Doing my first camino this fall and I'm so excited I can't think of anything else.

[Daisy]

I'm not sure if others are like me but the closer I am to leaving the more excited I am and I can't seem to concentrate on anything. It is all consuming, it's the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning and the last thing on my mind at night. I have read everything I can from books to blogs and including this site. I have been packing for to the last month and planning this trip for 2 years. I realize its going to be hard and there are going to be some issues along the way, it's no walk in the park but I don't care I just can't wait to leave. Sounds crazy right.
I don't expect a response but I would love to hear from other and how they are handling life before this great adventure.

[Lipka149]

I would love to hear from other and how they are handling life before this great adventure.

Ha ! You think it's bad now, Daisy ??? Wait until you get back !!!

It's wonderful to read that you are so excited. This is an experience you will never be able to duplicate ... even if you decide to walk the Camino again. Anticipation is often times sweeter than the adventure itself, so enjoy these days to the fullest. Share the joy ! And be sure to write to us on the Way, if you can, and afterwards for sure. There is no doubt in my mind that your Camino will be everything you expect it to be, and more than you ever dreamed it could be.

Buen Camino, hermana !

[Daisy]

Thanks for your reply Alan. As excited as I am about leaving and actually being on the Camino I can't even begin to imagine what life is like after my first Camino so I will enjoy every minute till the end, the good and the bad.

[mic]

Hi Daisy, I'm starting early Sept, and decided in May to walk the Camino. I found I was reading and planning a lot in June, then stopped to ensure I enjoyed my summer. Now that I'm with in a month of leaving, the reality is setting in that I'll on the Camino and taking each day for myself. I'm very much looking forward to seeing what each day brings!

[Metha]

I'm not sure if others are like me but the closer I am to leaving the more excited I am and I can't seem to concentrate on anything. It is all consuming, it's the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning and the last thing on my mind at night. I have read everything I can from books to blogs and including this site. I have been packing for to the last month and planning this trip for 2 years. I realize its going to be hard and there are going to be some issues along the way, it's no walk in the park but I don't care I just can't wait to leave. Sounds crazy right.
I don't expect a response but I would love to hear from other and how they are handling life before this great adventure.

Hello Daisy.
Yes, it sounds just crazy. And it's exactly how I also feel. Planning for two years, having packed my rucksack several times just to try out, shaping up my packing list every now and then and thinking of almost nothing but what will happen in six weeks. I will do the French Camino starting in SJPP on the 27th of September this year. And I just love the thought of it, and workinb on my condition. See you in Santiago at the end of October, maybe! Buen Camino. Metha from Sweden

[Anso]

My first camino is on the 27th August so just 12 days to go. I'm alternating between excitement and apprehension that I’ve bitten off way more than I can chew. As due to work and family commitments I've done almost no training so far. I keep reminding myself that pensioners do this, unfortunately I know several very fit pensioners so that's not helping much!

As you may have guessed by the title of this post I'm more in Mic's camp with regard to planning, having just booked my flights today, which has made the camino very real for me. I only have three weeks on my camino so going to start in Burgos, the Meseta awaits.

I'm sure I've bored my family and friends stupid with my camino talk over the last few months. Therefore for continuity I've set up the mandatory camino blog, to keep my family and friends informed of my suffering and pain, http://islander-camino.blogspot.com I will also post a message in this forum when I have a chance, just to keep you chaps updated with the latest blister count!

A word of support before I sign off for the night, yesterday I started my training, about 8 miles with 5 Kilos on my back. The route was a well known to me, but after 3 miles I was please to stroll into a small local village to find the monthly market starting up, which I would normally drive by without a second glance.

It was then it dawned on me, that it's the new sights I'll encounter just around the next corner on the camino that will sustain me and keep me moving. Perhaps that's why people walk as it allows them to see the world with fresher eyes.

Good luck Daisy, Mic & Metha on your first camino's and all those that are in the same boat reading this post.

Buen camino.

[unadara]

We are starting on the 13th Sept in StJPDEP..and have been told we may happen across some harvest festivals/fiestas etc at this time of year, wouldn't that be wonderful. We have started noticing things in our locality due to changing our walking routes-it is such a good way to get to know your county/area and we keep meeting people and chatting too..all good preparation.
Buen Camino
Una

[Daisy]

Hi Martha, I was away on holidays this past week and missed your reply. During my holidays I read a book called "What the psychic told the pilgrim" by Jane Christmas. It was funny but it got my a little worried and some of my original enthusiasm has been replaced with worry and concern.

[Covey]

Daisy............Everybody who sets off on their first Camino has doubts and worries at times. They worry about the unknown, but when you arrive at your start point, especially Bayonne/St Jean, you are all "new boys and girls" There will be the odd Pilgrim who has done it before, but 95% are on their own and wondering what they forgot to pack and why does everybody else have a smaller pack than me!! They will be looking around listening to the voices hoping that they are not the only person speaking their language.

However, once you are on the train to St Jean everyone starts talking and you suddenly find you are not the only English speaker on the Camino this year and your pack is no bigger than everyone else's and by the time you have walked up the road to the Pilgrim Office at St Jean, you will be making arrangements to meet up for dinner and walk with others in the morning, and after all the worry, your Camino has begun!

Look up at the hills at dawn the next morning, say to yourself "I can do this" and set off to Roncesvalles, or where ever your first day of your Camino takes you.

Enjoy your adventure of a lifetime! and Buen Camino

[Daisy]

I appreciate the support Covey, in my gut I know this is the right thing for me to be doing, I'm sure most people as they get closer to the date of departure start to get a nervous. I leave Sept 10 and I am anxious too finally get it started after all this waiting. Both my pregnancy's didn't take this long.
Daisy

[Larry]

Dear Daisy
I, too, was too excited for words, although I was still working 12 hours a day before I retired. It is TRULY a marvelous, wondrous, and (for me at least) a real life changing experience. You're going to meet people from all over the world, and make friendships that will expand your meaning of life (at least, I did). It is a arduous, frustrating, sweaty, and enlightening journey into that part of you that lies dormant, waiting for you to tap into it. You WILL succeed, you may change.
I am planning my second Camino for next Sept (2012) and my good friend from the UK (I'm in the USA) that I met on the Camino in 2009 is going with me.
A hearty Buen Camino
Larry

[Covey]

I suppose the Camino can seem a bit like a pregnancy at times. The rush of excitement when you first decide to walk the Camino followed by months of planning and reading all the books, and even finding this Forum to give you information on how to approach your Camino. As the start date approaches you will have doubts that all your preparations are finished, have you packed the wrong kit, will you be safe and a thousand "what if's.."

On your flight to Europe instead of relaxing you will be re-running the packing list through your mind trying to remember what it is that you forgot to pack and suddenly you will be at your destination and discovering that there are lots of Pilgrims like you, all looking around trying to look nonchalant as though they know they packed everything and know exactly what they are doing!

[Covey]

Larry............ 2009 was a good year for meeting friends on the Camino. I am off to Lisbon and the Camino Portuguese on 2nd Sept and one of my 2009 "family" is joining me at Porto for the walk up to Santiago.

[Anso]

Arrrgh, work on a Monday is tough enough to focus on, at the best of times, but when I'm leaving for Spain in 5 day time, how can my clients and colleagues expect me to think of anything else but my packing list. I definitely do feel like an expectant father pacing up and down the hospital corridor.

[Trombananda]

Hello Daisy,
This is my first Camino too and I have been consimed by the thought of it also.I was supposed to leave for Spain in April but I guess i over worked out and hurt my leg so I had to cancel my trip at the last minute but now I am going in September. I am only walking from Astorga to Finisterre but I feel as you do.I had never heard of this walk and still do not know for sure how it came into my conciousness but I know that I must make the journey.If you are crazy them there must be a bunch of us who are crazy too..............................you are not alone!

"Peace In My Heart"
Peace in my heart,peace in my soul
I release and I let go
No more anger anxiety or fear
Oneness now is crystal clear
Compassion and forgiveness begins with you and me
Co creating a universal harmony
Peace in our hearts,peace in our souls
We release and we let go
And so it is!
Namaste
copyright trombananda 2003

Have a great trip,
trombananda

[Daisy]

I really appreciate everyones comments and personal experiences, I've been thinking a lot about why this particular experience is so captivating it takes a hold of you and won't let go. Years can go by but it never really leaves you. I've been planning this trip for a few years now and it's finally coming true. But what really has me stumped is why, why is this Camino so addictive, an experience that is so simple. All you do is walk, nothing more is really expected of you. But from all that I've read from those who have done it it is life changing and I will love it as much as hate it and wonder why I even wanted to do this in the first place. But I know one thing for sure I won't regret having walked the Camino. I have 3 weeks to go and I will try and slow down to enjoy the time leading up to my departure.

[BHinSanDiego]

Hi Daisy, Anso and Trombananda, what you're experiencing is the normal human emotions that comes with taking on a journey such as the Camino. Everyone before you felt the same way, what you will learn from your doubts and fears is how strong you can be and do this! I will always remember when I was on the shuttle riding up to St Jean from Pamplona, the reality of the situation set in, "I'm going to walk 790 kilometers!?!?" But once I started those thoughts disappeared, the first day was the most difficult, that climb up to Orisson is tough but once you do it you have such a sense of accomplishment! While on the Camino I went with the thought "one day at a time", by that I mean don't think of the entire journey, just look at each day individually, for example you can say to yourself "today I'm walking 20 km", once that day is behind you say to yourself "I just walked 20 km!", with these thoughts you'll not overwhelm your emotions. You will feel you body getting stronger as each day passes, one thing that never ceased to amaze me was how my body recovered with rest, I would arrive in the village after walking all day, exhausted and sore, but once I got my chores done, got a bit of rest I recovered quickly, and most of all the next morning my feet felt perfectly normal, now I can't guarantee your feet will recover overnight but you'll be surprised how your body recovers! Take breaks whenever the urge arises, remember it's not a race, the Compostela doesn't say how fast you did the Camino, it just says you did it!
Ultreya,
Barry

[Covey]

If you drove over the Route Napoleon on the way from Pamplona to St Jean, I suspect most would have looked at the route with fear and dread, knowing what you have to walk back along tomorrow!

At least for 95% of the pilgrims setting out from St Jean, they really have no idea of the terrain, so "ignorance is bliss"

[BHinSanDiego]

Hi Covey, I didn't get to drive the route Napolean, we took the regular road that runs from Pamplona via Roncevalles to St Jean. Yes, ignorance is bliss! It was the realization I was finally in Spain, getting ready to start the Camino when it all sank in, years of thinking of doing it, months of planning, all coming to a head, but as I mentioned just taking it one day at a time made the journey easy on the mind. From my fire service training, evaluate the situation and deal with the task at hand!

[Covey]

If they did not bring you "over the top" then you drove (in reverse!) the Winter Route through Valcarlos. I walked that route last year for the first time, and although it did not have the possibilities of the views at the top, it was a little gentler!!

[Barbara Taylor]

Hi I did part of the camino in August and am going back in October starting out in Pamplona. Does anyone know the hours of daylight for walking in mid Oct and are the alberques all.open. Barbara

[Covey]

All the official albergues (the state owned ones) will be open and most of the private albergues will still be open. The Camino Frances starts getting quieter in mid October which means there will be no pressure to get ahead and grab a bed!!

As for the hours of daylight? Why bother worrying about it. Just start off at first light when you can see where you are putting your feet clearly, look up and say to yourself "I can do this" and set off. There is nothing you can do about when it is daylight, so why worry!

Some days you will feel like pushing on, and some days you will feel like taking it easy and having a shorter walk. None of this you can plan in advance, so just go with the flow!

[Barbara Taylor]

Dear Covey,
Thank you for the inspirational words. Good to know all.that because I found August an awfully busy affair people.racing to just get a bed. I look forward to being alone with the camino and nature...; )

[Covey]

August is always busy and there are lots of students and half the teachers in Europe are on the trail because of the long summer holiday.

Last year, which was a Holy Year on the Camino was bad in August, not because there was a shortage of bed spaces, but because everyone thought there would be a shortage. In fact, on the Camino Frances between St Jean and Sarria, the numbers walking last year were the same as the previous year, but the huge increase in numbers was between Sarria and Santiago.

The Camino Frances was not much fun last year as almost everybody was crashing out of the albergues between 5am and 6am and rushing along the trail to grab a bed in where ever they were heading for. Come 8pm, they were all in bed, lights out ready for the next days 5am start. Most of the bars along the Way were empty as Pilgrims thought they had no time for a coffee and a chat with their companions because they had to keep going to get a bed.

I stuck to my usual "first light start" and frequent stops for refreshment and a breather and most of the albergues I stayed in still had spare beds at 6pm, which in a normal year is unusual. Last year in Logrono, the main albergue was only 75% full the night I stayed and that was August!!

Just stick to whatever routine you feel comfortable with, and all will be well.