Stories, Credencials, and Packing

Our friend Paddy brought a news article to yoga class today from a Cody, WY newspaper, about a physician, age 70, who walked the Camino last year. Here's the story with a few pictures:

The good doctor is reading the John Brierley book that Dave and I have been using as our guide. We have the 2014 version. Hopefully, things haven't changed too much in a year!

There are a zillion stories about people doing The Camino. This is just one.

They've arrived: When we checked our mail today, we had package from the American Pilgrims on the Camino. Contents: our pilgrim passports, otherwise known as Credencials de Peregrinos. We will collect stamps on these along The Camino, just as one does when they go to another country. To get the "Compostela" at the completion of our journey, we need two stamps per day in the last 100km. As far as I know, the others are voluntary, but I'd like to get at least one a day.
Here is a pIcture of our "blank passports," along with our American Pilgrim patches and our scallops that we'll carry with us identifying ourselves as pilgrims.

Our passports, patches, and scallops

Tomorrow, we will take perhaps our last practice hike, this time with the exact things we plan to carry. Both of us have smallish backpacks (compared to others) so that will limit further what we can carrry. That's a good thing. Brierley recommends that you not carry over 10 percent of your body weight and on our hikes I've been carrying about that - 12 pounds. I just finished a practice "pack" and the news is not good. My pack is 13 pounds - without water which will add 2 to 4 pounds depending on how much I carry. The good news is that there are plenty of "fonts" to get water long the way and hopefully Dave and I can split our water carrying load. I feel that I've packed minimally: 3 pairs of socks, 3 pairs of underwear (panties and sports bras which are more comfy than regular bras), one long sleeve shirt, one short sleeve shirt, one zip-off long pants, light rain jacket, keen sandals to change into at day-end and have to hike in if needed, minimal toiletries (small sunscreen, deodorant, toothpaste), glasses, contact lens, and my electronics. Dave will carry the some toiletries and foot care items. With a charger, iPad, phone, adapter, etc., the electronics weigh almost 3 pounds. And, the pack weighs something too. I will carry a couple of items in my pockets, but not much. I hate to start on the "heavy side" so may be looking at what can go. That's another day. Here's my pack with the items that are tentatively going into it.

Packing..what can I leave behind?

Ok....15 miles tomorrow and then, as long distance runners like to say, it's taper time.

Posted with Blogsy