LIVE from the Camino The Nomad Pack - On the move!

[Nomad Pack]

If you see any 'habitable' places for sale, please let me know.

I see places for sale almost every turn I make... But to find something cheap you must know the locals

 

[Nomad Pack]

Rained last night and on and off today. Slept under a church roof for the night so only the donkeys got wet. I wanted to walk my mountain ridge to avoid another accent but the wind and rain would have been tougher up there not to mention the mud. So opted for a 10 km decent with a bar at the end of the valley. So a boccadillo and coffee to refuel and one last climb before dropping back down to my house. Should take only a few more hours and I'm done. Sorry no battery so no photos, tomorrow I'll post some once I got my generator from the neighbour.

 

[Nomad Pack]

Good morning. After leaving the bar where i last posted I should have had a 3 hour max scramble over my mountain. Instead I thought of making a short cut half way up, wasn't such a bad idea, but eventually climbing through the maze of limestone rocks sticking out of the ground and watching several boulders fly down the mountain vannii decided it was enough and refused to climb any more. It was by this point at 7:30pm, all of us covered in mud except of course the Buddha that I had to give in to vannii, it was frustrating as she only had to climb another 50meters to clear the top and reach the track I knew was there. But when she says no it's hard to change her mind. Pissed off and shouting at the mountains I led the pack back down to the mud path and then the heavens attacked us with hail stones followed by dropping a lake on us. We finally started the decent to my house in the cold, wet and pitch black dark. An hour and half walking down the steep and slippery trail we were all soaked and I could no longer feel my hands. It stopped raining within ten minutes of getting to the house. Just my luck after a week of perfect weather.
Past two days been getting the wagon ready and doing some practice with vannii. I didn't plan to stay long here but now it's the weekend I think it's better to wait til Monday with less traffic on the roads for our first true outing. I still have some concerns over the weight of the wagon but until I've done a few days with vannii I'm really not gonna know what she is capable of pulling up a hill. No matter, I can always ask a farmer to pull it up for me if it's too steep.
Very sad to be back at my beautiful home, many memories and hard work done here, if I had some hippy friends to live with here I would never have left. I have so much here like my own river, tones of land and forest etc etc. Perfect place for self sufficient living. Hopefully I'll find some people traveling who would like to come and make a go of it.

 

[Nomad Pack]

 

[Nomad Pack]

My home valley, if you can make out the winding river my house is somewhere next to it

 

[Iriebabel]

View attachment 54449

My home valley, if you can make out the winding river my house is somewhere next to it

Sorry to hear about you getting caught in the storm. Beautiful area to have a house. Wish you luck training vannii. Im sure a couple days at the old home will be good. I hope someone good will have a go at your old house. To protect and care for it. I will be in Bilboa tomorrow. Had to cut my walking short one of My knee brace strap broke , the one that goes behind my knee so I will try to fix it in Bilboa.

 

[chinacat]

Sorry to hear about you getting caught in the storm. Beautiful area to have a house. Wish you luck training vannii. Im sure a couple days at the old home will be good. I hope someone good will have a go at your old house. To protect and care for it. I will be in Bilboa tomorrow. Had to cut my walking short one of My knee brace strap broke , the one that goes behind my knee so I will try to fix it in Bilboa.

Hope that didn’t happen too far from town!!

 

[Iriebabel]

Hope that didn’t happen too far from town!!

It was around my ankle just as I hit the bottom of the hill.. god was with me the casa rural Garro was just beyond but I didn’t know it. I saw a house and some people so I stopped to ask where is it. it was the guy Jose angel and he said said it’s here ... Jose is a famous ex jai lai player and famous sculpted very nice man. I felt blessed and over joyed ... Munitibar was at least 1 more km away down hill . He even drove me into to town for dinner. I truly had an angel this day

 

[chinacat]

Indeed you did ....
And, I suspect, every day ....
You walk in trust, with physical problems (and pain) which are hardly insignificant, and with an open heart and spirit.
May the kindness of strangers be with you, always ....
Ultreia!

PS Off to look up ‘jai lai’ on duck-duck-go!

 

[chinacat]

@Iriebabel

Ah ... a variation of Pelota!
“zesta-punta” .... xai a’lai ...
Squash on steroids ....???

 

[igailfh]

View attachment 54158

Wow, I can see this pic. Most I can't unless they're attachments. Great photo!

 

[anivid]

Good morning. After leaving the bar where i last posted I should have had a 3 hour max scramble over my mountain. Instead I thought of making a short cut half way up, wasn't such a bad idea, but eventually climbing through the maze of limestone rocks sticking out of the ground and watching several boulders fly down the mountain vannii decided it was enough and refused to climb any more. It was by this point at 7:30pm, all of us covered in mud except of course the Buddha that I had to give in to vannii, it was frustrating as she only had to climb another 50meters to clear the top and reach the track I knew was there. But when she says no it's hard to change her mind. Pissed off and shouting at the mountains I led the pack back down to the mud path and then the heavens attacked us with hail stones followed by dropping a lake on us. We finally started the decent to my house in the cold, wet and pitch black dark. An hour and half walking down the steep and slippery trail we were all soaked and I could no longer feel my hands. It stopped raining within ten minutes of getting to the house. Just my luck after a week of perfect weather.
Past two days been getting the wagon ready and doing some practice with vannii. I didn't plan to stay long here but now it's the weekend I think it's better to wait til Monday with less traffic on the roads for our first true outing. I still have some concerns over the weight of the wagon but until I've done a few days with vannii I'm really not gonna know what she is capable of pulling up a hill. No matter, I can always ask a farmer to pull it up for me if it's too steep.
Very sad to be back at my beautiful home, many memories and hard work done here, if I had some hippy friends to live with here I would never have left. I have so much here like my own river, tones of land and forest etc etc. Perfect place for self sufficient living. Hopefully I'll find some people traveling who would like to come and make a go of it.

It seems Vannii's protecting you from following whims after bar visit - good you have her

 

[Nomad Pack]

Almost ready to depart. Got the wagon now looking and behaving well. Bear in mind I've done all of it with no power tools and with little experience i think I've done pretty well. Apart from the damned breaks which I can't get to pull strong enough to stop the wheels much. That's my biggest concern, if or when I'll have some money the first thing will be to stop in a garage and have a professional fix the breaks properly.
I'm quite anxious about departing, partly because I always get like this before leaving but mainly because this is a big change to what I'm used to and until I've done a few days I'm constantly thinking how vannii will be. The biggest worry is going downhill. Without useful breaks it's all on Vannii and if she doesn't stay focused things can go wrong. I'll be taking everything very slowly and easy.
I'm lying in the wagon now whilst writing this and it's certainly going to be fantastic way to travel and live if it works out. Otherwise I have two options to solve the problem but again it requires those dreadful paper tickets. 1: I sell nomad and get a horse to pull the wagon. Although I really don't want to sell him, but I can't handle 3 equines. 2: I get a garage to fit a small motor to the wagon to assist vannii. But that will cost much more and I'll need to add front wheels to fix the weight balance.
Basically I now need a job, I hope I find something along the way, or I'll just start carving wood and sell it from the wagon lol.
Wish me luck

 

[NorthernLight]

Farmers are pretty versatile at making stuff work. Perhaps the chap you met last week, and invited you to stay on your return, can help you with the brakes.

Good luck on the next stage of your journey.

 

[igailfh]

Almost ready to depart. Got the wagon now looking and behaving well. Bear in mind I've done all of it with no power tools and with little experience i think I've done pretty well. Apart from the damned breaks which I can't get to pull strong enough to stop the wheels much. That's my biggest concern, if or when I'll have some money the first thing will be to stop in a garage and have a professional fix the breaks properly.
I'm quite anxious about departing, partly because I always get like this before leaving but mainly because this is a big change to what I'm used to and until I've done a few days I'm constantly thinking how vannii will be. The biggest worry is going downhill. Without useful breaks it's all on Vannii and if she doesn't stay focused things can go wrong. I'll be taking everything very slowly and easy.
I'm lying in the wagon now whilst writing this and it's certainly going to be fantastic way to travel and live if it works out. Otherwise I have two options to solve the problem but again it requires those dreadful paper tickets. 1: I sell nomad and get a horse to pull the wagon. Although I really don't want to sell him, but I can't handle 3 equines. 2: I get a garage to fit a small motor to the wagon to assist vannii. But that will cost much more and I'll need to add front wheels to fix the weight balance.
Basically I now need a job, I hope I find something along the way, or I'll just start carving wood and sell it from the wagon lol.
Wish me luck

NP, I hope you can get the brakes done properly, it will sure make it better for Vanni. So good that you built the wagon yourself! All good thoughts & best hopes for this next stage of your journey.

 

[Iriebabel]

@Nomad Pack I’m in santona tomorrow ..hope to see you

 

[Iriebabel]

Haven’t heard from you and missed you in Santona so Heading to San Miguel de Mereulo today. Hope I see you along the way

 

[igailfh]

How are you & your pack, Nomad? Is Vanni managing okay with the wagon? Love to hear how you're getting on!

 

[NorthernLight]

So ... no word on Nomad Pack since they set out to go down the mountain with a wagon with bad brakes.

 

[Iriebabel]

So ... no word on Nomad Pack since they set out to go down the mountain with a wagon with bad brakes.

I haven’t heard from Nomad pack we were to meet in Santona but I didn’t see him so I pushed on I’m In Santander I hope they are well

 

[chinacat]

How are you, @Iriebabel?


NP’s silence is a cause for some concern ....
perhaps his mobile has stopped working for some reason .....

 

[Iriebabel]

How are you, @Iriebabel?


NP’s silence is a cause for some concern ....
perhaps his mobile has stopped working for some reason .....

I’m doing ok thanks ..feet hurt a bit that is expected with a heel spur and knee issues. After a day of walking I literally can’t stand until I get at least 15 minutes with then TENS unit and do some stretch and foot massage. Next day I feel ok as long as I use thick moleskin and physio tape to add extra padding. I posted more pix under the thread live from the Norte . I’m enjoying every minute though. tomorrow a tour in pecos Europa and Santo Toribio monestery up In The Cantabria high mountains.

Yes I was a bit concerned as nomad was looking forward to the meeting too. Hope he is ok maybe you are correct with phone issues.

 

[anivid]

...
Yes I was a bit concerned as nomad was looking forward to the meeting too. Hope he is ok maybe you are correct with phone issues.

Hoping it's only phone issues and not Vannie being hurt by the waggon - I find it concerning too

 

[chinacat]

@Iriebabel
Have a great day today ... enjoy the mountains and the monastery

I can imagine that tens unit’s worth its weight in your pack!

 

[Former member 49149]

Re nomadpack: sometimes we just have to wait, and maybe never find out. I guess in this case it is 50-50! That is clearly me hedging my bets! There is one member who went off the radar without a trace last year. I just keep him/her in my heart and hope that whatever caused the silence was for the good. Don’t give up on making contact, Iriebabel. And have a great day.

 

[FamPed]

Nomadpack, I hope you, the animals and the wagon is alright and safe.
@Iriebabel, I wish you a lovely stay at the monastery.

 

[Iriebabel]

I am in Llanes today was hoping to see @Nomad Pack ...not sure if he arrived back home I will ask around. Hope the pack is ok

 

[Nomad Pack]

Hello everyone

I'm back from the dead.

Man o man what a six months its been...

I don't even know where to start... I guess the beginning but then I never meant to end anything in the first place.
Well some of you guessed right... Phone issues, or more exactly my own stupidity.
All that time ago I was almost ready to set out again, and then one morning I went to the river next to my house to check my fish trap, and I got so excited seeing a big fat Samon waiting for me that in my haste to take a picture I dropped the bloody phone in the river, I tried to retrieve it but the current must have taken it for a ride and now I guess its floating around the Atlantic somewhere. I didn't have any money to buy another phone either so I let things be and pretended I was back in the 90's.

I appreciate peoples concern. In the end I decided the wagon wasn't going to be safe enough, I couldn't get the brakes to work well without any proper tools and although Vannii was fine pulling it along, going downhill can be dangerous without real brakes and I wasn't prepared to let Vannii cope with the strain of holding the weight back... one slip and things would get ugly.

So two weeks later we all set off in the opposite direction of what I'd planned with Vannii packed and Buddha sitting on top as usual.
We crossed over the Cantabrian mountains in search of the Rio Ebro, passing Logrono, Zaragoza and Teruel and after two and a half months of spending six hours every afternoon sleeping in the shade we finally arrived to the mountains of Castellon in Valencia.

Not my ideal destination and I must say I don't like it here one bit, but my "partner" had found a job for me so I didn't have much choice in the matter.
I've been here for a couple of months now working eight hour days and in another month I will finally finish and have my freedom back.

However, one big bonus is that I know a guy...
He's spent years travelling around Spain with two mules and a big wagon so I've finally met someone who has more experience in these matters than myself.
Him and another friend are helping me to build the perfect custom donkey pulled caravan, something of a dream for me as the constant packing and unpacking of my equipment does get tedious.

I've been struggling a lot recently with being lonely so I got my laptop sent to me in the post as writing on here always cheered me up somewhat. I'm also attempting to build a website to showcase my adventures and maybe make a bit of money to support my travels but still learning how to do it well, I hope to have it up and running by the end of the month.

I'll post some pics of the walk down here, I don't have as many as I would have liked as the GoPro isn't particularly good at taking pictures, I just sort of point it in the right direction and hope it captures what i'm looking at.

As always, feel free to bombard me with questions, I'm happy to answer.

Till next time...

 

[laineylainey]

Welcome back @Nomad Pack ! Great to hear from you again.
Wonderful news about the plan for a caravan.
Looking forward to hearing more. How are the "family" ?

 

[AndreaCT]

Hey!!! So nice to see you back! I've been wondering how things have been going with you and your family. How is Buddha doing? Still scrapping with the locals?

 

[Nomad Pack]

Had to compress them to upload but the quality still looks good

 

[Nomad Pack]

Hey!!! So nice to see you back! I've been wondering how things have been going with you and your family. How is Buddha doing? Still scrapping with the locals?

Alas Buddha was quite content in the mountains we having been staying at, for a month and a half he seemed happy enough, the only other cats around were his two sons.
Then two weeks ago he decided to go on his own adventure.
The house is in an abandoned village in the mountains three kilometers from Zucaina, the nearest town, so I was pretty sure he wouldn't wander off to look for a fight, especially as he doesn't know where the town is. I've looked everywhere for him and still haven't seen him.
I'm not giving up hope, he could be in the other village but I haven't had the chance to go there and look yet.
He wouldn't be in the forest as there's very little water around here and I don't think anything could have eaten him because everywhere you look are pine trees he can climb and he's too quick for a fox.
Who knows... Its upset me obviously that hes gone but he makes his choices. He's a good hunter so I know he can feed himself. I'll just have to wait and see if he turns up.

 

[VNwalking]

Welcome back, @Nomad Pack!
I'm glad all is (relatively) well and hope Buddha finds his way back to you soon!

 

[nycwalking]

You are walking a way few are doing.

Youtube, Instagram, two sites where you can possibly commence your money-making.

Very glad to see you again.

 

[pelerine]

Am so pleased you are back....

 

[Bristle Boy]

Welcome home...wherever you find it.

 

[KinkyOne]

Great you're back NP

 

[chinacat]

So good to see you back on here and to know that your (temporary) absence was down to issues with your phone (or lack of it )
The caravan idea sounds perfect for you and your ‘troupe’... and it must have been something else to have met a fellow nomad!
You must miss Buddha ... I seem to remember you said he was your partner’s cat (?) ... but I’m sure he’ll be back, eventually - he probably just misses being on the move - and anyway, he’ll be able to find food, whether by scavenging or by hunting.

Looking forward to seeing your website, too ...

... and thanks for those beautiful photos of the mountains

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Hi Nomad,
I have thought about you periodically and wondered how you were. I am sad for you that Budda has left and hope he returns.
How fascinating that you are making a custom wagon and I will look forward to photos when it's finished.
So nice you are well and have given us an update. Will look forward to more reports as you have time to write.

 

[Annette london]

Alas Buddha was quite content in the mountains we having been staying at, for a month and a half he seemed happy enough, the only other cats around were his two sons.
Then two weeks ago he decided to go on his own adventure.
The house is in an abandoned village in the mountains three kilometers from Zucaina, the nearest town, so I was pretty sure he wouldn't wander off to look for a fight, especially as he doesn't know where the town is. I've looked everywhere for him and still haven't seen him.
I'm not giving up hope, he could be in the other village but I haven't had the chance to go there and look yet.
He wouldn't be in the forest as there's very little water around here and I don't think anything could have eaten him because everywhere you look are pine trees he can climb and he's too quick for a fox.
Who knows... Its upset me obviously that hes gone but he makes his choices. He's a good hunter so I know he can feed himself. I'll just have to wait and see if he turns up.

Hello Nomad Pack,
Only the other day I was thinking about "the pack" and like
everyone else, I've been wondering where you've been ......great to see you back.

Hope Budda finds his way home. He's a smart cat and as the saying goes"he knows which side his bread is buttered on"
Thank you for the photos
Annette

 

[AndreaCT]

Alas Buddha was quite content in the mountains we having been staying at, for a month and a half he seemed happy enough, the only other cats around were his two sons.
Then two weeks ago he decided to go on his own adventure.
The house is in an abandoned village in the mountains three kilometers from Zucaina, the nearest town, so I was pretty sure he wouldn't wander off to look for a fight, especially as he doesn't know where the town is. I've looked everywhere for him and still haven't seen him.
I'm not giving up hope, he could be in the other village but I haven't had the chance to go there and look yet.
He wouldn't be in the forest as there's very little water around here and I don't think anything could have eaten him because everywhere you look are pine trees he can climb and he's too quick for a fox.
Who knows... Its upset me obviously that hes gone but he makes his choices. He's a good hunter so I know he can feed himself. I'll just have to wait and see if he turns up.

I'm sorry to hear that Buddha is missing! I trust that he is adventuring and will return to where his family is. We had a local cat who visited people who fed him. One couldn't pick him up or get too close, but he was happy to eat any food that came his way. I put up notices to try and find his family and a woman phoned me to say that she used to feed him and she last saw him about a year ago. She was pleased to see that he was still around and connecting with people.

 

[Theatregal]

Very happy you're back @Nomad Pack and so great to see your wonderful photos.

 

[CdnDreamer]

Thanks for updating us on your life! Your stories are amazing and we all hope Buddha finds you again!

 

[laineylainey]

Cats are remarkable animals, so resourceful. Pity they couldn't share more of their insights on life with us!!

 

[igailfh]

Wow! So marvellous to hear from you at last, Nomad Pack, & to know you're still a pack. I hope Buddha turns up laughing. A donkey pulled caravan sounds awesome, but will have to be quite light I would imagine. How are the donkeys & dogs? I'm so glad you're okay & online again!

 

[Nomad Pack]

Hello everyone, Just a quick update,

I'll soon be finished here in Castellon, Half the wagon is complete, well I cheated a bit. I spent much time thinking of the best way to check all the boxes, I needed brakes first of all, ones that worked and I didn't want to be screwing around and spending loads of time building a wagon from scratch again.
So after looking at different ideas I bought a tricycle which will soon go through some modifications the manufacturer didn't think about.
I also didn't want to be making another cart, two wheels is all very good but everything has to be balanced out so Vannii doesn't carry the weight, plus the whole point of this enterprise is to make life simpler, and two wheels isn't simple, I didn't want more messing around unpacking bags and setting up the bloody tent every night especially in winter. Numb hands and a frozen tent every morning makes packing away a much longer ordeal. And not to forget really the most important reason for this transition is for the dogs.
I need to be able to carry more dog food, its so damn expensive buying 4kg sacks from the small shops I usually pass and this only lasts a couple of days.
Buying 20kg bags like I normally do when staying somewhere is the only realistic option to keep Puppy well fed. And of course, its not possible to carry 20kg of dog food on Vannii. Nomad is too young for any work, even though hes getting bigger than his mama now. I've done some practice with him carrying 2 kg to start getting him used to the feeling but that's all for 2 more years.
There's been alot to consider.
So next week I'll be putting together the tricycle, drawing a few more plans, although I'm pretty settled on my design. Then some help from my friend Pedro who has all the toys to make this work and finally some help from Vannii to test drive it over the mountain where I'll make the finishing touches and get ready to leave this nightmarish place.
Everyone is this place knows what I'm doing before I do.
My donkeys escaped earlier this evening, as Nomad has no doubt shown his mama the trick of passing an electric fence.
I spent an hour walking around in the dark looking for them but as they are both black.... anyway, i'm not worried, I'll find them in the morning, Vannii will either walk back to our cabin in the mountain or most likely I'll find her in someones vegetable garden below the town.

Oh and I've put some more pictures on my instagram, from the walk down here back in the summer.

Adios

 

[pelerine]

Very complicated, your tale! But I am very much pleased to see you back Do keep us posted! I love your tales!
And bon courage as they say where I live!!!

 

[igailfh]

Life throws curve balls, doesn't it? I hope your straying donkeys have wandered back to you, or you've found them. Any sign of Buddha?
The tricycle base sounds promising.
There's a good side to a nosy neighbour/neighbourhood/village, they can be excellent security. Kia kaha.

 

[Nomad Pack]

Very complicated, your tale! But I am very much pleased to see you back Do keep us posted! I love your tales!
And bon courage as they say where I live!!!

I suppose it does seem a bit complicated, maybe I am actually crazy. Don't worry though, I post all the complications for everyone to laugh at.

 

[Nomad Pack]

Life throws curve balls, doesn't it? I hope your straying donkeys have wandered back to you, or you've found them. Any sign of Buddha?
The tricycle base sounds promising.
There's a good side to a nosy neighbour/neighbourhood/village, they can be excellent security. Kia kaha.

Puppy is better security for me.
No don't worry about the donkeys, they won't go far, I'll go find them in the morning when I have a chance of seeing them. Vannii is very predictable in where she will go and Nomad won't leave his milk supply.

Nope, Buddha is still going solo. I know he's around because somebody has seen him twice crossing the bridge 5km down the mountain. God knows what hes doing down there, but in a few days ill be out of this townhouse and back in the mountain cabin where he will turn up at some point. People keep telling me a fox ate him, but I highly doubt it.

 

[laineylainey]

Great to hear from you again. Will you be in the cabin for Christmas?

 

[Nomad Pack]

Great to hear from you again. Will you be in the cabin for Christmas?

Most probably, I made enough wood during the summer just in case, but I'll be leaving asap. Its getting boring being here and I need to stretch my legs.

 

[Nomad Pack]

Good evening folks,
I have a nice suprise for you all
I'm uploading my first video onto youtube, made especially for all you guys here who have given me the motivation to tell my stories.
I spent all day yesterday learning the basics of how to edit and then all day today making it.
Its only short, focused on our climb over the Pyrenees four years ago.
Its not likely to reach hollywood just yet but I know you guys here will enjoy.
I didnt realise the upload takes so long but as soon as its done I will post the link here.
I'm looking forward to know what you think and please let me know if you think I can improve it.

Peace Peregrinos

And yes Buddha makes his debut too

 

[laineylainey]

What's the link or name of the video on YouTube?

 

[Nomad Pack]

What's the link or name of the video on YouTube?

Waiting for the upload, im 60% done
The name is The Nomad Pack Begins
Finished in.... 31 mins according to youtube

 

[Nomad Pack]

 

[Camino Chrissy]

View attachment 67792

They found you...or you found them!

 

[Nomad Pack]

My computer just crashed, I had to restart and thought I'd lost the hour and half upload..... luckily its still alive and at 96%
Heres the link it provided me.... give it another ten mins and I guess it should be done

Enjoy

 

[Nomad Pack]

I didnt know it put the video here.....

Yay it works

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I didnt know it put the video here.....

Yay it works

I just watched your video...short and sweet! Very nice and a good choice of music! Loved seeing your pets in action!

 

[Davie Blisters]

Great job @Nomad Pack
See you at the Oscars!
Davie

 

[Nomad Pack]

I just watched your video...short and sweet! Very nice and a good choice of music! Loved seeing your pets in action!

Thought I'd take some inspiration from my favorite movie

 

[Nomad Pack]

Great job @Nomad Pack
See you at the Oscars!
Davie

Thank you and I'll use my speech to shut Leonardo up about his climate change BS

 

[Nomad Pack]

I've actually just realized its missing the damn subtitles. It was supposed to show up during the begining over the fire.
Ill keep working on it and learn some more before posting the directors cut

 

[C clearly]

I'm uploading my first video onto youtube, made especially for all you guys here who have given me the motivation to tell my stories.

And thank you for doing so! I enjoyed it and look forward to more!

 

[pelerine]

I just watched your video...short and sweet! Very nice and a good choice of music! Loved seeing your pets in action!

So did I! But I only saw your video because it showed up in this thread. How do I find you on Youtube. Is there a link I missed?

 

[Nomad Pack]

So did I! But I only saw your video because it showed up in this thread. How do I find you on Youtube. Is there a link I missed?

Just type into google.. The Nomad Pack Begins
Should be on the first page

 

[pelerine]

Halleluja! I did and it worked! Thank you and buen camino!

 

[Nomad Pack]

So just a bit of fun this, but as you know i'm in the mountains of Castellon right now. Thats north of Valencia along the Mediterranean coast.

I have no real plan yet in the direction I'm going other than I will be heading back north to Cantabria in the spring to get some of my things.
So for the next few months my path isn't set

So where in Spain do you want me to go?

 

[Camino Chrissy]

So where in Spain do you want me to go?

Do you mean now or "whenever"?

I'll be starting the 2nd half of the Norte in Oviedo on April 21st with two family members. It would be fun to meet you and your 4 legged friends somewhere along the way, but rather unlikely I'm sure.

 

[Nomad Pack]

Do you mean now or "whenever"?

I'll be starting the 2nd half of the Norte in Oviedo on April 21st with two family members. It would be fun to meet you and your 4 legged friends somewhere along the way, but rather unlikely I'm sure.

Well I hope to be leaving here by mid January at the latest.
Its possible I could be in Asturias by then. My thinking at the moment is either just follow the Ebro back as its flat the whole way. But I also don't want to be in the north until after March so I can avoid all the rain.
You remember all the rain from the beginning of this thread.

So my other idea is to go south a bit, follow the sierra nevada range west and come back up through Portugal to Galicia and then take the Primitivo and Norte back to my house.

But plans rarely fulfill themselves as always something pops up. Like a Job or someone asking me to visit there house etc

 

[laineylainey]

My computer just crashed, I had to restart and thought I'd lost the hour and half upload..... luckily its still alive and at 96%
Heres the link it provided me.... give it another ten mins and I guess it should be done

Enjoy

Love it, thanks. Perhaps next one we can see (hear, or both) a bit more of the human star???

 

[Nomad Pack]

Yes I have to start talking. For that I need to practice first but don't worry, that I'll be doing. And opening everyone's eyes to some hidden truths which are not well known to the general public.

This was just put together with some old footage. I have over 40gb of video already so plenty of clips to choose from.
What I really need is an assistant who can edit very well and wants to go into a partnership of making videos.
I've only just found out about youtube monetization and It's the perfect solution for me to keep travelling without having to stop and a good solution for an editor to make a second income without having to do the hard work of filming and living like me.
Youtube has millions of videos.... But none doing what I do.

 

[Annette london]

Puppy is better security for me.
No don't worry about the donkeys, they won't go far, I'll go find them in the morning when I have a chance of seeing them. Vannii is very predictable in where she will go and Nomad won't leave his milk supply.

Nope, Buddha is still going solo. I know he's around because somebody has seen him twice crossing the bridge 5km down the mountain. God knows what hes doing down there, but in a few days ill be out of this townhouse and back in the mountain cabin where he will turn up at some point. People keep telling me a fox ate him, but I highly doubt it.

Such a shame about Buddha
I hope he finds his way back to you

Could this be a relative of Buddha that we came across in the Lake District earlier this year??!!

 

[Nomad Pack]

Hola fellow pilgrims...

One year on and I'm sure some of you must be thinking I fell off a cliff.
Well almost, but I climbed back up and I've only just reached the top.

Many of you must be quite ****** off with the crazy situation, well not too worry, I am going to cheer you all up.

Some of you may already know what I've been up to, but for those who don't, you can check out instagram.com/thenomadpack

The Instagram will be deleted soon as I'm switching over to vero.

Vero.co/thenomadpack

I think I'll start a new thread as the title of this one is sort of obsolete, so keep an eye out. Some suggestions for a new title would be appreciated.

The pack is doing very well, there's been plenty of training this month to get everyone ready and into shape as the donkeys especially have been enjoying the lazy life for the last year.

I'll be setting out very soon.

That said, I'm interested to know who is still here, I was so grateful for the responses the last time so feel free to say hi and offer me some motivation to make another epic thread.

Have fun

[Edited by Moderator]

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Hi Nomad pack! You certainly sound upbeat and cheerful. I have had an occasional update on you from Karen, but it's been awhile.
I am not on Instagram, but will certainly be excited to read posts on a new thread when you start it, filled with your curren whereabouts and unique lifestyle.
I will be thinking of a new thread title, but am not very creative. I'm sure you will have some great ideas from your other followers.

 

[CdnDreamer]

Welcome back Nomad Pack! I really enjoyed reading about your last trip. Glad to hear that you are well and it appears that your pack has changed a little in the past year. I will be interested in hearing about the animals that you have on this trip. Take care.

 

[Anamiri]

Hola fellow pilgrims...

One year on and I'm sure some of you must be thinking I fell off a cliff.
Well almost, but I climbed back up and I've only just reached the top.

Many of you must be quite ****** off with the crazy situation, well not too worry, I am going to cheer you all up.

Some of you may already know what I've been up to, but for those who don't, you can check out instagram.com/thenomadpack

The Instagram will be deleted soon as I'm switching over to vero.

Vero.co/thenomadpack

I think I'll start a new thread as the title of this one is sort of obsolete, so keep an eye out. Some suggestions for a new title would be appreciated.

The pack is doing very well, there's been plenty of training this month to get everyone ready and into shape as the donkeys especially have been enjoying the lazy life for the last year.

I'll be setting out very soon.

That said, I'm interested to know who is still here, I was so grateful for the responses the last time so feel free to say hi and offer me some motivation to make another epic thread.

Have fun

[Edited by Moderator]

Welcome back, is your cat back? And it looks like you now have a bird?

 

[Kiernan]

Hello again!
Are you around Picos de Europa yet or not??
Looking forward your adventures

K.

 

[AndreaCT]

Hey Nomad! Great to hear you again! I was thinking of putting out a post to see if anyone has heard how you have been doing and the next thing I know, you post!!
Did Buddha ever catch up to you??
Andrea

 

[nycwalking]

Nomad,

Looking forward to your travels and new thread.

 

[Iriebabel]

Hola fellow pilgrims...

One year on and I'm sure some of you must be thinking I fell off a cliff.
Well almost, but I climbed back up and I've only just reached the top.

Many of you must be quite ****** off with the crazy situation, well not too worry, I am going to cheer you all up.

Some of you may already know what I've been up to, but for those who don't, you can check out instagram.com/thenomadpack

The Instagram will be deleted soon as I'm switching over to vero.

Vero.co/thenomadpack

I think I'll start a new thread as the title of this one is sort of obsolete, so keep an eye out. Some suggestions for a new title would be appreciated.

The pack is doing very well, there's been plenty of training this month to get everyone ready and into shape as the donkeys especially have been enjoying the lazy life for the last year.

I'll be setting out very soon.

That said, I'm interested to know who is still here, I was so grateful for the responses the last time so feel free to say hi and offer me some motivation to make another epic thread.

Have fun

[Edited by Moderator]

Name the thread suggestion: Nomad pack on the road again

 

[henrythedog]

It’s good to see you back. I hope you stay around.

The moderation on here is actually very ‘light’; but there are (a very few) no-go areas and after a lot of volunteer effort on the moderators’ part over the last 12 months trying to keep discussion on COVID balanced, relevant and factual I could understand why it may now seem a sensitive topic to someone who has been offline here for a little while.

Stick with it please.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Welcome back, is your cat back? And it looks like you now have a bird?

A forum member has told me that Nomad has trained an eagle and Budda the cat has been gone a year.

 

[Nomad Pack]

Good morning everyone,
Well that was an interesting welcome party, just to make it clear as some of you may have read my posts before they disappeared, I've now learnt that I'm not to make political statement's, so don't bother asking me how I'm able to travel during the current situation, because that would probably involve several big statements. All statement related questions you can send me privately.

So, where do I start.... Well I've spent the crazy year hidden away in the mountains of Castellon, working and preparing. To cut one long story short, don't ever visit the town of Zucaina! I've had to learn yet again that people are only too happy to take advantage of my helpful nature. It's been a nightmare and I feel like hitting my head against something hard.
But luckily I managed to avoid that last action by running off into the forest.

I've spent most of my time hunting and improving my survival skills but also upgrading the pack and how we travel.

The rumors some of you guys heard are true, I now have an eagle. Specifically a Harris hawk. This was something I've been working towards for a few years, I grew up having lots of contact with birds of prey thanks to my father's friend Jay who owns this place http://www.owlcentre.com/

I spent many summers there, helping Jay and probably causing lots of trouble, but he taught me about the respect these birds demand, and how they reward you for that respect.

But I didn't get an eagle for fun and show, she is NOT a pet. As I've always maintained, working with animals requires much patience, knowledge and experience.
Her name is Ayla and she has but one purpose, to hunt and kill.

As you guys know, my dogs tend to eat quite a bit of food, the biggest problem I faced when traveling was finding enough food for them. When I'm in a house, I just get a few 20kg sacks to last. But Vannii wouldn't be too pleased with me if I doubled her cargo weight with dog cookies. That left me in the position of having to buy 4kg sacks every 3 days, which is not only a pain in the ass constantly adjusting my route to pass small village shops, but also it gets very expensive.

I've supplemented the dogs before when camping in mountain regions by going hunting, one wild boar or ibex will feed my two dogs for over a week, but many times I'm passing areas unsuitable for bow hunting or just simply lacking in enough game.
But I never seemed to go more than a few days without seeing rabbits, and not just one rabbit, but hundreds of them.
That's where Ayla comes in.
She is still young, 10 months old, but she's quick to learn and always eager to hunt. Harris hawks can live upwards of 30 years, so I have in her a hunting companion who can provide the pack with fresh meat on a daily basis until I'm too old to walk anymore.

The other major change I've made is getting a wagon. After attempting to build a second wagon myself, I decided it would most likely break after a few hundred kilometres and therefore I spent most of my savings on buying something professional instead.
I've been working towards getting myself as self sufficient as possible, so I'm in a position to be able to spend weeks at a time without the need to resupply.

Nomad is now fully grown, bigger and stronger than his mama, so now it's time for him to take his place and fulfill his purpose. It's been an amazing experience to raise my own donkey from birth, he's reminded me many times that donkeys are much smarter than I am.

After 1000's of kilometres living out of the panniers, setting up a camp every night just to pack it all away every morning, It can get tedious after several months on the road. Well now that drama is more or less over. I still have to make a few modifications to the wagon, but when I'm done, I'll be in a position to just stop, unhitch the donkeys and jump straight into bed if I so desire. In effect, I've been making a mini caravan.

The donkeys each weigh just over 300kg, a donkey can easily pull twice its weight on a flat surface, and half its weight up a 7% incline. So in mathematical terms the combined strength of my donkeys could potentially pull 300kg wherever I desire. The wagon itself weighs around 100kg, leaving me plenty of options of what I can take with me.
In reality, much more depends on my donkeys level of fitness, they've been fat and lazy for most of last year, so I've spent the past couple of months building up their muscles and getting them into shape, it will still take several weeks for them to reach their peak performance but I'm never in a rush so the first month or so of this adventure will be slow going whilst the donkeys get accustomed to the new style.

As for my direction... Well this time I have no destination, I am technically homeless, with nowhere to go, and yet everywhere to go. All I know for sure is that I'll head back north, probably following the Rio Ebro as that can take me all the way back to Cantabria, the very flat Camino del Ebro. However, my dream has always been to travel all the way to Turkey, but now with the crazy (no political statement) world, I think for now I'll stick around in Spain and wait to see if things calm down.
I've not paid attention to the "Brexit" stuff of my homeland, and as far as I'm aware I'm now an illegal immigrant. How fun.

But it doesn't concern me, the police, have never bothered me or asked me for papers, in fact, I've only ever met friendly and helpful policemen on my travels, police that have helped me find somewhere to camp, bought me food or generally given me advice on the quieter roads to travel. I respect everyone but...
I am autistic, I am myself and only I know what's best for me.

I hope you all look forward to this new adventure, little by little I will share what I can and hopefully I can make some of you smile along the way.

Take care

 

[Nomad Pack]

 

[Nomad Pack]

Welcome back, is your cat back?

Alas, no. Buddha decided to travel to India and become an elephant riding cat. He told me to meet him there.

 

[chinacat]

Good to ‘see’ you again!

How about Canned Heat’s ”On the Road Again”?

Happy Trails ...

 

[Camino Chrissy]

What an absolutely fascinating and delightful post to read, @Nomad Pack! Thank you for taking the time to write; allowing us a little window to see into your unique and private lifestyle.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

A very interesting link to the owl farm, NP, ...nice pictures of "man, beast, and feathers"!

 

[Iriebabel]

Good morning everyone,
Well that was an interesting welcome party, just to make it clear as some of you may have read my posts before they disappeared, I've now learnt that I'm not to make political statement's, so don't bother asking me how I'm able to travel during the current situation, because that would probably involve several big statements. All statement related questions you can send me privately.

So, where do I start.... Well I've spent the crazy year hidden away in the mountains of Castellon, working and preparing. To cut one long story short, don't ever visit the town of Zucaina! I've had to learn yet again that people are only too happy to take advantage of my helpful nature. It's been a nightmare and I feel like hitting my head against something hard.
But luckily I managed to avoid that last action by running off into the forest.

I've spent most of my time hunting and improving my survival skills but also upgrading the pack and how we travel.

The rumors some of you guys heard are true, I now have an eagle. Specifically a Harris hawk. This was something I've been working towards for a few years, I grew up having lots of contact with birds of prey thanks to my father's friend Jay who owns this place http://www.owlcentre.com/

I spent many summers there, helping Jay and probably causing lots of trouble, but he taught me about the respect these birds demand, and how they reward you for that respect.

But I didn't get an eagle for fun and show, she is NOT a pet. As I've always maintained, working with animals requires much patience, knowledge and experience.
Her name is Ayla and she has but one purpose, to hunt and kill.

As you guys know, my dogs tend to eat quite a bit of food, the biggest problem I faced when traveling was finding enough food for them. When I'm in a house, I just get a few 20kg sacks to last. But Vannii wouldn't be too pleased with me if I doubled her cargo weight with dog cookies. That left me in the position of having to buy 4kg sacks every 3 days, which is not only a pain in the ass constantly adjusting my route to pass small village shops, but also it gets very expensive.

I've supplemented the dogs before when camping in mountain regions by going hunting, one wild boar or ibex will feed my two dogs for over a week, but many times I'm passing areas unsuitable for bow hunting or just simply lacking in enough game.
But I never seemed to go more than a few days without seeing rabbits, and not just one rabbit, but hundreds of them.
That's where Ayla comes in.
She is still young, 10 months old, but she's quick to learn and always eager to hunt. Harris hawks can live upwards of 30 years, so I have in her a hunting companion who can provide the pack with fresh meat on a daily basis until I'm too old to walk anymore.

The other major change I've made is getting a wagon. After attempting to build a second wagon myself, I decided it would most likely break after a few hundred kilometres and therefore I spent most of my savings on buying something professional instead.
I've been working towards getting myself as self sufficient as possible, so I'm in a position to be able to spend weeks at a time without the need to resupply.

Nomad is now fully grown, bigger and stronger than his mama, so now it's time for him to take his place and fulfill his purpose. It's been an amazing experience to raise my own donkey from birth, he's reminded me many times that donkeys are much smarter than I am.

After 1000's of kilometres living out of the panniers, setting up a camp every night just to pack it all away every morning, It can get tedious after several months on the road. Well now that drama is more or less over. I still have to make a few modifications to the wagon, but when I'm done, I'll be in a position to just stop, unhitch the donkeys and jump straight into bed if I so desire. In effect, I've been making a mini caravan.

The donkeys each weigh just over 300kg, a donkey can easily pull twice its weight on a flat surface, and half its weight up a 7% incline. So in mathematical terms the combined strength of my donkeys could potentially pull 300kg wherever I desire. The wagon itself weighs around 100kg, leaving me plenty of options of what I can take with me.
In reality, much more depends on my donkeys level of fitness, they've been fat and lazy for most of last year, so I've spent the past couple of months building up their muscles and getting them into shape, it will still take several weeks for them to reach their peak performance but I'm never in a rush so the first month or so of this adventure will be slow going whilst the donkeys get accustomed to the new style.

As for my direction... Well this time I have no destination, I am technically homeless, with nowhere to go, and yet everywhere to go. All I know for sure is that I'll head back north, probably following the Rio Ebro as that can take me all the way back to Cantabria, the very flat Camino del Ebro. However, my dream has always been to travel all the way to Turkey, but now with the crazy (no political statement) world, I think for now I'll stick around in Spain and wait to see if things calm down.
I've not paid attention to the "Brexit" stuff of my homeland, and as far as I'm aware I'm now an illegal immigrant. How fun.

But it doesn't concern me, the police, have never bothered me or asked me for papers, in fact, I've only ever met friendly and helpful policemen on my travels, police that have helped me find somewhere to camp, bought me food or generally given me advice on the quieter roads to travel. I respect everyone but...
I am autistic, I am myself and only I know what's best for me.

I hope you all look forward to this new adventure, little by little I will share what I can and hopefully I can make some of you smile along the way.

Take care

I am so proud of you Nomad. Not only do I look to you as a very good friend but I am also proud that you have overcome so much with your Autism you can still strive and also help others. I know it is difficult to maintain social interactions but I want you to know that You are an amazing human being! I think I can say that many people here on the forum love you and look forward to hearing about your adventures with the animals . You travel camino routes as well as off the beaten path and your insight is invaluable. Onwards my friend and I hope I can see you in Spain sometime soon. Focus on what you can and keep pressing forward.

Please post a new picture of Ayla. I think forum members are interested in seeing this new addition to the pack as well as Vanni, Nomad and the dogs.

 

[Iriebabel]

A very interesting link to the owl farm, NP, ...nice pictures of "man, beast, and feathers"!

Agree Chrissy ...would love to visit there some day

 

[Iriebabel]

View attachment 91484

Not a baby anymore...

 

[Iriebabel]

Nomad gave me permission to post a picture of Ayla also short video included

View attachment trim.7C914874-5D12-4656-93C5-E361EA1C1DAF.MOV