I'm on the Road to Colorado this Friday

Today I go off line for a while.  We are cleaning the house and tomorrow I load the trailer and the car.  Friday I head west.  Colorado here I come.

It has been a long 6 weeks of sorting, giving away, selling, packing and saying good byes.  Finally I am ready to head out.

After the labor day week end I will get my computer set up again and will begin hiking and sharing.  I must say that all this packing has increased my muscles, endurance and abilities physically.  Although it has been a very hard time, today I am exhausted, it has been very good for me.

Thank you for waiting out this time and staying with me.  It is quite an event getting ready to walk the Camino when you must loose substantial weight and rebuild the body before you can go on it.  It might be said that this desire to walk the Camino is saving my life.

Buen Camino everyone, until we meet again on these pages.
b

Over 30,000 people completed the Camino in July 2011

The Cathedral at Santiago de Compostella

I received the following information and found it very interesting.  I began thinking about what it would be like to have over 30,000 people on the trail at the same time as me.  I have read continuously that one can walk alone or join others as they walk and thinking about 30,000 others out there I was wondering how I would walk alone.

Maybe that is why I am planning on walking either May/June or Sept/Oct.  It won't be quit as busy.  Sometimes I wonder what I would do if the refugos were all full.  Would I be able to make it to the next town?  Would I sleep out in the open?  I hear that no pilgrim goes without a bed, even if you have to sleep under the tables in the local bar after it closes.  Chuckle  Chuckle  I can hear it now,  Hi kids, it's mom.  I spent last night on the floor of the local bar!!!!   What an adventure this is going to be.

I hope you enjoy the stats.  This walk is getting to be even more popular.  So many are seeking this experience.  As for the people over 60 traveling, they tend to go when it is a lot cooler.  July and August are the peak heat times.

Buen Camino
b

This information has been released. 

During the month of july 2011, 30.836 pilgrims were received at the Pilgrim's Office. The number of pilgrims in the past Holy Year, 2004, during the same period was 31.896. Of those pilgrims, 13.594 (44,08%) were women and 17.242 (55,92%) men. 26.104 (84,65%) pilgrims arrived on foot, 4.653 (15,09%) by bicicle, 73 (0,24%) on horseback, and 6 (0,02%) pilgrims on wheel-chair.

Pilgrims by sex

	Men (55,92%)
	Women (44,08%)

Pilgrims by medium

	Foot (84,65%)
	Bicicle (15,09%)
	Horseback (0,24%)
	Wheel-chair (0,02%)

Pilgrims' Age:
12.142 pilgrims were younger than 30 years old (39,38%), 16.071 were between 30 and 60 years old (52,12%), and 2.623 were aged above 60 years old (8,51%).
Pilgrims' Motivation:
Religious: 13.131 (42,58%)
Religious and Cultural: 15.666 (50,80%)
Cultural: 2.039 (6,61%)

Pilgrims by age

	30 - 60 (52,12%)
	< 30 (39,38%)
	> 60 (8,51%)

Pilgrims by motivation

	Cultural (6,61%)
	Religious (42,58%)
	Religious and Cultural (50,80%)

Pilgrims' Nationality:
Spanish: 20.271 (65,74%); Most of the pilgrims came from Andalucía: 3.740 (18,45%); Madrid: 3.550 (17,51%); Cataluña: 2.389 (11,79%); Comunidad Valenciana: 2.236 (11,03%); Castilla León: 1.444 (7,12%); Pais Vasco: 1.349 (6,65%); Castilla la Mancha: 1.063 (5,24%); Galicia: 893 (4,41%); etc.
Foreigners: 10.565 (34,26%); Most of the pilgrims come from the following countries: Italia: 1.713 (16,21%); Alemania: 1.645 (15,57%); Francia: 1.034 (9,79%); Estados Unidos: 700 (6,63%); Portugal: 677 (6,41%); Polonia: 423 (4,00%); Irlanda: 366 (3,46%); Holanda: 309 (2,92%); etc.

Spanish Pilgrims

	Andalucía (18,45%)
	Madrid (17,51%)
	Cataluña (11,79%)
	Comunidad Valenciana (11,03%)
	Castilla León (7,12%)
	Pais Vasco (6,65%)
	Castilla la Mancha (5,24%)
	Other regions

Foreigner Pilgrims

	Italia (16,21%)
	Alemania (15,57%)
	Francia (9,79%)
	Estados Unidos (6,63%)
	Portugal (6,41%)
	Polonia (4,00%)
	Irlanda (3,46%)
	Other countries

Pilgrims' Profession:
Regarding the professional fields, the majority of pilgrims are Estudiantes: 9.110 (29,54%); Empleados: 5.659 (18,35%); Profesores: 3.844 (12,47%); Tecnicos: 3.480 (11,29%); Liberales: 2.518 (8,17%); Jubilados: 2.053 (6,66%); Funcionarios: 1.526 (4,95%); Obreros: 730 (2,37%); etc.
Starting Points:
Most of the pilgrims received in this period started their Way to Santiago in: Sarria: 6.916 (22,43%); S. Jean P. Port: 2.536 (8,22%); Cebreiro: 1.848 (5,99%); León: 1.657 (5,37%); Roncesvalles: 1.573 (5,10%); Ponferrada: 1.562 (5,07%); Astorga: 1.441 (4,67%); Tui: 1.337 (4,34%); etc.
The Chosen Routes:
Most of the pilgrims chose Frances-Camino de: 22.447 (72,79%); Portugues-Camino: 3.004 (9,74%); Norte-Camino de: 2.767 (8,97%); Via de la Plata: 1.081 (3,51%); Primitivo-Camino: 941 (3,05%); etc.

Wishing I was out walking in the Mountains

A depiction of a pilgrim on a wall in Lograno

After so long working at packing and throwing things out and selling things and..and..  Well you get the picture - MOVING.  I wish it was over with and I was already in the mountains of Colorado.  I leave 2 weeks from yesterday.  I will be taking my time as the trailer can only go 55mph.  I could go 70mph with mine, but alas it was stolen when I arrived here in Charlotte.  I will make sure my balance is correct when I pack and I am hoping I can set the cruise control on 60mph.  This will be a slow tripppppppppppppp.

I will travel the smallest number of miles a day I have ever traveled.  I have planned  380 the first day, 370 the second day, 446 the third day and 445 the fourth day.  I will spend my last night in Cheyenne, WY and drive in the next morning (only 46 miles).  After sleeping in and a leisurely breakfast I should arrive around noon.  Then it will be unpacking and returning the trailer.  Two days rest then off to Santa Fe, NM to meet friends and camp for the Labor day holiday.  Kids have in laws coming in for the holiday and it would be a bit crowded so I will play with friends while they visit. 

Finally!  The first week in September I will be settled in Colorado and that first week end I will be in the mountains.  This is going to be quite a change for me.  I will have come from 5 months in the 90s and 100s for temps and suddenly I will be in the 70s, with 50s and 60s in the mountains.  I think I will have to make sure I take something to keep my immune system strong while my body makes all the changes.  It will be strange to be cold.  I haven't been cold in years.  I am so looking forward to it.  I am thinking  walking every cold day we have to build my system.  My hypothalmus won't have had to work this hard to keep me warm for many years. Yea, can't wait.

I am wondering if I will have slipped back a bit with all this packing instead of walking.  Rebuilding a bit will definitely be part of my regime.

I wish all my readers well and thank you for sticking with me.

Buen Camino
b

And What is Compeed Anyway?

I am now focusing on packing my home and doing all the things that need to be done to rent one's home, put your belongings in storage, decide what few things I will take in a cargo trailer and prepare all the docs that will be needed to rent and continue with my home ie: insurance changes etc.  It is a nightmare of work that has my mind reeling at times.  I am now on B complex as this "do it all yourself" thing at my age is a bit overwhelming.  Since this is the situation I am in I am trusting I will finish by the time I have set and I rest when ever I need.  Slow going folks.  This was much easier 5 years ago.

One of the reasons for this walk is to get back into shape.  My reasoning is if I walk steadily for 5 or 6 weeks the change in my health will be enormous.  I had planned to be further ahead by now but the intense heat here has drastically slowed me down, no not slowed me down but halted me.  I was out in the heat walking and just going with it till one day.  I arrived home so completely exhausted and wrung out it took 2 days to recover.  It was then that I realized I was not ready to walk in such intense heat with code orange air quality.  Not that I can't do it but that I need more work at a lesser level of stress to build my body further before I can do it in this weather.

Therefore, I am not walking at the moment.  The packing provides a form of exercise but I am finding that I am having emotional issues as I pack.  Most of them have arisen from the fact that I have been unable to sell any furniture.  I have this terrible fear that we will start packing the two storage containers (Pack Rat) and will run out of room before everything gets in them.  This has a lot to do with the stress.  I don't seem to have the knowledge that would allow me to walk around and make a judgement call regarding what will fit in the container.  Then to add more stress, I won't be able to get into the containers without a plane flight back to Charlotte so I am trying to decided what I need most to take with me.  O my!  What a chore that one is for a mind like mine.  I have an analytical mind that can come up with all sorts of reasons why something could be needed and the 5 x 8 cargo trailer can only hold just so much.  I also will need a blow up bed, linens and basic kitchen and a couple of folding chairs so I have something to live with.  I haven't figured out where I will put my computer.  I can take a folding table or buy another one when I get there.  Again that one has to do with, 'is there enough room in the trailer.'

I haven't been just packing.  I have been doing some reading regarding preparations for the Camino.  I found an interesting post regarding one's feet.  I did not know that walking placed such strain on the feet and all the stress causes blisters upon blisters.  When I was a kid, we would get new shoes every so often.  We would have to break in the shoes.  Therefore blisters were common.  I got mine on my heels.  But alas the shoes would soften up and the blisters would heal.  Nothing like what I am reading about blisters growing on top of blisters and whole feet covered with blisters.  WOW!

Therefore I began looking for "how to take care of blisters".  I won't be able to do the things I did as a kid, walk barefoot.  So I found this post.  I want to repost it here.  I am very appreciative of the person who shared so much knowledge but just notice all the work needed to prevent blisters. And then think about all the people over the centuries that have walked across continents and countries in settling and in war and wonder what they did without all this modern gear.!

Re: How to train for the Camino

by falcon269 on 26 Nov 2008, 08:24

Training and blisters are not related (except for finding "hot spots" caused by your boots during training walks). Following is the fool-proof way to avoid blisters:

Work in your boots for several hundred kilometers before heading for a long walk. When buying boots, wear the sock combination detailed below in order to get a proper fit. Do not be surprised if the size you buy is different from your normal shoes, perhaps a 1/2 size larger and a step wider (I wear narrow A or B width shoes, but buy a D boot to accommodate socks and an anti-pronating inner sole).

Use a silicone-type lubricant on clean feet each morning (Sportslick and Hydropel are two brands available in the U.S.; Amazon.com carries Sportslick). It waterproofs your skin. Moisture is the primary cause of blisters.

Wear a polypropylene inner sock to wick away moisture. DO NOT USE COTTON SOCKS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

Wear a wool or wool-blend outer sock (Thorlo). I use medium weight socks, but you may like heavy or light weight. Pick the one that does not make your boots too tight. Much of the friction inside your boot will be absorbed between the polypro liner and the wool sock. In effect, the polypro adheres to your foot and its lubricant, and the wool sock adheres to your boot.

Carry some Compeed. Compeed on the shelf of a nearby farmacia will not help you when you really need it! If you detect a "hot spot" on your foot, stop IMMEDIATELY. Do not wait for the mentally-scheduled break on the hour. Do not let walking companions deter you. Their desire to get to that first cafe con leche could end up ruining your five week Camino as you limp along with a growing blister. Eventually your other foot and leg will develop problems as you change your gait to compensate for the blister. While everyone else is having fun doing eating, drinking, and doing laundry, you will be tending your blister. Honestly, your friends are NOT worth it! You can always find new friends, but the blister-to-be is your private-enemy-number-one and needs you now.

Thoroughly clean the hot area with isopropyl alcohol so that the Compeed will adhere. Warm the Compeed in your armpit for a minute, then apply it over the hot spot. Do not remove it until it falls off of its own volition. It will rip a hole in new skin even better than it prevents a blister!

A minor cautionary note: The silicone lubricant can make your bare feet very slippery on some surfaces, so tread carefully to and in the shower.

If you follow ALL the steps, I guarantee that you will never have a blister. Skip one, and all promises are off.

Other things that help promote foot comfort are removing your boots and socks each hour to let them dry a bit (a Japanese fellow pilgrim squeezed lemon juice onto his feet at each stop to dry them!); changing socks midday; and putting on dry socks after the rain stops (though I have hiked for several days in wet/damp socks and been protected by the silicone).

Thanks falcon 269,  I do appreciate your information and will follow and try all you say I was just wondering what the rest of the world has done without all our modern technology for the last few hundred years.  I am not foolish enough to discount what you and many many others are saying about taking care of your feet on the Camino, I just think we have become awfully soft in this current time.

I will close with another pic of the Camino.  I will be writing a lot less until I reach Colorado so only a few times till September.  I will miss our daily chats but alas packing is my goal at the moment.  

Pilgrims frequently have to share the road with cows, sheep etc.

Daily laundry at the refugio

The architecture is awesome in Spain, imagine walking across a beautiful bridge like this.

Buen Camino

b