Camino Recap II -> Expectations (And Fears) Vs Reality

July 3, 2022 by libertatemamo 17 Comments

Before I started the Camino I admittedly had a few expectation and fears.

The first went more along the lines of what I thought the Camino would be like. I actually tried quite hard to work on this beforehand; to not to have any kind of fixed pre-conceptions and just be open to what would come rather than what I imagined should be. Overall I think I did a fairly good job of this, but as all humans I’m still fallible to sticky ideas that pop into that mushy thing in my head. So it was interesting to see how these actually played out in reality.

The second part is perhaps more human and inevitable. I had fears both about my physical abilities, the weather and the terrain. Some of these turned out to be true while others turned out to be something not to worry about at all.

I find these things interesting to think about, and would have found them interesting to read about before I started the Camino myself. So in my usual style of sharing both the good, the bad and everything in-between, I thought this would be a fascinating subject for this weeks blog.

So what did I worry about? What shouldn’t I have worried about? And what unexpected turns did all this take along the Way? Let’s see, shall we?

Physical Abilities -> Better Than Expected

Can I do this? Can I really, physically do this? Will my bad back give out? Will my bad knees hold?

I think everyone has physical doubts before they start a long hike, and with the litany of health issues that I seem to have wracked up over the past few years, I certainly did. It’s why I trained for several months beforehand, not just to get my shoes and gear dialed-in, but also to build-up some physical stamina. And I really think that helped. That said the longest hike I managed before I left on the trail was 15km and I didn’t have the time to walk everyday. So was it enough?

What I expected: I expected to be sore and exhausted, especially the first week and to have moments where my knees would bother me. But I also imagined that if I could get through that first week physically I would be able to build up my fitness along the trail. Both things ended up proving true. I was darn sore that first week with calves so tight they felt like they had literal baseballs in them, but I also grew stronger over the following weeks progressing from ~15km days at first to ~25km days by the end of the Camino. Jessica (our “master planner”) did a superb job of scheduling all that out for us, ensuring we made the miles without pushing ourselves so hard that we became injured. This ended up being key & something I will go into more depth on in my next blog post.

What I didn’t expect: There were several things I didn’t exactly expect. The first was how sore my feet felt, especially after long days walking on hard surfaces (more on this below). I also didn’t realize how much they would swell in the heat and was very thankful I bought my shoes one size larger than usual. Perhaps what surprised me the most was that some afternoons my feet would literally be throbbing and I’d be hobbling just to get around, yet somehow magically they would recover overnight and I’d be ready to walk another 20km the following day. This astonished me….every, single day.

As for my back and knees? They did better than expected, death-bunk-bed accidents aside. In fact I was amazed at just how strong I was, a testament (I believe) to the training I did in the months beforehand. Or perhaps my sore feet just hurt so much that everything else seemed fine?

As for the rest of me? Lets just say that heat and I are not the best of terms. More on that below….

The Terrain -> Expected But Also Unexpected

Don’t believe everything you see online…

Here’s the thing. The Camino Frances from SJPDP to Santiago runs about 800km, crosses over three major peaks and goes through at least 250 towns and hamlets. There are plenty of fabulous views along pleasant hiking trails, and many days you truly feel “out there” in nature. But there are also over 290km of hard surfaces (such as asphalt, concrete, cobblestone etc.), 70km of literal road-walking and very long stretches that are either right next to road or highway, or just a little offset from it.

The latter are the “less pretty” parts of the Camino, and as you would expect they don’t get much publicity. In fact when Googling online you’ll rarely see any photos of these sections nor do you find much write-up about them. For aspiring pilgrims however I do think it’s useful to have the full picture not just for mental prep, but also for practical aspects such as choice of footwear (i.e. shoes with more cushion are really helpful on harder surfaces) and hiking pole tips (I used my rubber ones more than I expected).

Here’s how the terrain broke down for me:

The Mountain Terrains were exactly as I imagined. The mountain passes on the Camino are not extreme or technical, but they are challenging. I didn’t mind the uphills as such, but I did have to be very careful and slow on the “knee-buster” downhills, especially in slippery and wet conditions. Admittedly there were a few hairy sections where my hiking was not exactly gazelle-like (my knee braces plus hiking poles were key!), but the mountains were also where I had my most beautiful and soul-captivating nature-filled moments. Some of my best memories!

The Meseta was a mix. I imagined the Meseta to be a wide, vast, lonely, raw, open landscape and the first part (especially the first three days from Burgos to Fromista) were certainly like that. It was magical frankly, especially at sunrise and created some of my most emotional and soul-provoking moments from the whole trip (hey, I even cried one day).

Then came something I didn’t expect. Miles and miles of flat, roadside walking. TBH it was simply boring and monotonous and I wasn’t really prepared for it simply because no one seems to talk about it. So, for those wondering whether the Meseta is worth it? The first past is spectacular!! The second part uhmmmm not so much.

The Cities were a lot (a lot) of hard surfaces. You walk through quite a few bigger cities on the Camino Frances (e.g. Pamplona, Logrono, Burgos, Leon etc.) and I didn’t quite realize how much hard surface (concrete, asphalt etc.) walking all that would entail. In some cities you walk over 10km to get in and out, and none of it could really be called “pretty”. Some folks I know actually take buses on these sections simply to avoid them.

The Rest was mostly fabulous. The trails between the cities that veered off the road were just lovely hiking. The views ranged from wide open vistas to deep forests, the surfaces from clay terrain to dirt and stone. I’d say all these in-between parts were much as I would expect from a long-distance hiking trail.

The Weather -> A Bit Of Everything

I don’t why, but the two things that I agonized most about before I left on the Camino were getting wet, and getting cold. Ironically I never thought too much about the heat, when in fact that was the one weather item that finally got me.

What I Feared: Some folks get a wet Camino, others get a dry one and sometimes it’s just luck of the draw. Personally I worried endlessly about rain and cold, and whether or not my gear would be adequate for it. I imagined freezing in soaking clothes, with blisters blooming like newly watered flowers all over my wrinkly-wet feet. What if my shoes and socks got soaked through (I mean I DID specifically chose non-GoreTex shoes)? Was it a mistake not to bring rain-pants? Would my flimsy poncho really handle a serious downpour? 

The Reality: In all honestly rain and cold wasn’t that big of a deal. Olaf helped a ton of course, keeping my upper half completely dry, and although the rest of me did get wet on rainy days, I dried out just fine. My socks never got that bad, my pants only got wet below the poncho (but then dried out quickly if the rain let up) and in really heavy downpours we just waited it out in a shelter or cafe. Most incredibly perhaps (or at least it was a surprise to me) my shoes dried out every night without fail as long as I opened them up and put some newspaper in them (thank you non-GoreTex). It was fine, really!

The Unexpected: What I didn’t expect was the MUD….so, so, so much MUD! It didn’t end up being a barrier, but on wet days it did mean many hours of schlop…schlip…schlopping down the trail with inches worth of clay-like build up on my shoes.

I also didn’t really understand how dangerous the heat was for me, and this one (unfortunately) ended up landing me in hospital. It wasn’t that I was unaware of the heat, or that I didn’t attempt to take precautions (we walked early on hot days, Olaf was always in use, and I tried to drink plenty of water), but in my more mature years I have clearly become MUCH more sensitive to it. Plus it was just hotter than imagined it would be in certain sections of the Camino in the month of May. There is stuff I would do differently here (for another blog post)….

Going Alone -> NOT A Concern At All

I do want to touch on the whole “going on the Camino alone” thing.

This was actually NOT one of my fears when I started. I’ve traveled solo for years in multiple countries, and I knew the Camino was a popular trail so I really wasn’t worried about this at all. However I received so many comments about it from friends and others. People that commended me for being “brave” enough to go on my own, or worried about me, and that made me realize it might be a legitimate fear for many others, especially solo women?

So here’s my take on all that for everyone out there who might be considering the Camino solo as I did -> It’s simply not a worry, not at all.

You will meet SO many other pilgrims and SO many other solo travelers (in fact I’d say over half the pilgrims I met were solo), and you will connect with them on your very first day and every day thereafter. Honestly there was not a single day on the trail I felt truly alone and this was even before I met the lovely girls who became The Second Breakfast Club. The Camino is just such a social, safe and friendly environment. It’s the perfect adventure to take solo.

Note/ Age Is Not A Concern Either: For those of you of more mature years, I don’t believe that to be an issue either. I cannot tell you how many retired people I met on the trail, many of whom were 60, 70 and even in their 80’s. As you get older, physical training becomes more important IMO, and you may have to go slower (although many of those I met were way sprightlier than me!), but there’s no reason it should be a barrier. All ages, all sizes, and all types of people walk the Camino.

Mental/Spiritual Journey -> No Breakthroughs

Before I started this trek I have to admit that I had big hopes the Camino would give me some kind of insight either mentally or spiritually. I was open to it, ready for it, and figured that 800km of hiking would certainly give me sufficient time to think through some stuff.

What I Expected: A deeper insight into myself? Perhaps some life questions answered? Time to think through some difficult issues?

The Reality: I touched on this in several of my blog posts, but the reality of the Camino (at least for me) was that I simply didn’t have much time to think. Days were spent walking, thinking about food, chatting to friends, obsessing about some weird pain that just popped up, enjoying the views, hating (or loving) the weather, zoning out or a multitude of other infinite minutiae from the day to day. There was always something to take up that empty space in my brain, and by the time I reached my destination for the day I was simply too tired to ponder through anything else.

I learned some things about myself, no doubt. My ability to go beyond my physical limits, my stubbornness and perseverance, and perhaps even a knack to do it all with a smidgen of humor. But I did not get any big questions answered. Most folks I talked to experienced a similar thing, although a very select few did seem to be able to dig deeper.

I guess this one is individual?

Albergues -> About What I Expected (With A Few Exceptions)

A last note on the joy of sleeping with 40 or so strangers every night in bunk beds that are out to kill you.

What I Expected: There is just nothing comfortable or enjoyable about dorm-room-type accommodations, and I can conform that the reality on the Camino pretty much exactly reflects that. Albergues (pilgrims lodgings) are practical and inexpensive (on average EUR 8-15 per night), but they are noisy places with a symphony of snorers every night (my silicone ear plugs were KEY!), room temps that can’t be controlled, shared bathrooms and showers (there are almost never enough, and some you really have to squeeze to get into) and the sad truth of shared sickness (if one person is sick, everyone gets sick). Plus you’re always searching for a charging point, and (if you need to wash) battling to get the one or two laundry machines on hand. All of this was exactly as I expected.

As for the beds themselves? They are often squeaky and move around as people turn in them, while the upper bunks are a total nightmare IMO. The ladders to get into them are iffy most of the time (assuming there is a ladder at all!) and it’s just luck of the draw if you can check in early enough to avoid having to sleep in one.

What I Didn’t Expect: Many Albergues have switched from regular mattresses to plastic-covered mattresses (a response to COVID?) and you only get a thin disposable paper-sheet to go over them. It’s sanitary I guess, but the sensation of sleeping on them is….really odd. Then again on the positive side some Albergues were actually a pleasant surprise, especially the newer and larger ones in the bigger cities. There were places that offered solid beds that didn’t creak at all, some that had {{gasp}} individual charging points and a few that even had {{shock}} actual cotton sheets or didn’t have bunk beds at all (!!!!!).

So I guess it’s about what I expected, with a few nice upsides every now and then?

Oh, I also didn’t expect how busy it would be this year which meant we had to book ahead 3-4 nights (and a whole week ahead in the final stretch from Sarria to Santiago) to secure beds. That may just be a post-COVID, Holy Year effect but it was also something I didn’t quite expect.

Food -> Constantly On My Mind

If travel is the spice of life, food is the thing that drives it….

What I Expected: I knew before I went on the Camino that food was going to be a central part of the journey for me, simply because food always is (and has been) a key component of all my travels. That expectation pretty much panned out as expected. In fact walking 20+km per day food was not only a core part of my day it something I thought about…ALL THE TIME.

It’s no coincidence that our little band of pilgrims was called “The Second Breakfast Club”, and that stopping for and enjoying food (Third Breakfast was never out of the question) was an essential part of what brought us together. We ate well my friends and we ate often, and the Camino provided with lots of cafes along the way, as well as copious and simple (but inexpensive EUR 8-15) “Pilgrims Meals” for dinner.

What I Didn’t Expect: Spain is a late-night culture where dinners often do not start until 9PM. Places that serve Pilgrims Menus will start earlier, but in the some of the bigger cities we opted for regular restaurants and that meant adapting to local culture and a much later mealtime (a challenge for ravenous pilgrims usually asleep by 10PM!). Also I thought breakfast would be a breeze, but our early starts (to avoid heat) combined with Spain’s later culture meant we often had to walk 10km before we found our first coffee and food. I learned to buy something the night before and adapt to instant coffee stirred into cold water for my first morning “fix” (hey it’s nasty, but it’s better than nothing for us coffee addicts).

These were all super minor things, and overall I have to say I truly enjoyed the food in Spain. We had some incredible meals for fabulously reasonable prices, many of which I will remember for years to come.

Like All Life, It’s A Melange

I guess in retrospect all of this, like the Camino itself is just a reflection on regular life.

There are things you expect, you have hopes and plans, there are fears and uncertainties, yet in the end you usually surprise yourself and it all works out somehow. My Camino experience was certainly very much like that, and I think this blog post reflects that.

All life is the Camino, and the Camino is life.

I have one more round-up I want to do. A final (final?) post about what I did right, and what I would do differently if I were to go again and then I think I will be done. At least until the next Camino calls, or the next long trail. I do believe I might hear something whispering out there….

Anything I missed my dear readers? Any fears YOU would have or do have for hiking a longer trail? What didn’t I cover? DO feel free to comment and ask below.