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You can invite a companion on Camino, but you can't make them walk (in preparation)!

K_Lynn

Buen Camino!
Time of past OR future Camino
Frances 2021, Ingles 2023
I invited my sister to join me for Camino Ingles at the end of October (I had originally planned this very, very short Camino to be at the end of Camino Portuguese which has been cancelled lol I digress). I have given her packing lists, compression sacks for gear, and various pieces of clothing/gear and suggestions for training for Camino as she is a sedentary office dweller.

I've been growing concerned about her lack of walking over the summer and also mentally preparing to leave her at the bus stop or call her a taxi to get to the next stage along the way lol. I have made a point of not nagging her, no one likes a nag.

Her friend found a local-ish "Camino", 2 days 50km and they signed up for it. I thought it would be a great opportunity for her to test her gear and stamina. I gave her suggestions for trail snacks and she was determined to make it through the weekend. Snacks may not have been needed as the organization running this had a snack station set up every 5km lol. She had a very rough time. Day One was 31km and she made it to 27km - I think her friend drove back to get her, she did not walk Day Two. She is sore and slightly defeated today but also keenly aware of the work she needs to do in the next month. And because she packed so many snacks and beverages she is very aware of how pack weight helps slow you down and break you. Iam still stunned that she brought 6kg of snacks - FOR ONE DAY!! lol

Her friend is taking her walking 3 times this week, and every week until we leave. My sister is planning on sorting out her gear and packing it all to make sure she isn't taking too much, that it fits in her pack and her pack is comfortable (It's a hand-me-down from someone). Now that she has an idea of how a weighted pack feels I think she'll be less likely to pack unnecessary things.

So, here is the caution and reminder to all planning a Camino: 1) make sure you get some good walks in if you are unused to walking long distances prior to going, and of course 2) do not overpack.

I am very glad that she learned this before we arrived!
 
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K_Lynn said:
Day One was 31km and she made it to 27km
Click to expand...
31 km is much, even for a good walker. But on a first day it is too much.
According to me, first day 25km is a maximum for a hiker, 20km is a maximum for an healthy person, otherwise 15km is enough.
Regarding weigh: our backpack weighs the weight of our fears: the more you are afraid, the more you carry.
We have to be confident with the camino to carry a light backpack...
Do not be afraid that your sister will not make it, be prepared to adapt the stages in order she can walk with you.
There is no mandatory aspects on the Camino: the most important is to take pleasure and to be open.
 
I agree 31 is too many for a first day. Or at the very least it's more than I prefer. I warned her that it would be rough.

Judging by what she packs for a holiday I would have to say that she has a lot of fears. We've been on two holidays and both times she showed up with a very large overflowing suitcase with so many unnecessary things. lol

She'll walk what she walks, I can't walk for her.

Buen Camino!
 
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Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Well, maybe she was hungry! Do remind her that there are stores and cafes in Spain although last summer I always carried a can of Pringles in my water bottle pocket because they are good and they have a lot of salt. Shared a lot of Pringles with other pilgrims at stops.

edit: we never eat them at home, but a splurge on the road was great!
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Pringles were my evening snack on Camino lol


Her pack would have weighed less if she had been eating all her snacks! Ah well, she has learned!
 
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Well, I guess fair credit to her that she hasn't just given up entirely. Frankly if she's generally sedentary I'm actually impressed that she made it to kilometer 27. I hope you're going to be kind to her and break the staging up more than the traditional five days. @pelerine has posted an excellent staging suggestion on the thread 'Walking the Camino Inglès mid October.'... . Just one day more, but it could make all the difference ....
 
I had originally hated the idea of stopping in Neda as 14km just seems like a waste of a day. But 30 to Pontedeume is probably too long, so I decided a couple of weeks ago to do the two short stages at the beginning.

I'm impressed she isn't giving up after her weekend. But I wouldn't expect her to, we're both very stubborn.
 
Let us pick up your suitcase once you arrive in Europe....
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
"our backpack weighs the weight of our fears"...Brilliant. I want a tattoo of this.
 
She can leave the entire snack pack behind, as there are stores in Spain. As she seems worried about hydration and electrolytes, there are lightweight, small powdered packages that you can add to water bottles. Can you share your packing list with her, just to give her a blueprint for success? Now that she has felt the pain, your sister may be more inclined to follow your lead!
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
The perils of taking someone with you on Camino
Particularly if it is not a passion or something they are drawn to.
Not saying this is the case here.......

My 'Boss' Pat was somewhat iffy about joining me.
We did a bit of training locally. But not much.
So we started off really slow and steady and built up gradually.

This had to be her Camino, not mine!
Her speed and distance, her choice of lodging type etc etc.

Our first Camino days were 7 kms, 10 kms, 12 kms, 15 kms, 20 kms.
Yes. that slow!
But it worked well.
It was just a 10 day Camino, but at the end she wanted to do 800 kms next!
And she did.......

It's hard introducing others to our passion sometimes.
 
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Actually, @K_Lynn , I meant [QUOTE="pelerine, post: 1183421, member: 74944"
1. Fene (about 18.5 km)
2. Mino (about 19 km0
3. Presedo (about 21.5 km)
4. A Rua (about 19 km)
5. Sigueiro (about 17.5 km)
or: Torre de Marantes ( about 21.5 km)
6. Santiago ( 16 km or 12 km)
[/QUOTE]
Thought for a first time Camino, if someone isn't fit, these stages looked very manageable. Not only that but it avoids the dreaded pinch point of Bruma - if ever there was a place that needs more accommodation, that's it. Of course for you I appreciate that such short stages might be a tad too short.
Although I have to say if you haven't been to Ferrol pbefore it's worth spending the morning looking around before going on to Neda. Assuming of course it's not one of the busier periods in which case it will fill pretty quickly.
 
Thanks for the suggested route. The concept of breaking it into so many stages is giving me hives! lol We have 2 nights in A Coruna when we arrive and 2 nights in Ferrol, to explore and wander about, get over jetlag and eat our weight in seafood. After Pontedeume the longest day is only 24km so it should all be okay.
 
Make sure she is training on lots of hills and is using (and bringing hiking poles). Consider sending her bag ahead each day. Make sure she brings a comfortable day pack, too. Or send her belongings ahead in a duffle and carry her regular pack with a "few" snacks Look at the elevation for each day and decide if she wants to taxi ahead to skip sections or hills (IF a Compostela is not her goal).
 
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She has poles and when I visited her in June and July I took her walking to get used to them and to learn to use them properly. She has to carry her pack! It's the only way to prevent her from bringing 6 pair of pants and 14 tops! If she can't walk, I will gladly pour her into a taxi or a bus to get to the next stage and I'll walk the remaining distance alone.
 
Get the contact info for local taxi drivers at your accommodation each day. The Ingles has sections that are very rural so it isn't always going to be easy to find a taxi if you need one between towns. Whats App is a good way to communicate with taxi drivers. (And a translation app if needed). What Three Words app might be appropriate for indicating your location if you are in the middle of nowhere.
 
K_Lynn said:
I'm very glad that she had this experience this weekend as it enforced the need for her to get out walking NOW! I'm sure it will be fine when we get there.
Click to expand...
If you are the one with all the experience, the reality is -- you will have to go through her pack. I have done this many a time with friends who I have guided on wilderness backpacking trips on Van island, BC interior and the Alberta Rockies. They didn't like it at the time but thanked me profusely along the trail ! The same goes with packing for a Camino/Chemin, except one can bring so much less, next to nothing.
Packing light comes with experience . After many thousands of kilometers on Caminos and trails I am still trying to minimize my pack weight !
 
Last edited:
Let us pick up your suitcase once you arrive in Europe....
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
We’ll, of course, you can have her carry the pack to start with and as a way of limiting what she brings…and then if problems develop- put a tag on that thing and send it!
 
She is now really trying!!! Be prepared that 15-22 km may be her limit. And if there is a back packing service for the Ingles, this will helped her to increase her distance (and give her a better chance of getting close to 22 km).
 
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Itsnever2late said:
Are you going to share this post with your sister before or after the Camino
Best of Luck, hope you have an amazing few days.
Click to expand...
LOL I have shared it already! If we cannot mock our siblings or tell our siblings we have been mocking them then we are doing something wrong! She was very disappointed with herself, she thought it would be easier than it was, but she says she learned a few things and is determined to be able to walk into Santiago. She said "If you can't be the good example, be the warning" so it's all in stride.
 
I've been practicing by walking with my pack over-weighted... and this year (in new shoes that I've been breaking in for two months), I noticed something new...

15kg... hot spots and blisters start to form around 5 miles of hills...
10kg... no problems (and if I got to 10kg by dumping out 5l of water during a hike, the hot spots cool down and no blisters actually form)

I'm hoping to Camino with about 7kg including food and water and cool weather clothing.

I've generally found if I can walk 12km easily at home in a few hours, I can walk 24km on full camino days without too much trouble.

My other big revelation the first three caminos was:

* day 1: sore and tired feet and knees, need to take breaks, change socks, watch for blisters
* morning of day 2: sore feet, sore knees, sore muscles... which all go away in about an hour
* morning of day 3: sorer feet, sorer knees, sorer muscles... which all go away in an hour and a half
* morning of day 4: not sore any more!
* morning of days 5+: this feels *great*!
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
It’s a long shot but was it the Maitland Trail Camino that you sister participated in this past weekend? If it was she certainly picked a tough trail to start with…especially the first 31km of it!!
 
I bought new shoes 2 weeks ago, so I went from Lone Peak to Lone Peak Waterproof, and I was not prepared for the difference. Day 1 5km of very miserable unhappy feet and a sour mood at the purchase. Day 2 8km slightly unhappy, Day 3 giddy with joy that my feet are used to the new shoes, it wasn't a wasted purchase and they'll be fine. My pack is overloaded, I threw in everything I will be taking with me along with whatever was in my "Camino Pile" which I will go through in the next couple of weeks and pitch what really isn't needed (ie so many things!). It's current weight is about 15lbs. I like to train with more than I plan on carrying.

When I walked Frances 2 years ago, I slowly learned to stop more often and made a point of sitting for 30-45 minutes enjoying my coffee and taking my shoes off to allow my feet to cool and then putting on new cool dry socks for the next section. Changing my socks frequently kept my feet from getting tired. And sitting and watching the Parade of Pilgrims is really quite nice.

Buen Camino!
 
HJPZ said:
It’s a long shot but was it the Maitland Trail Camino that you sister participated in this past weekend? If it was she certainly picked a tough trail to start with…especially the first 31km of it!!
Click to expand...
Yep that was the one! I'm very glad she went and did as much as she could, she made it very close to the end. Maybe when I visit next year she and I can do it together. We shall see!
 
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Give her the grace to do the Camino in her own way.

I just did Sarria to Santiago; I was walking with my kid, 38 years younger and a regular hiker, and knew I wasn’t in good enough shape. And worried that I would slow my kid down, or ruin their experience. So, after the first day, my kid and I made meeting arrangements - halfway (or after a long incline) and end of the stage. I sent my bag ahead; my kid did not. Sometimes I could and did walk the whole thing; sometimes I taxi’ed part of the way.

And …. we both had an amazing experience. Some of it together, some of it separately. We never got mad at the other for doing it differently, or slower, or faster. (And we are both hooked - I’ve already got a plan to do the Portuguese, they’re already looking and starting in SJPP and going to Sarria.)

Your sister’s training, however lax you think it is, may pay off. It may be that she finds her strength and does it all. Or it may be that she does send her bag and take taxis — and that will be just fine, if you let it be, and you let her know that it is.
 
ShoshTrvls said:
Give her the grace to do the Camino in her own way.
Click to expand...
Not to worry! We've talked a lot over the last year and she knows she may end up walking alone for part of it. I don't know if she has come to grips with her having to take a taxi or bus for part of a stage - but I have lol. It will be what it will be when we get there. My only goal for her is to see some of what I love about it.
Buen Camino!
 
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Great idea. I'm doing this too!
 
Pafayac said:
Indeed, for a whole day, it's not so much, but only snacks have been considered.
I guess she had also brought meals...
Click to expand...
That seems like way too much food or snacks for 1 day. I go on multi day backpacking trips and my food total for 4 days is 6 - 7kg, not counting water
 
I think if you 'invite' someone to join you on a Camino,
you have to accept that it may no longer 'your' Camino

Or at least not walked in the way you would prefer it to be.........
 
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Robo said:
I think if you 'invite' someone to join you on a Camino,
you have to accept that it may no longer 'your' Camino

Or at least not walked in the way you would prefer it to be.........
Click to expand...
This Camino will be just fine. We're both very glad that she had this experience to hammer home the need to do some prep work.
 
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