as I continue to process this I will come up with more rules mostly for myself but I will likely pass them on through this amazing forum.
So let me assure all the readers on this forum that I'm fine still a little bruised on my knee but nothing's broken and I can walk without pain. Because I've fallen several times in the last several months I don't trust my legs so I'm not sure if I'm going to continue to walk. I made my way to Pamplona by bus from Elizondo and from there to Santander, where I caught the train to Ferrol and a bus the next day to Santiago. So today is Sunday June 1st and I've been here for a day or two.
Some lessons
1. Don't underestimate the Camino know your route. I was going to say adversary but the Camino is not your adversary.
2. Don't overestimate your ability. As an eight-time pilgrim, I knew my ability and I knew that going over that mountain in the rain was beyond my ability. Which is why I chose the road.
3. Eat nourishing high calorie food went undertaking El Camino and it doesn't really matter which one.
4. Carry enough water or know where the water fountains are along the route. I can tell you they're not along the road.
5. I cannot over-emphasize training. I shake my head sometimes in amazement at the comments on the this forum and talking to other people that the Camino will train you. The Camino can also kill you. Be prepared. That means more than walking on a treadmill or working out in the gym. It means getting out there day after day after day week after week in order to get built up to where you can do a Camino. Where I live in South Louisiana it is very flat I think the tallest hill in our town might be 20 m and in the past I've spent days going up and over and up and over sometimes as many as 25 times at a session. I did not do that this year. Don't be fooled that you can just start from your front door and start walking to Camino. It means running scenarios through your mind as to what you might do if... Like what if you fall face down on your back on your side how many buckles do you have to undo and where are they, do you use a chest belt, all these questions that you should know the answer to.
6. Not so much for this Camino but another lesson is pay attention to what other people tell you especially more experienced pilgrims. There was a woman last year who wanted to go one way and I suggested that she not do that because it was off the track and then everybody was going over here and if there was something to happen to her she could be in real trouble. I heard later she was in real trouble and fortunately was found by some other pilgrims and turned out okay.
7. Have faith in yourself and if your religious have faith in your God. Know that you can figure things out. I previously stated that I had fallen a couple of times with and without my pack on. But I knew instantly from previous experience and from thinking a lot about it what do I do if I fall over with my pack on on my back. I knew. Get your pack off! And then deal with whatever comes up. Don't flail around like a turtle on his back. Get your pack off and then deal with the situation.
I'm sure the wisdom of the forum can come up with some more "rules" I would be most interested in hearing them. But I want to leave you with one thing more. Create a rule whatever that rule is and follow the rule! Follow the rule. It may be something as simple as putting a rubber band around your toothbrush and your toothpaste so you don't have to search for two things. Or it may be something as serious as walking on the road and follow the rule. My rule is when I hear a car I stop! I follow the rule!. So please follow whatever rule you set for yourselves.
Thank you for letting me tell you this story I hope you don't have a similar experience. If things had been just a little bit different in my situation, there would have been an obituary somewhere a pilgrim was killed and I would be a statistic.
Bart (Bartman) Ruark