Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Packing List
And here's a link to what it looks like getting it all into the pack in under 2 minutes.
Equipment REI UL 45 Pack Marmot Sawtooth +15 Down Sleeping Bag (flannel sheet/pillowcase optional but a good idea) Montrail, Asolo, or Vasque Boots - Well broken in with customized moleskin footbed. Chaco or Teva or similar sandals for fording streams Quality collapsible walking pole 2 pair convertible pants - Ex Officio, REI Sahara or similar 2 long sleeve convertible or roll-up shirts - Ex Officio or similar - I prefer roll-up sleeves 1 long-sleeve and 2 short sleeve t-shirts, REI OXT Tech Tee or similar poly blends 3 pair Ex Officio boxer briefs 3 pair hiking socks Polyester wicking bandana - oversized. Broad brimmed sun hat with chin strap. Straw hats can be purchased there for very little Fast drying camp towel Fleece jacket with zippered pockets, glove liners or light weight gloves, camp hat Rain Poncho - oversized to cover pack (Campmor.com) Wraparound sunglasses, lots of sunscreen & lip balm (can be purchased there in pharmacies) Length of rope, clothespins, safety pins Closed-cell foam pad - can be purchased there cheaply Toiletries, first aid, blister remedies and prescriptions. Pharmacies are best bet for finding these items on the trail Other miscellaneous: Headlamp, small notebook/calendar/address book and pen, guidebook, spanish phrase book, watch with alarm, universal drain stop, Swiss Army Knife w/ corkscrew, scissors, plastic drinking cup with spoon and fork, EARPLUGS!!!, nail brush for cleaning boots, carabiners for hanging things on pack, camera and charger, cell phone, dry bag or ziplock bags for passport and documents
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Epilogue
This post is long overdue. Finally, I've compiled the statistics of
the walk and posted some photos on a website. A spreadsheet with more detailed information on lodging and meals is available by CLICKING HERE.
In a nutshell:
Total distance on route, excluding side trips:
Kilometers: 1048
Miles: 628
Start Date: March 19, 2007
End Date: May 19, 2007
Number of days walking: 51
Average Km per day: 20.55
Average miles per day: 12.77
Total Cost for Lodging: 1,256 Euros (for both of us, not each)
Average cost per night: 22.84 Euros ($30.83 at the average exchange
rate of $1.35/euro)
Photos of our journey can be viewed by clicking HERE.
We're always happy to hear from you with comments or questions.
Buen Camino!
Nick & Conchi
Monday, May 28, 2007
92 km Santiago to Finisterre
Monday, May 14, 2007
20km SANTIAGO!
We walked through showers most of the day, but arrived in Santiago under sunny and warm skies. Good thing. I really didn't want to enter the cathedral in a dripping wet poncho.
We are now the proud owners of a registered "Compostela", which is issued by the Canonicus Deputatus pro Peregrinis and is written entirely in latin, so it must be official. I think it is kind of like a get-out-of-purgatory-free card. I'm actually going to lock in the indulgences by going to the Pilgrim Mass at noon tomorrow.
Compostelas are issued to those who make the pilgrimage to Santiago, although I think the standards have slipped some in the past few centuries. Now it can be obtained by anyone walking the last 100km on foot or horseback, or 200km by bike. Seems like different benefits should be conferred on those who walk further. Maybe give a compostela for each hundred kilometers walked, somthing like that. Oh well. We've got it and we feel like we earned it.
20km Silleda to Ponte Ulla
The weather that was forecast for yesterday arrived early this morning, with thunderstorms, high wind and LOTS of rain. We stalled our departure until check-out time. We hadn't gone 50 yards before the wind lifted our ponchos over our heads. I pulled out some extra shoe laces and fashioned a belt.
The weather improved as the day went on but was never nice. The showers decreased in frequency and intensity, and the wind died off, but we never took off our ponchos.
A correction to a previous entry: Pontevedra was not our last province. Today we crossed the Ulla River to enter Ponte Ulla and crossed into the province of La Coruna, our final stop.
30km Castro Dozon to Silleda
Last night making our way back to the hostel from the store in a beach-mist-type fog, I was dreading today's walk. A lot of kilometers lay ahead and the clouds to the west looked laden with rain. The forecast called for showers and cooler temperatures. We got the cooler weather, but the rain never materialized. Instead of putting on the ponchos I'd anticipated, we put on sunscreen. Even the terrain changed in our favor, with smooth dry paths and gentler climbs. We felt better today after 30km than we did after far shorter walks the previous 2 days.
We nearly got skunked on a room,though, when we got here. The town is full this weekend because of some sort oftesting convention. We finally scored after four tries.
It is really clear now that we are in Galicia. The spanish sounds like portuguese, the houses look different and the towns are now closer together. We no longer need to carry extra food and water because we can find everything we need on the trail.
We've got two reasonably easy days left till Santiago. A bit surreal.
Friday, May 11, 2007
17km Cea to Castro Dozon
Under most circumstances, I'd consider 17km a short day. This terrain really makes it tough, though.
We entered Pontevedra today, the final province of our trip. We're 68km from Santiago, which we intend to cover in the next 3 days.
We visited the Cistercian monastery in Oseira today on our way to Castro Dozon. We took a one-hour guided tour that was very interesting. Most of what exists today was built after a fire in 1552 burned everything but the church. More recently, it went through a 90-year period of abandonment. It has been a National Monument since 1923 and is undergoing restoration. The dozen or so monks currently living there occupy a fraction of the space.
Up until yesterday we hadn't seen a single north american on the trip. When we got to the albrgue in Cea, there were 14 US college students registered. They are studlying in Alicante and came with a guide who is taking them from Ourense to Santiago. I don't think these kids had a clue of what was coming when they signed up. They are hiking in tennis shoes! He marched them 40 kilometers today, through some tough terrain.
We ran into Martin, the Brit we met 10 days ago just before Dean & Marian arrived. I thought he'd gotten well ahead of us because he walks long days. Apparently those long days took a toll and he spent 3 days recovering in Ourense.