Update on my Camino Plans

[HBS60]

Greetings, Pilgrims!

I haven’t posted in over a month, as I have been busy in other matters. I travelled out of state to attend a 10-day piano camp (I’m a serious amateur pianist and this is my one indulgence I do every year). Because of the effort in learning the repertoire (Spanish music by de Falla and Albeniz, of course), i haven’t had much time to focus on anything else. The trip went well, with the bonus that there were lots and LOTS of steep hills where I could walk daily, so that helped me with my training. A fellow attendee lent me his 20 lb rucksack (I think it was 20 lb), and that’s when I started to have doubts on what I’m getting myself into. Those hills were VERY hard!

While at home, I’ve been increasing my daily walks distance, about 3-6 miles daily, which is about half of my projected daily distance of about 12 miles a day. I am planning to start walking in August 11, if all happens as I hope. But…

I have mentioned here that I have a bulky cPAP machine which I prefer not to take along, but I bought a backpack large enough to accommodate it just in case. I’m aware of the travel cPAP options, but here in the US it’s not covered by insurance and it’s a good 800-900 US dollars, which I am reluctant to spend on something I might use just a few times, so I looked for options.

Before my piano camp trip, I saw an ENT doctor to examine my nose, as I’m aware that I’m a heavy snorer, and indeed, I have a deviated septum, crooked turbinates, and incompetent valves (I forget the exact terms), which could be corrected by surgery, so we agreed to schedule the surgery for when I got back home, as I needed to arrange for a preop clearance with labs, EKG, and chest X-ray. I just had them done last week, so I’m waiting for the paperwork to be sent over to the Dr…who happens to be on PTO and wont’ be back until the end of June, so it might be unrealistic to schedule my surgery in late June or early July. He had said that after the surgery, he wanted me to be around for at least 10 days, so if the surgery gets scheduled any later than mid July, then I probably should forget about it, as I would have to stop my training during the postop period. I could always have the surgery after returning from the Camino, and maybe I’ll be able to get rid of my cPAP, which I’ve hated from day one. But even having the surgery late June/early July might be pushing my luck too much. I plan to fly out on August 6, so I hope I have a better sense of what will actually happen about the procedure in the next few days.

Also…I just tested positive for COVID last week, thankfully, no symptoms, and today I rechecked and I’m negative. I got prescribed Paxlovid, which I will finish tomorrow, but it feels like all these things are starting to get in the way of The Way (pun intended).

I’m also getting a little bit of jitters as the enormity of what I’m trying to accomplish starts to sink in. It’s starting to get very real. I’m still determined to do this, and I hope that I have what it takes to do this. I’m reassured when I see so many posts of people much older than me and/or more challenges that have been successful, that helps a lot.

I’ve shared here before that I have PTSD, thankfully I’m on a really good place emotionally, but I want to be mindful of the possibility that the Camino stressors might be more than I can handle, but I won’t know if I don’t risk it.

I’m grateful for the wealth of information I’ve found here in these pages, as well as the dialogues, support, humor, and kinship that hopefully will sustain me in the days and weeks ahead.

Thank you for listening and for the excellent feedback I always get around here!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I’m also getting a little bit of jitters as the enormity of what I’m trying to accomplish starts to sink in. It’s starting to get very real. I’m still determined to do this, and I hope that I have what it takes to do this. I’m reassured when I see so many posts of people much older than me and/or more challenges that have been successful, that helps a lot.

I think the words you have expressed here speak for the majority of us as we embarked on our first Caminos. The feelings you have are quite normal and are similar to how I felt, but the anxiety of the unknown quickly melts away after the first few days of walking. Good luck to you!

 

[Lindsay53]

The pre-Camino jitters are perfectly normal. It seems like you have put in a lot of preparation and once you start walking the anxiety fades away to be replaced by excitement and wonder. Buen Camino!

 

[C clearly]

the enormity of what I’m trying to accomplish

That is one perspective. On the other hand, you will just get up each morning to walk to a village 15 km or so away. And most days, you'll be able to stop for coffee and lunch en route.

 

[Grousedoctor]

As mentioned above, anticipation is a normal part of preparing for your first Camino. I know I had it up until I took my first steps out of SJPP. Yours is understandably heightened by the health concerns you have. No one wants anything other than a successful Camino for you.

Having had abdominal surgery this spring has given me a new perspective on how much I can do and on how quickly I should engage in certain activities. I now more readily admit that as I have gotten older, I don’t bounce back quite as quickly from illness or a surgery as I once did. Training issues aside, as you might already be more than fit for the CF, when you “might” be able to schedule surgery and your August 6 planned departure may just be too close together in time. When you leave SJPP you want to know that you have the physical wherewithal to take on this challenge.

Therefore, because there is a certain amount of uncertainty in your plans, I’d suggest that you look at a new Camino start date possibly even only a month later. If you do have surgery, give your body time to heal. Being the “full” you will make for a better Camino.

Finally, you don’t need 20 pounds of gear (assuming you won’t need to carry your cPAP machine. Drop down the weight of your kit to between 12-14 pounds. Plus, at least in the beginning, consider using a transport company to move your pack to your next destination so as to ease into your journey. Buen Camino.

 

[trecile]

I’m also getting a little bit of jitters as the enormity of what I’m trying to accomplish starts to sink in.

Forget about it being a 500 mile/800 km walk, and break it down into bite sized pieces. Maybe a series of 10 - 18 mile daily walks, which may sound like a lot until you break those down into separate 3 to 5 mile walks.

And if you decide that the Camino really isn't for you, there's tons of interesting places to visit in Spain, including some nice beaches to relax on.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

While at home, I’ve been increasing my daily walks distance, about 3-6 miles daily, which is about half of my projected daily distance of about 12 miles a day. I am planning to start walking in August 11, if all happens as I hope.

If you are already managing this along with your other daily chores you'll be just fine once you hit the Camino. Because on camino, all you have to do is walk - and you can take all day to do it if you wish.

I am a very experienced traveler and yet I still occasionally get jitters. They're not only normal, they're healthy!

As to the rest ( health etc) hopefully everything will work out well for you.

 

[jabrown]

Greetings, Pilgrims!

I haven’t posted in over a month, as I have been busy in other matters. I travelled out of state to attend a 10-day piano camp (I’m a serious amateur pianist and this is my one indulgence I do every year). Because of the effort in learning the repertoire (Spanish music by de Falla and Albeniz, of course), i haven’t had much time to focus on anything else. The trip went well, with the bonus that there were lots and LOTS of steep hills where I could walk daily, so that helped me with my training. A fellow attendee lent me his 20 lb rucksack (I think it was 20 lb), and that’s when I started to have doubts on what I’m getting myself into. Those hills were VERY hard!

While at home, I’ve been increasing my daily walks distance, about 3-6 miles daily, which is about half of my projected daily distance of about 12 miles a day. I am planning to start walking in August 11, if all happens as I hope. But…

I have mentioned here that I have a bulky cPAP machine which I prefer not to take along, but I bought a backpack large enough to accommodate it just in case. I’m aware of the travel cPAP options, but here in the US it’s not covered by insurance and it’s a good 800-900 US dollars, which I am reluctant to spend on something I might use just a few times, so I looked for options.

Before my piano camp trip, I saw an ENT doctor to examine my nose, as I’m aware that I’m a heavy snorer, and indeed, I have a deviated septum, crooked turbinates, and incompetent valves (I forget the exact terms), which could be corrected by surgery, so we agreed to schedule the surgery for when I got back home, as I needed to arrange for a preop clearance with labs, EKG, and chest X-ray. I just had them done last week, so I’m waiting for the paperwork to be sent over to the Dr…who happens to be on PTO and wont’ be back until the end of June, so it might be unrealistic to schedule my surgery in late June or early July. He had said that after the surgery, he wanted me to be around for at least 10 days, so if the surgery gets scheduled any later than mid July, then I probably should forget about it, as I would have to stop my training during the postop period. I could always have the surgery after returning from the Camino, and maybe I’ll be able to get rid of my cPAP, which I’ve hated from day one. But even having the surgery late June/early July might be pushing my luck too much. I plan to fly out on August 6, so I hope I have a better sense of what will actually happen about the procedure in the next few days.

Also…I just tested positive for COVID last week, thankfully, no symptoms, and today I rechecked and I’m negative. I got prescribed Paxlovid, which I will finish tomorrow, but it feels like all these things are starting to get in the way of The Way (pun intended).

I’m also getting a little bit of jitters as the enormity of what I’m trying to accomplish starts to sink in. It’s starting to get very real. I’m still determined to do this, and I hope that I have what it takes to do this. I’m reassured when I see so many posts of people much older than me and/or more challenges that have been successful, that helps a lot.

I’ve shared here before that I have PTSD, thankfully I’m on a really good place emotionally, but I want to be mindful of the possibility that the Camino stressors might be more than I can handle, but I won’t know if I don’t risk it.

I’m grateful for the wealth of information I’ve found here in these pages, as well as the dialogues, support, humor, and kinship that hopefully will sustain me in the days and weeks ahead.

Thank you for listening and for the excellent feedback I always get around here!

If you're doing 3-6 miles a day, you can do 12 on trail. I'm assuming you're doing the Francais. Just take good care of your feet. I used Compheed when I suffered some big bad blisters on one foot while on the Norte and to my astonishment I was able to walk without pain (Ibuprofen helped as well). Just take it one day at a time, and enjoy what you're seeing around you. If the alberges are too stressful, stay in a pension now and then. You're going on an adventure, embrace it all!

 

[HBS60]

Thanks to all for the responses!
My Camino start and end dates are important to me because they are about grief anniversaries. Originally I wanted to start on August 11 and reach SDC on September 11, but since I know things can happen in the way, I have an alternative, which is to be at Cruz de Ferro on September 11, then hopefully reach SDC on September 22, which would be the start of a new season. I also know that none of this might work out because things happen, so all I can do is to be clear on my intentions and have the willingness to adapt and be flexible, and see what else might happen that might be even better, as “my way” is not necessarily the best way.

I just ventured out for my first short walk after being cooped indoors for a week because of a positive COVID test (no symptoms), I tested negative yesterday, so I went out to a nearby park, I felt just fine. I was building up my stamina by walking to a nearby Target store 1.5 miles away, which had a huge parking lot ramp, so it was a 3 mile round trip with some climbing. On other days I would walk 3 miles to a Latino grocery store that had a lunch counter and enjoyed a Latino breakfast (oh, the memories from my homeland!), then walked back home, the whole thing took me just a couple hours including the time for breakfast. While I wasn’t climbing up the Pyrenees nor having a backpack, I did get the feeling that it wasn’t that huge of a deal, walk for a couple hours, rest, eat, resume walking, rest, eat, resume, until I get to wherever.

The first day I am walking from SJPDP and staying at Orisson, which as i understand it, is a very steep hill but only a couple hours of walking, I don’t care if it takes me 3-4 hours, but I wasn’t confident that I could walk all the way to Roncesvalles on the very first day, particularly since I didn’t know I might have surgery, so I’m glad I made the reservations. I’m also glad that I was lifting weights for most of the past year (until my trainer quit to take another job back in April), and I’ve been doing daily walks (typically 1-2 miles) for the last 4-5 years, so I haven’t been a couch potato. That being said, age does creep up on many of us, and some days I feel it more than others.

Maybe I’m too invested in this, but for some reason that eludes me, I feel an urgency to do this, while in the past, the thought of walking 500 miles across Spain during the scorching months of August would have me go straight to bed for a nap. As it stands now, I’m planning to go for a long walk…

 

[Gringazolana]

Maybe do a shorter Camino and ship that CPAP ahead? Last year I took my full-sized beast and packed her in a camera case inside a small hard-side suitcase that I shipped ahead of me each day. I walked with a 20 liter daypack and bought a bottle of water each day for the beast. Don’t do your nasal surgery until after you come back because I bet they won’t want you to fly for some time afterwards. I had all that done too! Buen Camino!

 

[Louise Comacchio]

I had planned to do my first Camino for my 60th birthday. I had spent 12 months researching and planning, even booked Orisson as I wanted to ease into the whole walk. But then came Covid. As the world started to open up again I rebooked Orisson even though Australia hadn't yet opened its borders. As soon as we did I booked my flight and started training, simply by walking everywhere. Then on Christmas Eve I broke my foot, no more training for a while. I was assured my foot would heal in time for my April start and that it would be fine. I was so anxious after booking the flight because it became real, and then I became worried about my foot holding up, even after the specialist said it would be fine. I'd calm myself by telling myself I had done everything I could to complete the walk. I lost 15kg, my full pack weighed 7kg, I tested 4 different pairs of shoes and a variety of socks and blister prevention during my training. I learnt how to use poles correctly and I had planned to ease into the first week of walking. Once I started the camino I'd give myself little pep talks and tell myself I was off for a day walk, as thinking about the entire length was overwhelming. By the time I got to Pamplona on the 4th day my self talk changed to "You are doing this!" My anxiety was leaving me. During the walk the times I felt tired or saw yet another hill up ahead I'd stop, look around and tell myself how fortunate I was to be healthy and to be in Spain fulfilling a dream. As it turned out my foot was fine. I wish you a happy and healthy Camino. Buen Camino.