When I did the Camino last year I met a couple from Alaska one evening. The husband very proudly told me that when they went out in the wilds back home, they had to take everything with them. No shops or refuges. So by comparison, the camino was 'just a hike.' I asked them how they got on with the 30km/hr headwinds and driving rain and sleet we had had for three days as we crossed the meseta. His wife replied, 'Oh, we took the bus. We have that weather at home.' Ho ho ho ho ho ho ho....