Paralysis by analysis

markgrubb · Sep 2, 2016

I thought I’d note my experiences of preparing for the Camino Frances. I decided to do the Camino about 9 months ago and set out to research it in detail. There’s a wealth of information on the web and on this very good forum. So I started researching packing lists, researching stages and obsessing about equipment, spending many evenings surfing the net and the odd afternoon visiting outdoors shops-looking at what socks/shirts to have etc. And the truth is that the more I read the more anxious I became about the whole business and what to do. Paralysis by analysis is what I came to call it.

I’m lucky that there is a local Camino meetup group that organises walks locally and promotes the Camino in general. I joined in on one walk and there I met a Camino veteran is his 70’s. I asked him various questions about equipment. His answer was simple and blunt. Just take what you absolutely need and pay attention to your feet. Make sure your boots/shoes are comfortable and broken in, make sure you walk plenty before the Camino and just forget about everything else. He was a little terse but he really made me think. He made me realise that I really was worrying unnecessarily. So I resolved to forget about all my obsessing. After all I will be travelling to a modern country where I can speak the language well and where I’ll be able to buy what I want if I need it. I’ll never be far from civilisation and the route is easy to follow. So I’ve set out and walked a 13 stage walk over about 180 miles (though not consecutively) back here in Scotland. I’ve used equipment I’ve already got though I’ve trialled 2 or 3 different types of socks and now have a favourite. And today for the first time I put together what I thought I will take and it comes to 8kg(I’m abut 85kg)

It’s a problem that I repeatedly learn in life. More (in this case information) is less and less can be much more.

Last of all I mean to say that I am not trying to criticise those that plan their Camino meticulously and in great detail. At the end of the day it comes down to the individual. I am sure it is a great comfort to do so for some people and good on you but it was simply the wrong thing for me

Buen camino

Wokabaut_Meri · Sep 2, 2016

Hi Mark
I had a quiet chuckle about your observations. I met so many pilgrims on the Way who had planned their Camino, some in extraordinary detail. ALL of them had found their plans in tatters, some by circumstance and others by choice.

Two ladies discovered that they'd been over ambitious about how far they could walk; many were mailing or abandoning all sorts of heavy treasures; others had collected a Camino family on a totally different schedule and my favourites found spontaneity a delightful path and were dancing to Santiago at a very different pace.

I love to research and plan but have trekked and travelled enough to know that any analysis is just the framework which the actual experience fleshes out - often in Ways of wonder.

Less is definitely more in the end and El Camino teaches us what truly matters.

SYates · Sep 2, 2016

And then there is the opposite case ;-) Many years ago I met a pilgrim just leaving Roncesvalles who pointed to the famous road sign "Santiago 790km" and asked me very seriously "Is that how we follow the Camino, by the road signs." And no, he was not joking ;-) He hadn't done any research at all beforehand and had never heard of the yellow arrows. Buen Camino, SY

wayfarer · Sep 2, 2016

SYates said:
And then there is the opposite case ;-) Many years ago I met a pilgrim just leaving Roncesvalles who pointed to the famous road sign "Santiago 790km" and asked me very seriously "Is that how we follow the Camino, by the road signs." And no, he was not joking ;-) He hadn't done any research at all beforehand and had never heard of the yellow arrows. Buen Camino, SY

In 2012, as we exited Sarria early in the morning, we met a group of Irish pilgrims from a Camino Tour Company milling around obviously looking for something, we asked if they had lost something and they said they were looking for the trail to Santiago. We showed them the yellow arrows, they had not been told about them just given a list of their pre-booked accommodation.

Deleted member 3000 · Sep 2, 2016

markgrubb said:
More (in this case information) is less and less can be much more.

It is not how much you need in life, but how little.

Individuals react differently to information. It calms some by showing how all problems can be solved, most quite easily. It makes others nervous by exposing the myriad possibilities. I think I fall in the middle. I try to learn enough to control my ignorance, but ignore enough to stay calm.

Felipe · Sep 2, 2016

I call that the "pilgrim-zilla" syndrome.
You know, my wife was for a while quite adept to the "Bridezilla" reality series. I saw a chapter and realized why: it was a mix of neurotic over planning and comical obsession.Everything has to be perfect to the minor detail in the wedding: the church, the priest, the groom, the bridesmaids, the banquet, the flowers, the music...
So, the "pilgrim-zilla" plans for the perfect beginning, the finest albergues, the best meals, the cooler garments, the super shoes, the exact size backpack, the outstanding stops...all according to an unreal idea of a "perfect pilgrimage".
Don't get me wrong: planning is good, and looking for suitable equipment or albergues is always convenient. And it calms to some degree the natural apprehension that comes with a walk in the fields of a foreign country. Actually, I like browsing maps, looking for new routes, and taking some notes about places. Yes, I know very well that some of my equipment will be useless or fail miserably, I will choose a pitiful albergue, or a too long (or too short) stage. And that improvisation and deciding on the spot (for good or for bad) is also a part of the Camino experience.
But I am sometimes tempted by the pilgrim-zilla syndrome, too.

jelle · Sep 2, 2016

SYates said:
And then there is the opposite case ;-) Many years ago I met a pilgrim just leaving Roncesvalles who pointed to the famous road sign "Santiago 790km" and asked me very seriously "Is that how we follow the Camino, by the road signs." And no, he was not joking ;-) He hadn't done any research at all beforehand and had never heard of the yellow arrows. Buen Camino, SY

On my first camino out of Porto. I had set out relying on my Brierley guidebook. I had done research relating to packing and the stages etc.
But arriving on the ground I found it very hard navigating using John Brierley's maps. Arriving at the first albergue after a strenuous day trying to reach the albergue I met another pilgrim and asked him. "How do you do it, how do you find your way?" He then pointed out you should follow the yellow arrows instead of going on the map... the map is purely indicative dummy.
Coincidence wills that a few days later I met John Brierley on the camino and confronted him and told him to mention that you should "follow the yellow arrows" in his guidebooks. He is a jovial fellow and agreed to put it in in his next edition, after laughing out loud of course. He was so baffled by the remark since for him it was so very obvious. But for a then first time walker... I had had not a clue.
Since then I agree that you cannot plan for everything and I learnt to let go, you will always overlook some obvious things.

Kitsambler · Sep 2, 2016

The personality test people tell us that half the population has a high tolerance for ambiguity, and the other half cannot stand the thought.

Bill Ronan · Sep 2, 2016

markgrubb said:
I thought I’d note my experiences of preparing for the Camino Frances. I decided to do the Camino about 9 months ago and set out to research it in detail. There’s a wealth of information on the web and on this very good forum. So I started researching packing lists, researching stages and obsessing about equipment, spending many evenings surfing the net and the odd afternoon visiting outdoors shops-looking at what socks/shirts to have etc. And the truth is that the more I read the more anxious I became about the whole business and what to do. Paralysis by analysis is what I came to call it.

I’m lucky that there is a local Camino meetup group that organises walks locally and promotes the Camino in general. I joined in on one walk and there I met a Camino veteran is his 70’s. I asked him various questions about equipment. His answer was simple and blunt. Just take what you absolutely need and pay attention to your feet. Make sure your boots/shoes are comfortable and broken in, make sure you walk plenty before the Camino and just forget about everything else. He was a little terse but he really made me think. He made me realise that I really was worrying unnecessarily. So I resolved to forget about all my obsessing. After all I will be travelling to a modern country where I can speak the language well and where I’ll be able to buy what I want if I need it. I’ll never be far from civilisation and the route is easy to follow. So I’ve set out and walked a 13 stage walk over about 180 miles (though not consecutively) back here in Scotland. I’ve used equipment I’ve already got though I’ve trialled 2 or 3 different types of socks and now have a favourite. And today for the first time I put together what I thought I will take and it comes to 8kg(I’m abut 85kg)

It’s a problem that I repeatedly learn in life. More (in this case information) is less and less can be much more.

Last of all I mean to say that I am not trying to criticise those that plan their Camino meticulously and in great detail. At the end of the day it comes down to the individual. I am sure it is a great comfort to do so for some people and good on you but it was simply the wrong thing for me

Buen camino

Markgrubb, a great post. As I prepare the walk the first half of my first Camino (Sept 13th) I fully agree to caution with 'paralysis by analysis'. I have gone through panic, excitement, panic, analysis, paralysis, inaction and panic. I was paralysed by the analysis of what I was going to do. Then I remembered its my unique walk, my unique experience, and mine alone. My kit is well researched and tested, its been weighed (and re-weighed) coming up at 7.5kgs, and I have trained with long walks etc. I realise I could have done more, I could have prepared better ! But as said, 'its my Camino'. To this end, I don't comment on other peoples kit, or views (their unique to them). I will walk with an open mind, open eyes (they help I'm sure), and the advice "don't come to the Camino looking for answers. Instead come with an open heart. You may be surprised by what you find". A consistent observation by friends and family is that I'm doing this 'on my own'. We know that's so far from reality, and I will close with "differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open".
Buen Camino

J F Gregory · Sep 2, 2016

I have done a lot of travel. I plan enough just to dangerous. Years ago I adopted as philosophy, in one word "Flexibility".

james walter purdum iv · Sep 2, 2016

i felt by just letting the camino guide me without booking i was free to experience everything and was nimble to navigate hazards and see all there was. there is a rat race for beds but if you are solo there really isn't any need to concern yourself with anything else but letting go of all the baggage this life heaps on our brains. municipals were the most fun but a nice hotel in burgos leon and santiago refreshes the spirit.

AlwynWellington · Sep 2, 2016

I've just done some analysis of the replies. With one exception the authors live in, or live within one plane trip from, western Europe.

Where I live Leon is my antipodes. As I don't have any Spanish and was concerned about where to get hearing aid batteries (in central Burgos I could find only one place) then, for me, preparation includes becoming as familiar as possible with as many aspects as possible before leaving home.

I found the preparation by analysis, including using Google street view and aerial maps, reduced a significant amount of the surprise and allowed me to better enjoy and appreciate my surroundings. But we are all different.

laineylainey · Sep 3, 2016

markgrubb said:
I thought I’d note my experiences of preparing for the Camino Frances. I decided to do the Camino about 9 months ago and set out to research it in detail. There’s a wealth of information on the web and on this very good forum. So I started researching packing lists, researching stages and obsessing about equipment, spending many evenings surfing the net and the odd afternoon visiting outdoors shops-looking at what socks/shirts to have etc. And the truth is that the more I read the more anxious I became about the whole business and what to do. Paralysis by analysis is what I came to call it.

I’m lucky that there is a local Camino meetup group that organises walks locally and promotes the Camino in general. I joined in on one walk and there I met a Camino veteran is his 70’s. I asked him various questions about equipment. His answer was simple and blunt. Just take what you absolutely need and pay attention to your feet. Make sure your boots/shoes are comfortable and broken in, make sure you walk plenty before the Camino and just forget about everything else. He was a little terse but he really made me think. He made me realise that I really was worrying unnecessarily. So I resolved to forget about all my obsessing. After all I will be travelling to a modern country where I can speak the language well and where I’ll be able to buy what I want if I need it. I’ll never be far from civilisation and the route is easy to follow. So I’ve set out and walked a 13 stage walk over about 180 miles (though not consecutively) back here in Scotland. I’ve used equipment I’ve already got though I’ve trialled 2 or 3 different types of socks and now have a favourite. And today for the first time I put together what I thought I will take and it comes to 8kg(I’m abut 85kg)

It’s a problem that I repeatedly learn in life. More (in this case information) is less and less can be much more.

Last of all I mean to say that I am not trying to criticise those that plan their Camino meticulously and in great detail. At the end of the day it comes down to the individual. I am sure it is a great comfort to do so for some people and good on you but it was simply the wrong thing for me

Buen camino

Oh I so know where you are coming from in this one! My first trip included an obsessive amount of research and as a result I took far too much with me and worried whether I was fit enough, had the right stuff etc.... My issue I have learnt, is about control - I need to know as much as possible - don't leave anything to chance. My lesson was learnt very early on , on the plane actually from Dublin to Biarritz. Sitting beside me was a lady my own age (not so young!) and she was not only doing most of the Francés but in no particular order and her total contents for the journey were in her small rucksack which was allowed by Ryan Air to be hand luggage - so it was small! That was my "Ah ha" moment for future trips. However I still need to plan!!!

domigee · Sep 3, 2016

SYates said:
And then there is the opposite case ;-) Many years ago I met a pilgrim just leaving Roncesvalles who pointed to the famous road sign "Santiago 790km" and asked me very seriously "Is that how we follow the Camino, by the road signs." And no, he was not joking ;-) He hadn't done any research at all beforehand and had never heard of the yellow arrows. Buen Camino, SY

My walking friend had the same question put to him in Sarria as we were setting off! And same again in Palas de Rei: a very distressed pilgrim called to me from across the road 'WHERE is the Camino please?'. I pointed to the yellow arrow and the shell sign she was standing next to and she went 'oh, is that it?' I hope they both arrived in Santiago

SYates · Sep 3, 2016

And just quickly another story from the opposite side of the spectrum:

A pilgrim with 3 different guide books on the Camino Aragones, he tried to follow them all at once and got lost at least three times per day ;-)

Buen Camino, SY

Patch · Sep 3, 2016

Must admit that I didn't do any planning before I did my first Camino, didn't even know about the yellow arrows - but I did assume that their was some way marking along the way along with shops and services and Albergues (saw one when I holidayed in Bilbao years ago, that's when I decided to do it). I bought a guide book, which I didn't read, packed a pretty minimal kit bag, purchased a passport from a confraternity in the UK, bought a return air fare to Santiago and looked up the bus's from Santiago to Leon (where I started). The rest I just made up on the way.
I have done lots of walking and found that minimal planning is the best approach for me, much more exciting - I mean the idea is to step out of our highly organised hum drum lives, isn't it?

vegoodrich · Sep 3, 2016

My first camino was planned in about a week from buying book/booking airline and train tickets/leaving. A mom sometimes gets an opportunity and has to jump on it without much thought.

The one thing I left behind on my first night albergue stay was that stinking guidebook. I joked the camino was trying to tell me to do my own thing. Looking back, I'm so glad I lost it. I didn't go with the 'stages' that were recommended. I walked until I didn't want to walk and used the silly paper that I got leaving SJPdP that just had elevation and km markers between towns. Then, when I really wanted to know something additional, I 'gasp' had to talk to other Pilgrims or residents along the way!!!!

I think if I had too much time to plan I might have driven myself bonkers

In defense, I'm a hiker already so I had all the right gear...that helped probably!
Analysis paralysis is a HUGE problem in our overly connected online world

Seamus Collins · Nov 5, 2016

markgrubb said:
I thought I’d note my experiences of preparing for the Camino Frances. I decided to do the Camino about 9 months ago and set out to research it in detail. There’s a wealth of information on the web and on this very good forum. So I started researching packing lists, researching stages and obsessing about equipment, spending many evenings surfing the net and the odd afternoon visiting outdoors shops-looking at what socks/shirts to have etc. And the truth is that the more I read the more anxious I became about the whole business and what to do. Paralysis by analysis is what I came to call it.

I’m lucky that there is a local Camino meetup group that organises walks locally and promotes the Camino in general. I joined in on one walk and there I met a Camino veteran is his 70’s. I asked him various questions about equipment. His answer was simple and blunt. Just take what you absolutely need and pay attention to your feet. Make sure your boots/shoes are comfortable and broken in, make sure you walk plenty before the Camino and just forget about everything else. He was a little terse but he really made me think. He made me realise that I really was worrying unnecessarily. So I resolved to forget about all my obsessing. After all I will be travelling to a modern country where I can speak the language well and where I’ll be able to buy what I want if I need it. I’ll never be far from civilisation and the route is easy to follow. So I’ve set out and walked a 13 stage walk over about 180 miles (though not consecutively) back here in Scotland. I’ve used equipment I’ve already got though I’ve trialled 2 or 3 different types of socks and now have a favourite. And today for the first time I put together what I thought I will take and it comes to 8kg(I’m abut 85kg)

It’s a problem that I repeatedly learn in life. More (in this case information) is less and less can be much more.

Last of all I mean to say that I am not trying to criticise those that plan their Camino meticulously and in great detail. At the end of the day it comes down to the individual. I am sure it is a great comfort to do so for some people and good on you but it was simply the wrong thing for me

Buen camino

Hi, markgrubb,

As a recently returned first-time pilgrim, on the Camino Francés, I offer the following advice (with all due apologies to Steven R. Covey). I am not for a moment suggesting that I adhered to these habits; rather, these are the product of my experience. And, no, I did not do enough of the right kind of preparation.

The Seven Habits of the Highly Effective Pilgrim

1. Have a purpose. As Peace Pilgrim said, a pilgrim is a wanderer with purpose. And the Irish Pilgrim Passport quotes the 5th Century Book of Lismore: “Going on pilgrimage without change of heart brings no reward from God. For it is by practicing virtue and not mere motion of the feet that we will be brought to heaven”. Whether it be religious, spiritual, personal or merely physical, or any combination of these, having a purpose provides a solid foundation for undertaking the Camino.

2. Stay focussed. This doesn’t mean developing an intense look in the eyes and striding forward with great energy every morning at 5.30am, but a regular check-in with the original purpose of your Camino, identifying any necessary adjustments and reasserting your goal, keeps the mind fresh and engaged.

3. Stretch yourself. You may already be outside your comfort zone in multi-occupant unisex dormitory accommodation. Well, go a little further. Strike up a conversation with a fellow pilgrim who might not be someone you’d normally meet or interact with. You already share a common goal of reaching Santiago, sometime, and what’s the worst that can happen?

4. Stretch yourself – physically, this time. Learn a set of stretches for the feet, legs and arms, and perform these rigorously and conscientiously morning, noon and night. Ignore the pitying or astonished (perhaps even admiring?) looks of fellow pilgrims. A routine, faithfully executed, could stave off the dreaded shin splints or tendinitis, allow you to keep your mind on the greater purpose of your Camino (see 1 above!) and relieve you of the need to worry about whether you’ll be able to finish or not.

5. Walk to the beat of your own drum. Don’t be dragged into a race for space. If you fall in with a group that’s walking too fast or too slow for you, return to your own pace. It’s your Camino, not anyone else’s.

6. Seek solitude, so that thoughts can arise, and you can open your mind to ideas, inspiration, challenges, and so that you can meet yourself. You can do this anywhere, but the broad skies of the Meseta can provide an ideal backdrop.

7. Seek company. To a significant degree, the Camino is the people you meet and the conversations you have, whether trivial or profound. It’s in the easy camaraderie of the mid-morning coffee-and-tortilla-española, of the queue outside the albergue, of the shared meal. It’s also the deeper conversations you can have as you walk with a complete stranger.

I promise I'll prepare better next time!

Smallest_Sparrow · Nov 5, 2016

I found a balance between planning and leaving it all to chance worked best for me. I researched to be certain I stayed out of towns during fiestas. I didn't want to miss certain churches or historical sites (I was often surprised when trading pictures/stories with other walkers who 'just followed the arrows' that they'd walked right past some real gems of the Camino...and they were unhappy they'd been so close yet missed them)--so I made notes in the margins of my guide. I don't like to miss meals, and some of the routes I walked were notorious for lack of infrastructure --so last place selling food/water was underlined in the guide, and written on my hand each morning. You can find a lot of great things just wandering around (and I did) but you can miss some marvels if all you do is follow arrows.

laineylainey · Nov 6, 2016

wayfarer said:
In 2012, as we exited Sarria early in the morning, we met a group of Irish pilgrims from a Camino Tour Company milling around obviously looking for something, we asked if they had lost something and they said they were looking for the trail to Santiago. We showed them the yellow arrows, they had not been told about them just given a list of their pre-booked accommodation.

So you were gracious and that is what it is all about don't you think?

wayfarer · Nov 6, 2016

laineylainey said:
So you were gracious and that is what it is all about don't you think?

My comment was aimed at the tour companies, not the pilgrims. When you take someone's money the least you can do is give them the information they need to make the pilgrimage.

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