The pack, a modest REI, 31 liter pack weighing in at about 22 ounces, is on my back everyday now. The dog, my coach and motivator, gets me out the door each day.
Santa Fe, where I currently live, has about 300 sunny days each year. But that doe NOT mean it is warm here! Today the winds whipped down from the snow-covered mountains and made me wish I was home by the fire. Mornings are still in the 20's or 30's, but midday can be just as cold or can fly up to the 70s. Yesterday was delightful...a perfect spring day and temperatures in the 70s...tomorrow may find snow falling...
I walk each day and try to take advantage of hills and valleys to get a good workout. Santa Fe is about 7,000 feet in elevation. I hope that is a training advantage. I practice with an overloaded pack too. I even wear heavier shoes than I plant to take on the Camino.
The countdown is real now - in four weeks, I will be somewhere over the Atlantic anticipating breakfast in Madrid. I plan to take a quick trip to Plaza Mayor, before I negotiate a trip by bus up to Pamplona and then on to Roncevalles.
Somehow this adventure does not feel real yet...I just cannot believe I am lucky enough to pursue this crazy dream.
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6 comments:
Hmmm, that's either a very big chair or a very small backpack!
I am going light! Yep - this is a 31 liter pack. It wieghs about 22 ounces. Definitely not for high maintenance folks - just room for the absolute basics!
"Ginn"
Dreaming of the Camino
That looks like a good pack. You can hang your poles (you are taking them?) from the back, there's a place (with the crisscrossed cords across the back) to put your hat and guidebooks, a place to hang your shell and a place for your water bottle. Does this pack come with a rain cover or do you have one? It rains 165 days/year in Galicia (at least that is what they hope) so you'll definitely be walking in rain. And do you have gaters?
My pack isn't nearby but it definitely weighs more than yours but I weigh more than you!
Caminante - I decided to choose a walking stick/poles in Spain. I do have great raingear (the infamous or perhaps I should say notorious Sil from South Africa made a recommendation for a wonderful, all-encompassing rain coat). In an earlier post T posted a photo of me (a head shot) in my bold RED, RED, RED rain gear. No gaiters though... Closer to departure I will assess the weather and perhaps revise my packing list...or I may augment, if needed, once I arrive...I think flexibility and a sense of humor are requisite for this kind of undertaking. No way can I prepare for every contingency...that's part of the adventure! 8-)
More later, no doubt!
"Ginn"
Watching Rain Turn to Snow at 7,000 ft
Chocolate con churros at the Plaza Mayor. Nice start to a wonderful day. Enjoy
hhhhhh yes, chocolate con churros...yes...can't wait for that! 8-) Not long now! Just a week from Monday!
"Ginn"
Camino Dreaming in Santa Fe
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