One Step. One Step

Bay of Fires, Tasmania - that's me in the middle.

So, why did I think I could walk 800 kms in 30-32 days?  I've always loved walking.  And over the years I've done a few long and/or challenging walks. I loved the solitude of walking in Nepal with just a guide and a porter. I loved the challenge of the Inca Trail in Peru. And I loved the beauty of The Bay of Fires in Tasmania. But, they were strolls compared to The Camino. Then came the Coastrek.

Pam, Me and Mike

Zen Trekkers Team

In March this year, I walked the Coastrek, a 100 km coastal walk from Palm Beach to Coogee in Sydney. Our team, Zen Trekkers, included my sister Pam and my brother Michael. When we decided to take on that challenge, 100kms walking throughout the day and night seemed almost impossible. But, gradually, over about 4 months we built up the distance.  I remember being exhausted after my first 20km walk, but then not too long after that it was 25km then 30, 35, 40 ... you get the picture.  Finally, the longest training was a 60km overnight walk.  I remember finishing that walk at Bondi Beach at around 6am. My feet were burning and I wondered how on earth it would be possible to walk another 40km.  At that time, while I was still enthusiastic and determined to give it a go, I was honestly doubtful that I would be able to do it.

But just a couple of weeks later, we did it! With the right training, the right gear, the excitement of taking on that challenge with my sister and brother - and with a great support team - we made it, exhausted and elated as we crossed the finish line.

It's amazing what you can do when you take things one step at a time.

Mike and I the day after Coastrek.
Feeling great. Support team Max and Zoe in the background.

Pam and Mike showing off their medals.

Discovering The Camino: You've Gotta Love Google

So, it was time to discover more about The Camino ... and so to Google. One of the first sites I came across was Spanish Steps - lucky me! This site has turned out to be an amazing source of information - and inspiration. Highly recommended for anyone considering The Camino. Another great site is Camino de Santiago, a UK site

One of the first things I discover is that there is more than one Camino. The Camino de Santiago de Compostela, also known in English as The Way of St James, is a collection of old pilgrimage routes which cover all Europe. They all have Santiago de Compostela in north west Spain as their final destination. For more than 1000 years pilgrims have been walking along the Camino de Santiago.

The Camino Frances, which I've chosen, is the most popular of all the pilgrims' paths, and 'follows a path across Northern Spain running from the foothills of the French Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela in north western Spain. A journey of almost 800k'. The Spanish Steps site documents the route over 32 daily stages providing route information as well as accommodation in each town and village along the way.

The next thing I discover is that, while most people walk the Camino in the European summer, in fact July and August are not the best times to go. Very hot and very crowded. The numbers of pilgrims walking the path at the same time as you is an important consideration for many reasons - not least of which is that each night you'll be looking for a bed at one of the Albergues or Refugios along the way. Alberques and Refugios are hostels for pilgrims - and only for pilgrims. If you arrive too late to find a spare bed - your options are to find a hotel room if there is one, sleep under the stars ... or walk on.

The best months to go are April / May and September / October. As it was May already, September and October it was. I thought, only briefly, that this was a huge undertaking and I should be sensible and plan it for 2012. But I quickly dismissed that thought. Who knows what's around the corner. If not now, when?

So, decision made. I'm going. I'd start looking at flights immediately. But, let's face it, that's the easy part. The real challenge would be walking 800 kms. Why did I think I could do that. Well, that's another story for my next post.

Walking The Camino

A few weeks ago I decided I was going to walk The Camino Frances, the 800 km Pilgrims' Path from St Jean Pied de Port in France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Sounds like a crazy idea. So what set me on this path?

The Camino had popped up on my radar from time to time in recent years. Possibly the first time was when I came across Shirley Maclaine's book: The Camino: A Journey of the Spirit.  While the book was not really 'my cup of tea' and it's not exactly a practical guide, I was intrigued by the idea of anyone - let alone a woman in her 60s - undertaking such a physical challenge.

Fast forward to early May 2011, listening to The Nighlife on ABC radio. Tony Delroy was interviewing Tom Trumble, the author of Unholy Pilgrims. Tom's book is subtitled as 'How one man thought walking 800 kilometres across Spain would sort out his life'. While I don't think I have a lot in common with Tom (who describes himself as having the resume of a vagrant) - and I haven't read his book - once again, I was drawn to The Camino. If Tom could do it, maybe I could too? So I decided to find out more about The Camino.