Camino de Santiago
Reflections and Videos
We are back in the states now and I’ve had a week to reflect on the Camino de Santiago. We did the Camino Primitivo. That is the original Camino route traveled by King Alphonse (Alfonso … there are several English spelling) sometime around the year 800 A.D. I say traveled because he was a king. I doubt that he walked. Horseback or carriage seem to me to be the two most likely modes of travel for him.
The route existed before he traveled it to validate the relic of St. James. It was a Celtic trade route as far back as trade routes existed which is very far back indeed.
“Primitivo” means first. It carries connotations in English of primitive but it simply means first.
The Camino combines religion, reflection, and walking through beautiful northern Spain. I recommend it.
Reflections
For me, there were two Camino Primitivo journeys in this trip. The first 130ish miles from Oviedo to Lugo were just SMAJ and me. The second part of the Camino from Lugo to Santiago de Compostela was our larger group. We had eleven people on that part of the Camino. I would not have wanted to miss either journey.
The first part was rugged, alpine, remote, and beautiful. It was a series of small villages and deep, gorgeous valleys. It was postcard Spain. The second part was less wild and rugged but no less beautiful. The second part was a joy to walk and spend time with family and friends. The first part was walk and reflect. The second part was walk and celebrate.
I recommend both approaches. Solitary walking (or with a boon companion) is awesome but walking with family and friends is awesome too.
Gear
Gear is important on the Camino. Rain gear makes a big difference, especially in the shoulder seasons. On the Hospitales route and for several days afterward, we saw rain with high winds and cool (mid-forties Fahrenheit) temperatures. We also saw some miserable pilgrims in ponchos. If you’re going to do the Camino, invest in decent rain gear. You don’t know when you will need it, but you will need it.
Hydrophobic fabrics are a real plus. I took “performance fabric” shirts but my pants were nearly hydrophobic. This mattered most when trying to dry them after washing in the albergues. Were I to do the Camino again, I would search out hydrophobic fabric shirts and underwear.
Waterproof boots are, to me, a requirement. We had several straight days of rain while we were in the mountains. Dry feet help a lot. I went with very lightweight boots but heavier boots would have been fine.
I didn’t take quite enough warm gear. I was on the edge of being cold the entire time we were in the mountains because I skimped slightly on warm gear. One more item (a fleece vest) would have made a big difference.
I was “over socked” and that was a mistake. My rule (for me) is synthetic socks and I took wool socks. My feet were sweaty the entire time because of that. Your feet, your socks, and your shoes are a trifecta. Get the three-way match right and things are a lot better. I didn’t have any blisters or other problems but I won’t wear wool socks again for a hiking trip. I knew better.
Guidebook
The guidebook we used was excellent. I recommend it. We saw quite a few other peregrinos (Camino pilgrims) with the same guidebook (ISBN 9781947474260).
You can get it on Amazon. It is well done.
Planning
On the first part of the trip, we reserved a hostel in only two cities; Madrid and Oviedo. We were able to get to the albergues early enough to get a bed in all the other towns. Our typical arrival time to each town was between noon and 2:00 pm. If you walk slowly and arrive later than about 5:00 pm or so then you may want to reserve a space.
On the second part of the trip, we reserved space each night because of the size of our group. There were a couple of hiccups with the reservations but we managed to fix or improve them each time. Resiliency is a useful trait for that aspect of the Camino.
Conditioning
You will enjoy the trip more if you are well conditioned for the walking. SMAJ and I were sufficiently conditioned but definitely not overtrained for the first part of the trip. Some of the stages were reasonably demanding. The conditioning of our larger group for the second part of the walk varied a little. You can send your pack forward via a courier service and that helps a lot as some of our folks learned.
If you plan to do the Camino, conditioning ahead of time lets you enjoy it more.
Infrastructure
The connectivity infrastructure at the albergues was skimpy. I eventually gave up on Substack because of Substack’s WIFI requirement (requirement on my iPad which doesn’t have a cellular modem).
If you go, get a plan that lets you use your phone normally. The GPS on the phone was useful nearly every day to find the albergues. Translators on the smart phone were invaluable. Being connected to family and friends was really nice. There were a few but only a few spots where there was no cellular service.
Having the phone available in case of a true emergency is potentially a lifesaver.
Videos
Below are several videos that I didn’t post on Substack because of the connectivity. For some of them, I posted abbreviated versions. Most of these went up on Instagram because I could access IG over cellular service. I don’t have a video for every stage but these will give you a great view of the Camino.
Hospitales Route
Berducedo to Grandas de Salime
Grandes de Salime to Fonsagrada
O Cadavo to Lugo
Lugo to Santiago
I also write about AR-15’s and about various aspects of being a prepared civilian. Check out my book on the AR-15 on Amazon.
Understanding the AR-15 and AR-10: Rutledge, Keith: 9798989074006: Amazon.com: Books