I’m sitting in Melide, Spain… having our 3rd and final rest day before our last three walks to Santiago de Compostella. When we decided to do the Primitivo route, the main reason was that it sounded the most like what we enjoy about hiking. Gorgeous mountain scenery, wooded trails…etc. The fact that it’s the most challenging route didn’t seem like a big deal. As we got closer to starting, I’ll admit that I started to worry. Chrissy and I love to hike but we don’t usually hike all that far. I’m pretty sure that prior to starting the Camino our longest hike was about 11 miles. Granted we have done some challenging hikes, but the challenge is usually largely because of high altitude and not distance.
We’re in our second week of hiking the Camino and every single day has been longer than every hike we’ve done before now. Our shortest day so far was just under 14 miles and our longest was almost 20. It’s a long distance to walk, full stop. But the terrain of rocky trails and long steep inclines and declines have been very difficult. It’s been satisfying to know that the biggest challenges are behind us, but it’s not over yet.
I think that everyone is on the Camino for their own reason. The historic reason for the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela is religious. The pilgrimage was to visit the tomb of the apostle Saint James, as a way for penance and the remission of sins. But it’s still popular today and I don’t get the sense that there’s a religious drive for most people anymore.
For me, the walk was something that I heard someone mention, but it sounded completely out of reach due to the time commitment. But it was something that I wanted to do once my time was my own. A bucket list item if you will.
During the first few grueling days, I did question the reasonableness of this venture, but after a few days the rhythm becomes somewhat normal. Get up between 6:30- 7am, pack, grab breakfast and get on the trail.
There’s lots of ways to do this pilgrimage, not just multiple routes but different styles of lodging and different levels of assistance. There are services that will book all of your accommodation ahead of time and will arrange daily transport for your luggage. As far as accommodation, dispersed camping isn’t allowed in Spain, so your choices are hotels or albergues (hostels). Since we had so much going on when we decided to do this more than a year ago we decided to use a service for booking.
Alburges weren’t really a consideration since I’m old and cranky and want my own private bath. So it was definitely going to be a hotel. The biggest downside of using a service and pre-booking everything is that you have no flexibility to adjust your schedule en route. So, no matter what the weather does…you walk.
We’ve been pretty fortunate in that the weather has been fairly nice. So far only one really rainy day. A couple of other days with drizzle but not soaking rain.
About the experience.
Hiking the Camino is very different from the multi-day hikes in the US. Trails like the Appalachian trail and the Pacific Coast trail are wilderness trails where you camp and need to figure out your own food and water solutions. On the Camino, you’re walking from town to town. There are bars (aka cafes) along the way so you really just need snacks and water. Sometimes the cafes on the Primitivo route are just a vending machine but most of the time it’s a proper establishment with barista, coffee, sandwiches and beer.
Most of the days so far we’ve usually been on the trail alone for long periods of time. Since it’s a multi-day experience and everyone is moving at their own pace and taking breaks at random you will see the same folks repeatedly. Some times you’re passing them, sometimes they’re passing you. Sometimes you’re in the same hotel, or you see them at a pub getting a well deserved beer at the end of a long walk. For most of the time on trail we’ve not encountered a lot of Americans. Most of the English speakers are from the UK. Either British or Scottish.
Something else that surprised me is that on average, I’d say that Chrissy and I have been very much on the younger end of the spectrum. Most seem to be in their 60’s or more. We were talking to a wonderful Scottish couple the other day and she mentioned that this trek on the Camino Primitivo was a 70th birthday celebration for the husband. Gives me hope that getting older doesn’t mean I have to stop doing what I love.
We’ve been at this for about two weeks now and the end is drawing near. I’m starting to feel like I’ll miss the daily treat of getting out and walking as the sun rises and not knowing what we’ll see on the other side of the next hill. It’s quite a thrill really. After the first few days I was feeling like I’d never want to do this again, because it’s hard. But now, I’m a solid maybe.
Buen camino!
