nataliejoy
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Camino del Norte, July 2024 - August 2024
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Wow.Hi all and buen camino!
I had an unpleasant experience yesterday outside of Orio and wanted to share with any peregrinos still early on the Norte this year, especially any other solo women like myself. Basically, upon turning into a small, covered patch of woods near Orio, there was a man naked from the waist down immediately next to the Camino, maybe 3 meters from the path. He was watching the trail, and you can imagine what he was doing. He was staring directly at me from the moment I entered his eyeshot to the moment I left it—I wanted to tell him to get off of the path, but felt like the safest thing to do was avert my eyes and walk quickly past, as there was nobody else around. Grateful to have had my poles and the built-in safety whistle on my backpack, just in case.
To be more exact about location: after crossing the river and walking a ways on the N-634, the road curves and walking pilgrims head left into a small forested patch before some farms. Biking pilgrims stay on the pavement, which walkers rejoin after a very short time in the woods. He was *just* on the inside of those woods—his figure was visible from the road through the trees, but I didn’t think anything of it until I got a clearer view. If you see someone there before turning off, maybe just stick with the bikers’ route on the pavement.
Does anyone have advice on where to report this? Local police or any kind of local Camino authority? I meant to ask my hospitalero in Getaria last night but upon arrival I honestly just wanted to avoid thinking or talking about it for the evening. Don’t know if this is a habit of his or if he for some reason expected privacy in that area, but would feel better if someone who could maybe do something about it was informed.
Overall, yesterday was a rugged second day on the Camino—started off with an older guy from my albergue telling me I’d never make it to my goal destination (I knew Pasaia to Getaria would be long, but I am a strong, healthy 25-year-old with ample through hiking experience, and I arrived no worse for wear to jump in the sea after a beautiful day of walking), then this woods encounter, and finally a guy groping me while walking past in a crowded pintxo bar. In all of my solo travel, this is kind of a unique threefer in one day for icky men encounters! I’m feeling okay, but any words of encouragement would be welcome
Hi all and buen camino!
I had an unpleasant experience yesterday outside of Orio and wanted to share with any peregrinos still early on the Norte this year, especially any other solo women like myself. Basically, upon turning into a small, covered patch of woods near Orio, there was a man naked from the waist down immediately next to the Camino, maybe 3 meters from the path. He was watching the trail, and you can imagine what he was doing. He was staring directly at me from the moment I entered his eyeshot to the moment I left it—I wanted to tell him to get off of the path, but felt like the safest thing to do was avert my eyes and walk quickly past, as there was nobody else around. Grateful to have had my poles and the built-in safety whistle on my backpack, just in case.
To be more exact about location: after crossing the river and walking a ways on the N-634, the road curves and walking pilgrims head left into a small forested patch before some farms. Biking pilgrims stay on the pavement, which walkers rejoin after a very short time in the woods. He was *just* on the inside of those woods—his figure was visible from the road through the trees, but I didn’t think anything of it until I got a clearer view. If you see someone there before turning off, maybe just stick with the bikers’ route on the pavement.
Does anyone have advice on where to report this? Local police or any kind of local Camino authority? I meant to ask my hospitalero in Getaria last night but upon arrival I honestly just wanted to avoid thinking or talking about it for the evening. Don’t know if this is a habit of his or if he for some reason expected privacy in that area, but would feel better if someone who could maybe do something about it was informed.
Overall, yesterday was a rugged second day on the Camino—started off with an older guy from my albergue telling me I’d never make it to my goal destination (I knew Pasaia to Getaria would be long, but I am a strong, healthy 25-year-old with ample through hiking experience, and I arrived no worse for wear to jump in the sea after a beautiful day of walking), then this woods encounter, and finally a guy groping me while walking past in a crowded pintxo bar. In all of my solo travel, this is kind of a unique threefer in one day for icky men encounters! I’m feeling okay, but any words of encouragement would be
I'm so glad you are safe. I hope you will have blessings and great experiences that will erase this bad day in your mind. I hope you can find some wonderful walking partners. I will be thinking of you and praying for your safety.Hi all and buen camino!
I had an unpleasant experience yesterday outside of Orio and wanted to share with any peregrinos still early on the Norte this year, especially any other solo women like myself. Basically, upon turning into a small, covered patch of woods near Orio, there was a man naked from the waist down immediately next to the Camino, maybe 3 meters from the path. He was watching the trail, and you can imagine what he was doing. He was staring directly at me from the moment I entered his eyeshot to the moment I left it—I wanted to tell him to get off of the path, but felt like the safest thing to do was avert my eyes and walk quickly past, as there was nobody else around. Grateful to have had my poles and the built-in safety whistle on my backpack, just in case.
To be more exact about location: after crossing the river and walking a ways on the N-634, the road curves and walking pilgrims head left into a small forested patch before some farms. Biking pilgrims stay on the pavement, which walkers rejoin after a very short time in the woods. He was *just* on the inside of those woods—his figure was visible from the road through the trees, but I didn’t think anything of it until I got a clearer view. If you see someone there before turning off, maybe just stick with the bikers’ route on the pavement.
Does anyone have advice on where to report this? Local police or any kind of local Camino authority? I meant to ask my hospitalero in Getaria last night but upon arrival I honestly just wanted to avoid thinking or talking about it for the evening. Don’t know if this is a habit of his or if he for some reason expected privacy in that area, but would feel better if someone who could maybe do something about it was informed.
Overall, yesterday was a rugged second day on the Camino—started off with an older guy from my albergue telling me I’d never make it to my goal destination (I knew Pasaia to Getaria would be long, but I am a strong, healthy 25-year-old with ample through hiking experience, and I arrived no worse for wear to jump in the sea after a beautiful day of walking), then this woods encounter, and finally a guy groping me while walking past in a crowded pintxo bar. In all of my solo travel, this is kind of a unique threefer in one day for icky men encounters! I’m feeling okay, but any words of encouragement would be welcome
It is never fun to see one of these reports on the forum. Another woman with another disgusting experience. I echo the sentiments that we are so glad you escaped without physical harm, and urge you to contact the police. Alertcops is reported to be a great app, and is the way to go now that you are several days out. For other women going forward, in a situation like this, where an immediate police response would be most welcome, I would encocurage you to call 112 (emergency services) at the moment this happens.I’m feeling okay, but any words of encouragement would be welcome
With respect for the intent of the message (kind and encouraging)... I want to encourage all of us to stop saying that X,Y or Z experience had to happen. These kinds of things are choices on the part of the perpetrators, and the reasons they get away with it, or even think to do it in the first place are complex but they are tied to fatalist notions of things that 'have to happen' as much as they are to 'men will be men' ideas that have "given up"... None of this *has to happen*.... elderly people who are acting out their dementia in sexualised ways do so because 1) they grew up in a sexualised world and 2) there is inadequate supervision (for complex reasons that are political/resource matters so I won't address them here) and 3) because we live in a culture that tells those of us who have experienced such things that they were unavoidable and that we should just dust ourselves off and keep going.I’m sorry that you had to experience this.
Thank you for sharing. Let's all stay safe and vigilant on a glorious camino.Hi all and buen camino!
I had an unpleasant experience yesterday outside of Orio and wanted to share with any peregrinos still early on the Norte this year, especially any other solo women like myself. Basically, upon turning into a small, covered patch of woods near Orio, there was a man naked from the waist down immediately next to the Camino, maybe 3 meters from the path. He was watching the trail, and you can imagine what he was doing. He was staring directly at me from the moment I entered his eyeshot to the moment I left it—I wanted to tell him to get off of the path, but felt like the safest thing to do was avert my eyes and walk quickly past, as there was nobody else around. Grateful to have had my poles and the built-in safety whistle on my backpack, just in case.
To be more exact about location: after crossing the river and walking a ways on the N-634, the road curves and walking pilgrims head left into a small forested patch before some farms. Biking pilgrims stay on the pavement, which walkers rejoin after a very short time in the woods. He was *just* on the inside of those woods—his figure was visible from the road through the trees, but I didn’t think anything of it until I got a clearer view. If you see someone there before turning off, maybe just stick with the bikers’ route on the pavement.
Does anyone have advice on where to report this? Local police or any kind of local Camino authority? I meant to ask my hospitalero in Getaria last night but upon arrival I honestly just wanted to avoid thinking or talking about it for the evening. Don’t know if this is a habit of his or if he for some reason expected privacy in that area, but would feel better if someone who could maybe do something about it was informed.
Overall, yesterday was a rugged second day on the Camino—started off with an older guy from my albergue telling me I’d never make it to my goal destination (I knew Pasaia to Getaria would be long, but I am a strong, healthy 25-year-old with ample through hiking experience, and I arrived no worse for wear to jump in the sea after a beautiful day of walking), then this woods encounter, and finally a guy groping me while walking past in a crowded pintxo bar. In all of my solo travel, this is kind of a unique threefer in one day for icky men encounters! I’m feeling okay, but any words of encouragement would be welcome
You’re right. It wasn’t my intention to relieve the perpetrators of their own responsibility on this at all, so thanks for flagging it as it made me realise it.With respect for the intent of the message (kind and encouraging)... I want to encourage all of us to stop saying that X,Y or Z experience had to happen. These kinds of things are choices on the part of the perpetrators, and the reasons they get away with it, or even think to do it in the first place are complex but they are tied to fatalist notions of things that 'have to happen' as much as they are to 'men will be men' ideas that have "given up"... None of this *has to happen*.... elderly people who are acting out their dementia in sexualised ways do so because 1) they grew up in a sexualised world and 2) there is inadequate supervision (for complex reasons that are political/resource matters so I won't address them here) and 3) because we live in a culture that tells those of us who have experienced such things that they were unavoidable and that we should just dust ourselves off and keep going.
And one of the most important things we can do to prevent future incidents from happening is to report them.
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