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We worry about grams ... then there is Clara Wilkes ...

David

Veteran Member
Time of past OR future Camino
First one in 2005 from Moissac, France.
Hi all - I have often wondered about the whole cutting grams, going as light as .. (I do it too!!) .. thinking about the "real" world with soldiers on the march and what they carry .. Roman legions ...
now I have discovered Clara Wilkes - and she puts us all to shame. No special and expensive 'outdoor costumes' (no gears on that bike either!)
Oh my ... and here is me posting on other threads about not buying backpacks that weigh 1.2 kilos when you can get one that weighs 900gms ... oh dear ..... I hold a candle to my shame!

photo taken in 1915 when she was nineteen.

"A determined young woman, dressed in practical travel attire, navigates her heavily loaded bicycle along a scenic route. The year is 1915, and her spirit of adventure is as vibrant as the landscape she traverses.
In the summer of 1915, Clara Wilkes was not the typical young woman of her time. While others were content with the comforts of home, Clara yearned for the open road and the thrill of discovery. At just 19, she had already planned a solo journey that few would dare to undertake—a tour of the countryside on her trusty bicycle.
Her bike, though heavy with supplies, was her ticket to freedom. Laden with a tent, a small cooking set, and a few essentials, the steel frame groaned under the weight. But to Clara, it was more than just a mode of transportation; it was a symbol of her independence and courage.
Each morning, she would set off at dawn, the early light casting long shadows on the winding roads. The world around her was awakening—birds singing, leaves rustling in the breeze, and the distant sound of a stream trickling through the forest. As she pedalled, the landscape changed from rolling hills to dense woods and then to wide-open meadows, each new view more breath-taking than the last.
Clara’s journey was not without its challenges. The roads were rough, often no more than dirt paths, and the weight of her bike made every incline a test of strength. But she welcomed each challenge with a smile, her eyes alight with determination. Every mile brought her closer to something new—a village she had never visited, a mountain she had never climbed, or a river she had never crossed.
At night, she would find a quiet spot to set up camp, often near a river or under the shelter of tall trees. As the stars emerged, Clara would sit by her small fire, the warmth a comfort after a long day of travel. She would write in her journal, capturing the day’s events, the people she met, and the thoughts that filled her mind as she explored the world on two wheels."

467151743_1348679343213350_3593781989826093596_n.webp
 
Perfect memento/gift in a presentation box. Engraving available, 25 character max.
A determined young woman, dressed in practical travel attire, navigates her heavily loaded bicycle along a scenic route.
Thanks, @David, for posting this fascinating introduction to Clara's travels.
Her "practical" travel attire baffles me, and I wonder if she occasionally encountered any rain while packing up her "kit" in the mornings.🤔
 
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Well, 1915 and all that .. can't see her getting away with trousers but I bet there is an oilskin somewhere!

I think gender clothing was more fixed back then .. I am always amazed at how much female history never made it even into the newspapers, let alone history books - what it must be like to be female today and know that I cannot even imagine.

_98654320_gettyimages-3292698.webp
 
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Where was she travelling David? All the web pages I could find give the same information but nobody mentions where.
She seems to have been cut from the same cloth as Dervla Murphy (who came along later).
 
Where was she travelling David? All the web pages I could find give the same information but nobody mentions where.
She seems to have been cut from the same cloth as Dervla Murphy (who came along later).
No idea, I searched too - is possible she didn't exist, though does seem like a real photo but fiction or fact, still inspiring I think. AI says she was real, said Europe so think France as mentioned the war.
 
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It still is in some ways: you should hear Mrs. Purky ranting and carrying on about the absence of pockets in women's pants.
Or even their trousers and skirts. After my successful foray into installing "pit-zips" in my Altus I am now taking commissions for pockets in skirts from my daughter and they are SO easy to install.

Women's apparel did use to include pockets of course:

1731941422640.webp

worn on the hips of course, not on the "fanny".
 
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Perfect memento/gift in a presentation box. Engraving available, 25 character max.
Aside from the weight issue, I can only partly imagine how difficult it must have been for a woman of her age, in those days, to do such things, deciding for herself and without looking anyone in the face. I can imagine how many people regarded her as crazy, unconscious, or even a scandal. Instead, she was just a brave and independent person, decades ahead of others. No technical clothes, no advanced gears. Not even... gearbox!

Hats off - of straw, perhaps - toward people like her!
 
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That's why I find it comical some of the almost irrational extremism of gram reducing done by some pilgrims walking the Camino. Drilling holes in toothbrush handles and tearing pages out of guidebooks. 😆
It's the Camino, not the north face.
Medieval pilgrims walked it wearing heavy wool whilst being chronically dehydrated and malnourished.
 

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