To Walk Far, Carry Less : Camino de Santiago
Read To Walk Far, Carry Less : Camino de Santiago Online
Authors: Jean-Christie Ashmore
Tags: #Backing, #Camino
Copyright © 2011 by Jean Christie Ashmore
All rights reserved.
This book or any portion thereof, including images and photos, may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Walk Far Media
Published in the United States of America
ISBN 978-0-9837580-0-6 print edition
ISBN 978-0-9837580-1-3 ePub edition
Editor:
Amy L. Scott at Nomad Editorial
Map:
Jeffrey King at Mapping Specialists
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The author and Walk Far Media assume no liability for accidents happening to, or injuries sustained by, readers who engage in the activities described in this book.
To Walk Far, Carry Less
Jean-Christie Ashmore
with thanks to those who help us find The Way
Trail markers made by volunteers from Camino associations, local municipalities, and French and Spanish citizens who live near the pilgrimage trails. The scallop shell is the ancient Camino symbol.
Carrying Less: How to Create a Lightweight Camino Backpack
Chapter 1 Aim for 10 Percent: Making Choices and Asking Questions
Chapter 2 Weighing Your Camino Gear: Scales to Use and Tips for Accuracy
What to Wear on a Camino Pilgrimage
Chapter 3 Camino Clothing: How to Stay Warm When It’s Cold and Cool When It’s Hot
Chapter 4 Camino Rain Gear: Planning for the Worst-Case Rainstorm Scenario
Chapter 5 Camino Footwear: Including Socks and Alternate Footwear
What to Carry in a Camino Backpack
Chapter 6 Sleeping Bag or Sheet? Choosing Sleeping Gear for the Camino
Chapter 7 Food and Water: Advice about the Heaviest Stuff You’ll Carry
Chapter 8 Technology: Advice about Mobile Phones and Other Tech Devices on the Camino
Chapter 9 Toiletries and First Aid: Tips for What to Take
Chapter 10 Useful Small Items: A Detailed List
The Backpack Itself: Where Lightweight Begins
Chapter 12 Backpack Features to Consider: How to Avoid a Heavy Backpack Before You Start Packing
Chapter 14 Shopping Advice: Including Types of Outdoor-Gear Fabrics and a Few Favorites
Chapter 15 For Limited Budgets: How to Save Money on Backpacking Gear
Summary: Everything Worn and Carried on the Camino
Chapter 17 Walking Aids for Stability and Balance: Sticks, Poles, Staffs, and Canes
Chapter 18 Pilgrim Traditions: A Stone and a Shell
“We carry our fears in our backpacks.” That’s what Vidal, a Spanish pilgrim, told me over a decade ago.
I first noticed him in Roncesvalles, a medieval village set in the Pyrenees Mountains near the border between France and Spain. It was the starting point for my first Camino pilgrimage, and Vidal captured my attention because he looked like a medieval pilgrim: A floppy felt hat sat low on his head, and a large hand gripped a walking staff that rose nearly to his shoulders. A scallop shell dangled from a leather thong hung around his neck. I thought, that’s a serious pilgrim.
I wasn’t a pilgrim—yet. And I knew little about the Camino de Santiago (I wasn’t yet using the internet). I figured I was going on a recreational backpacking adventure, and I thought the experience would be similar to my previous backpacking journeys. So I packed my old sturdy backpack using my already fine-tuned pack list for what I imagined would be a lightweight backpack. Then I added more—the “I might need this,” or “what if that happens,” or “what if I can’t find this on the Camino” type of things. And after that I added some “this might be nice to have” items.
By day two on the Camino, I was a wreck. I had become so discouraged from blisters and inflamed calves that I was already debating whether I should just quit the Camino. That afternoon Vidal appeared on the trail as I was bandaging blisters, and he noticed my woe-is-me face—and my huge backpack. He sat down to chat for a while, and then with great sympathy he offered his tactful and indirect advice about carrying one’s fears in a backpack.
He was right: I had so much of that might-need, what-if, and nice-to-have stuff (aka fears) in my pack that my sleeping bag had to be strapped to the outside bottom of my backpack. With every step it slapped me in the derriere.
That night I threw out everything but the essentials needed for the Camino journey, and the spanking ended. I felt lighter on my feet, and my enthusiasm for the Camino returned. Five weeks later I walked into the city of Santiago de Compostela with a fitness I hadn’t felt for years—and a soaring spirit inspired by the beauty of the landscapes I’d traveled through and the fun camaraderie I had experienced with other pilgrims. My pack was lighter, and so was I. It’s not an unusual feeling after completing the Camino journey: Vidal told me he’d felt like a backpack had been thrown from his soul after his first Camino pilgrimage.
I had become a pilgrim after all, and the journey had become more than just a recreational backpacking adventure. That first Camino experience was the beginning of my passion for walking the old Camino pilgrimage routes in France and Spain. On subsequent journeys I picked up tips and advice from experienced backpackers and found myself carrying an increasingly lighter load, often to the point where I noticed my pack no more than I noticed the hat upon my head.
Learning to pack light has helped me to walk, so far, about 2,400 kilometers (over 1,500 miles) on the Camino. But that’s not a boast. My numbers are low compared to others I’ve met, and besides, the point of the Camino is not to rack up kilometers to suit the ego. The Camino has the potential to change lives and to restore both body and soul.
Most of the tens of thousands of men and women who walk the Camino each year have never before gone on a long-distance backpacking journey. And while Camino guidebooks provide helpful details for the routes, they rarely provide information to fully answer this question: “What should I take on a Camino pilgrimage?” Nor do they offer advice or tips on how to prepare a lightweight backpack.
Everyone starts their Camino pilgrimage hoping they’ll walk for days, weeks, or months. But I’ve seen too many pilgrims—whether they’re twenty years old or sixty—stop their journey short because of physical problems like inflamed knees, Achilles tendonitis, or severe blisters, to name a few of the most common maladies. Although an overloaded backpack may not directly cause these problems, carrying too much weight can certainly exacerbate them to the point where it’s impossible to continue.
A heavy backpack can also diminish a pilgrim’s enthusiasm. Imagine walking up and down steep hills, or even on flat terrain, for several hours—hiking the Camino typically requires walking for at least five hours per day—while carrying a heavy pack. The Camino is arduous enough without carrying what constantly feels like a burden on your back.
Lightweight Notes
The Benefits of a Lighter Load
- You can use a backpack without the features needed to support heavy loads, such as internal frames, that make the pack itself heavier. This alone could save you half a kilogram (a pound)—or more.
- You won’t need to wear heavy boots to support the weight of a heavy pack.
- You’re less likely to experience strain on your feet, ankles, knees, back, shoulders, and hips.
- You’ll have better balance and agility when crossing creeks and walking in slippery mud or on rocky paths.
- You’re more likely to stay enthusiastic about the Camino while walking long distances, day after day, in all kinds of weather and on all types of terrain.
In this book you’ll find answers to that question of what to take on a Camino pilgrimage. Everything—from what to wear (including footwear and socks) to what to carry in your backpack—is covered. You’ll see detailed descriptions, options to consider, and the pros and cons for some of the choices you need to make (e.g., poncho or rain jacket? sleeping bag or sleeping sheet? water bottles or built-in hydration system? and what about mobile phones and other tech gear?). And even if you don’t want to pack a super-lightweight backpack, this book offers practical packing advice—like how to distribute the weight in your backpack—that can help you prepare your Camino backpack.
The Camino is for everyone, whether you’re rich, poor, or somewhere in between. That’s been the Camino tradition for over a thousand years. So for those on a strict budget, there’s a separate chapter with ideas on how to save money on, or avoid buying, often-costly outdoor gear.
An example pack list at the end of the book includes the weight of each item. And, unlike many Camino pack lists, you’ll see that everything worn and carried is listed—including estimates for picnic lunches, snack foods, and water. These are often the heaviest items carried, so they should be included when calculating the total weight of your backpack. Experienced backpackers call a list of this type the “from the skin out” weight, since it includes everything—even an example of what could be carried in shirt or pants pockets—and how much each item weighs.
This book begins by providing tips and advice on how to pack a lightweight backpack. Then you’ll know how to make the best choices for what to take, and what questions you should ask yourself before starting the process of organizing your Camino gear. You’ll also learn how to weigh everything, and the best scale to use.
