![]() I will be 61 in November and am planning to walk the camino this Sept, starting the second week.Īs far as getting in shape goes, I have been walking on trails near home once a weekend, covering 25KM with a 5KG pack on my back, will work up to the planned 8KG max over the next couple of months, and closer to departure increase the frequency. New pollens, different grasses, exotic insects could pay havoc with your old allergies. If you are, or ever were allergic to anything, take antihistamines with you. Our bodies are like old cars and will benefit from a good service and fill up before we embark on a long journey! Lights out time in most albergues is 10:30pm or 11pm - so if you are an early to bed person, don't expect people to whisper or keep the lights low for you.Īlthough you are not on meds, start talking calcium supplements or a multi-vitamin before you go. He was a delightful person who most people eyed with suscpicion! You might have to climb up onto a top bunk even if there is a 19 year-old on the bottom.īe open to the different pilgrims en route: I 'adopted' a young man with dreadlocks who had studs in his cheeks, eyebrows, tongue and ears. Everyone is a pilgrim and it is first come first served at albergues, cafe bars, at the laundry tub or the dinner table. Don't get caught up in the race for beds and find yourself slogging to keep up with the 35 year-old age group!Īlthough most younger people are polite and respectful, don't expect preferential (or deferential) treatment. My advice to an over 60s walker is, walk at your own pace. There were 468 pilgrims of over 75 who received the Compostela that year. In 2007, pilgrims in the 56 to 65 agr group were the third highest number to obtain a Compostela - 18,888. The highest number of pilgrims receiving the Compostela is the 26 - 35 age group followed by the 36 to 45. ![]() The pilgrim office used to give stats on ages in groups of 10, such as 36 to 45 and then 46 to 55 and so on. Rita, many 'senior citizens' walk el camino! I don't know if it helps but I posted my tentative pack list a few days ago under the equipment listing. The older you get, the more you need to pare down to bare necessities because our bodies simply can't/don't recover as quickly. After a few days of hauling stuff, sentimentality starts to go out the window. Hauling that sucker up and down thousands of feet of mountain convinced me that it was (I was) nuts! I ended up with pack weight of no more than 25# with five days of food and full water bottles. I know because I started at Springer Mountain (southernmost starting point of the AT) with a pack weighing 50# when I was 55 years old. Fear is what makes our packs heavy-we try to prepare for all the eventualities and suddenly we are looking at pounds of stuff. I know it has been said many times on this site-KEEP PACK WEIGHT TO A MINIMUM. Preparation is walking with your loaded pack-if you can walk in a 10 mile stretch at least once a week and walk an hour every day, you'l be in good shape-and wear the shoes/boots and sock combination you plan to wear. Several heads are often better than one in this case. If you are going to walk in the dark, you will want some kind of illumination source (I take a tiny LED with a red light for night vision) and probably go with one or two others because it can be difficult to see the markings in the dark. So yes, it will still be dark until around 6:45 a.m. ![]() But many have done it before me so I suspect all will finally be well!Īs far as rising early, I have tracked dawn vs sunrise and the times will be changing several minutes a day by that time. For me the fear is traveling so far to a foreign country where I do not know the language (other than very basic) and navagating to the starting point all by myself. ![]() If you want your solitude during the day, you can claim that too. If you want to walk with others, you will find people. Given the large numbers of people, you will not need to worry about loneliness! We're all headed in the same direction even if we're not on the same path. I enjoy my solitude while walking but I also enjoy the fellowship that comes with settling in for the evening. As long as I carry a cell phone for emergency use, they no longer give me a hard time other than the old eye roll. My family gets hyper about this but over the years they've gotten used to the fact. I have done long distance hiking in the past (completed over half of the AT) so I have few fears about hiking alone. Well I am older than you and I am beginning my first Camino in September too. ![]()
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