Walking in April CAmino Frances

[kkcamino]

I crossed from St Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles via the Napoleon Route on March 17, 2009. It was a beautiful sunny day, I felt that I could see forever, and I had fresh footprints in the snow to follow. Three pilgrims preceded me that day who had turned back the day before because of the fog, and they had spent the night either in the Huntto or Orisson refugios. A couple days later I met a couple who had crossed on March 16. They said the fog was bad, however since it had not recently snowed, they were also able to follow the footprints in the snow. Their biggest problem was that they were wearing hiking shoes, which stayed wet and soaked their socks, so she had really bad blisters. I was wearing a good pair of leather hiking boots and my feet stayed nice and dry.

I understand that the great weather lasted about a week, and then the weather turned and it stormed quite badly. Let me just echo that the weather on most of the Camino Frances is very changeable, you just have to plan for all eventualities. I didn?t see snow again until crossing from Atapuerca to Burgos 10 days later, and only experienced rain the last week in Galicia, so I consider that I had incredible weather compared to what I had read and heard.

For those worrying about walking alone, let me suggest a few things. On that first day, if you are taking the train from Bayonne, then you will probably meet your first pilgrims in the same coach you are riding in. Once you arrange to stay in a refugio in St Jean Pied de Port, you will meet others. More than likely, you will find someone who is also looking to walk with someone, or worst case, you can find out which route they are taking, and start out with them the next morning. At the pilgrim mass in Roncesvalles, I was asked by pilgrims I had met in St. Jean to join them at the pilgrim dinner. There were 11 of us at that table that first night, and on my last night in Santiago I met up and had a last pilgrim dinner with three of them. Two had already gone to Finisterre and returned, and the other was just planning to go to Finisterre the next day, while I was heading home. Of the rest of the 11, some I never saw again, and others I never saw after the first week as we all started to find our comfortable paces. Most days I walked alone, however many mornings I left the refugio at the same time as another. It was easier to find the correct route in the morning, especially in the cities, if more than one pair of eyes was looking.

Buen Camino!

[wandererkm]

wow that was wonderful thanks for that. I am so excited and just have to remember that whichever route we take it will be the route we were meant to take. Thanks again for your info it just goes to show what an amazing journey this is going to be .