I was scheduled to walk the Camino Frances in September 2007, due to money restrictions and not being ready emotionally to tackle such a challenge, I decided to postpone my walk until this year April 2008.
One of my Camino buddies who walked part of the way last October, kindly offered to carry my clear quartz crystal (which was given to me by my dear friend Amy) with him. I've been told our crystals await me in a refugio at Logrono. Just to think, these 2 crystals have been on the road since October and will draw into them the energies of the Camino spirit.
Rod my dear friend, thank you ever so much for adding more adventure to my trip. I can't wait to reunite with our crystals and bring them home... Ahhh let the adventure begin...
Ok, I decided to stick to carrying 9kgs. No doubt I'll offload stuff along the road.
I've been keeping an eye on the weather over there, and man, it's cold! So, I need to take some warm clothes with me. This means more weight I need to to carry, hence the 9kgs.
I'm keen to hear any suggestions from people who have completed this walk, whether I need to add or leave items behind.
Camino List
9kgs Maximum
2 x Long Pants
2 x T-Shirts
1 x Jacket
1 x Micro-Fleece Jumper
1 xThermal Top/Pants
1 x Face cloth
2 xUndies
2 x Socks
1 x Toe socks
2 x Socks Liners
1 x Flip flops
1 x Boxer shorts
2 x Sports Bra
1 x Sleeping Bag
1 x Sleeping Bag Linear
1 x Toiletry Bag
1 x Ipod
1 x Digital Camera
1 x Ipod/Camera charger
1 x Adapter
1 x Head torch
1 x Knee Brace
1 x strapping tape
1 x scissors
1 x Sunscreen
2 x Plastic bags
1 x Backpack (40L)
2 x Walking Sticks
1 x Hiking Boots
1 x Sunglasses and Cover
1 x Glasses cover
1 x Hat
1 x Journal
1 x Pen
1 x Guidebook
1 x SilkPillow Case
1 x Bum Bag
2 x Suction Hooks
1 x Bandana
4 x Elastic bands and bobby pins
1 x Poncho
1 x Needle/Thread
1 x Bottle Iodine
1 x small bottle of Shampoo
1 x Gel (I've decided to take it...hehehe)
1 x small bottle of Conditioner
1 x set of Ear Plugs
1 x quick dry towel Towel
1 x Toe Clippers
1 x Spork
4 to 6 metres of string
6 x Safety Pins
1 x Tweezers
1 x small bottle of liquid soap
1 x small tube of Toothpaste
1 x Toothbrush
1 x Blister Roll on
8 x Voltaren Tablets
6 x Panadol 15
5 x Stamina satchels
2 x Garbage Bags (big)
1 x Deodarant
5 x Bandaids
1 x Universal Plug
1 x Lip Balm
1 x Tea tree oil
1 x Water Bottles
2 x Copies of Documents
2 x Passports
Santiago cathedral where all pilgrims are headed for.
I start from Saint Jean Pied de Port located at the foothills of the Pyreness Mountains (France) onto Santiago De Compostella (Spain). It's roughly 800kms.
I reviewed all my items and by camino standards, my backpack is still too heavy! Today my pack weighs 9kgs. I seriously tried to cut out as much as I could and it's 1kg heavier than I intend to carry. How the heck am I going to cut another 1kg? Well Monique, I think I'll take you up on your advice and ditch the hair gel... My hair will be wilder than ever before. Move over young Einsten..lol.. It was one of the very few luxuries I intended to take with me. Now I understand why one cannot allow themselves too many luxuries on the road. It's up to you to carry your own load and the body feels every gram. Less weight = happy knees/joints...:)
My knee is coming along nicely. I've seen 2 specialists and they both gave me the go ahead. Yeah! Their advice is, take 2 hiking poles, orthotic inserts, good quality boots, knee brace, and carry as little weight as possible. Just yesterday my high tech knee brace arrived. I'm heading out this weekend to test it out. After forking out $150, it better do the job! Fingers crossed.
I'll upload my packing list next entry.
Finally! My blog is up and running thanks to Brad and Jonathon. Thanks guys!
Only 19 days to go, before I jet off to Spain to tackle a 800km pilgrimmage walk which dates back 1000 years or so. Far out, I cannot believe how time flies! My dream is quickly awakening everyday. I bought all the gear I require for the trip. At the moment my pack weighs 10.2kgs (water and food excluded) and that's way too much weight! So, this weekend I'm going through my gear and will attempt to cut another 1 - 3kgs...God, I really don't know what else I should leave behind? As most items (I feel) are necessary. No doubt Monique would say otherwise..lol
Stay tuned for more...
