Getting Ready

I've been mentally preparing for this trip for sometime now, however, I still have doubts as to the sanity of an old woman with worn out knees and other signs of impermanence, doing such a trip.

After two tries, I seem to have found good walking boots, however, I still worry when my toes start hurting with socks too tight. I've found some merino wool socks that seem to be the best. Good, leather, German boots (Meindl), are what I've been wearing. My first pair was my usual size. The second pair is one half size larger than I usually wear. I actually think that I could have gone up one whole size.

Less than fifteen pounds would be an ideal weight for my backpack. I've even discovered a one pound sleeping bag which is only good at 7 degrees F. and beyond. May and June are notoriously warm in Spain, but I've heard that the albuergues are often unheated and very cold.

The climate conditions are quite varied, so I have to prepare for the rain as well, especially in Galicia.

I will soon have a compact digital camera, a great change for someone who loves black and white film and an SLR camera. For the pilgrimage I do not want photography to be my focus, nor do I want to carry a 3 Lb camera (my Nikon SLR).