The Weigh-In

Today's project was to gather everything we plan to take on our 16 day trip with 10 days back packing. Our big unknown is the weather and trying to pack for the potential rain, snow or sunshine.  Today, it is snowing in O'Cebreiro, raining in Sarria, and fair and in the mid 40's in Santiago. Last week it was in the 50's in O'Cebreiro and 60's and sunny the rest of the way. Every experienced Camino walker says to take as little as possible and aim to carry no more than 20 pounds. We have been practicing with 20 pounds in our packs. The first 4 miles is easy, I start feeling ready for a break at 6 miles and ready to be home at 8... so I have been "hoping" I would carry around 16 to 18 pounds. Here is a picture of our stuff - poles, clothes, water, camera, ipad, shoes, toiletries, umbrella, rain gear, packs, pack cover... etc. We can't think of much to take out. Mark is at 24 pounds and I am at 21. Mark's camera adds about 3 or 4 pounds of added weight. But, I can't imagine the professional photographer making this journey without his 35mm. P.S. We are not taking Kate but she sure wants to go.

No, we didn't decide to just go to Spain and start walking!

I often tell people that I plan to be spontaneous. So, yep...there has been much planning and preparation. The planning has been much of the fun and we hope the preparation will pay off! Read our blog as we post along "The Way" and I will let you know! We started researching and planning this journey in September of 2014 and started the training process. Mark walked Kate daily, but I don’t exercise at all. So we started walking. First 2 miles, then 4 miles, then 6, 8 and 10. Next, we bought high tech light weight hiking boots. They felt great in REI and then on my first trip out with them, I thought... there is absolutely no way that I will ever be able to hike in these. But that is why the experts advise to break in boots well before you plan to hike. After 100 plus miles in our boots, I can't imagine hiking without them. Love the boots.

Next was research on the different types and sizes of backpacks. We were fitted and bought our packs. We took backpacking classes to learn how to pack and carry them. Mark loaded them with 20 pounds of weight and then we started hiking area trails. Some short and some long walks. After seeing the movie "Wild" we decided we needed to let folks on our local trails know that we were not Hobos. See the movie and you will understand why. Not really, we just didn't want to worry the neighbors.

Next, we started researching the Camino, read everything we could get our hands on, booked hotels and pensions or albergues when a hotel was not available in the smaller towns. Now to just make it to each town as scheduled! I have a wonderful Spanish speaking friend that has helped me book hotels in some of the smaller villages. One hotel has 5 rooms in a town of 1,000 residents.

Mark became my personal trainer and we worked out together. I dropped some pounds. More is definitely needed, but it’s a good start. Our goal is to carry less than 20 pounds each and will be taking only the bare minimum with just a few luxury items. Like a cork screw and silicon wine glasses! I weighed my pack last weekend and was right at 15 pounds. I only have a few more items to buy like a small first aid kit. We have planned for possible cold and rain or even some snow… all the while hoping for sunshine and mild weather. We shall see. However, I have found that walking in about 40-50 degrees is perfect for me. We are walking during the cusp of winter and spring. The Galicia region is often called the Ireland of Spain because of the frequent rain which is why the country side is so green.

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The Why for The Way

The Cowling Way - Our adventure begins – February2015!

The Way of St. James (also known as the Camino) officially begins at Saint Jean Pied de Port, France and travels 500 miles through northern Spain ending at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in the Galicia region. Named for Saint James, an apostle and rumored brother of Jesus, who is believed to be buried under the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Beginning in the 9th century, pilgrims would begin at their doorsteps and trek to the apostle’s resting place seeking forgiveness for their sins.Today, the route begins wherever the pilgrim does and it is not necessarily religious. In our case, we are starting in Ponferrada, Spain. Once we land in Madrid, we will take the train to our staring point. Our journey will be 211 kilometer or 131 miles. We will walk between 10 and 18miles per day for 10 days. To “complete” the Camino, pilgrims must walk 114 kilometers and have their walking passport stamped daily. When we reach our final destination the Cathedral of Santiago, we will go to the Pilgrims' Office in Santiago with our walking passport/credentials and obtain our Compostela Certificate. We picked Ponferrada because it has easy train service; it is almost double the requirement for completion, fits the time we have available for walking and allows us a bit of time to see a little more of Spain before we return to Texas.
 
Why?

I know… the first thing you are wondering is why? There is not a single reason. We have cruised,  enjoyed wonderful beach vacations, visited Hawaii, trekked around Utah, Yosemite, Chicago, New York, tasted wine in Napa and visited much Europe, had staycations and more…we loved them all. But for this trip we wanted an adventure. We wanted a challenge. We wanted a goal. We needed to exercise. I have been in a horrible work situation for the past 2 years and I needed a distraction – something to focus my energy on the last few months of work. We wanted to do something that few people have done. I retired from 24 years of public service. We had the time. We are at the average age for a pilgrim. We are transitioning from Austin to Fayetteville, AR. That and more… is the “WHY”.

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