5 More Sleeps!

Holy moly! So close yet seems so far away…let me see…

- SpTH form for entry in Spain to be completed 72 hours from arrival…Monday 12th at 5:05 am EST 😀

- Confirmed SIM card delivery awaits as I come out of Arrival area at Madrid Barajas airport…so cool 😎 someone will have a sign with my name on it! Never been to New York Broadway…wonder if the sign will have rotating white lights and my name flashing in red? 

- Backpack 🎒 is ready…has been for at least a week. Must remember passport, credit cards, phone, must wear clothes, my HOKA Speedgoats and strap the backpack on…everything else can be bought in Spain if forgotten…oh one exception the Tilley hat..and sunglasses...they are critical!

- Finally just get to the airport on time…recommend 3 hours for international flights so…will target for a little margin…5-6…ok 5.5 hours in advance 

Reflecting briefly on past walks…this will be my 10th…what can possibly go wrong? Well let’s see 🥴

1996 - Trekking in Nepal in Khumbu valley…200 kms on mountain trails…brother Marc and Dad (74) and 6 other Canadians. Everest Trekking Canada organized everything…including 30 or so porters. Result - All went smoothly…a few small bumps along the way... where the air was very very blue as Dad lost his cool a bit and Marc and I lost it laughing big time.

Summer 2013 - Camino long walk 2,600 kms in one go. Result - So many things went crazily off plan😅😂 3 separate trips required!

Trip 1 - One day shy of Geneva Switzerland…partially detached retina…Result - emergency flight to Canada…surgical procedure successful. Ophthalmologist says “go walk…this happened because you are near sighted and old!”

Trip 2 - Back to one day shy of Geneva and walk to St. Jean Pied de Port. Everything clicked on this walk...especially hooking up with great friends…Cyrille, Georges, Daniel and Yosh…very strong group…late in season and accommodation choices were few so long challenging distances each day. Result - Took an early flight home by 4 - 5 days

Trip 3 - Well off to a rough start…Paris airport…Marc and I waiting at baggage carousel until it was obvious our backpacks were NOT ON PLANE! Air a little blue! Hotel for night…thankfully backpacks on flight next day…Easter Sunday standing room train tickets…arrive at St. Jean Pied de Port a day late. Walk next day…no sleep that night due to Giuseppe snorer from Italy. Meet Paulo from Brazil who wants to walk with Canadians. Marc and I listen to Paulo’s plan and simply can’t believe it…Paulo really has no plan so Marc maps one out and we walk long days. Result - Paulo get’s on plane as “he planned 😂” Marc, Paulo, Cyrille (joined us in O’Cebreiro) walk on to Finisterre.

2015 - Kumano Kodo - 4.5 day 80 km walk through Kii mountains in Japan! Tough but outstanding…travel agency booked accommodation Result - exceeded expectations in every regard including my 15 minutes of fame...becoming the 1st Canadian (5th overall) to get Dual Pilgrim designation (2 UNESCO recognized pilgrim routes Camino Frances & Kumano Kodo). Oh the designation started 2 months earlier 🤣 sometimes fortune smiles.

2015 - Thames River Walk Oxford to Windsor...105 kms over 9 days. I volunteered to organize everything for our merry band of 5. Result - Very enjoyable ramble along the Thames River…planning was superb…well for everyone in the group except for our great friend D*nn*s who shall remain nameless. Let me see…one night “my room is too small whining”, “do we have to climb that 2 meter elevation gain to cross the bridge?”, “why are you walking so fast…aren’t we supposed to stop and talk for 15 minutes to everyone we meet?”

So we decided to treat/help D*nn*s 

D*nn*s was happy! So were we!

2018 - Camino Portuguese 600 kms from Lisbon to Santiago de Compostela. The All-Time champion of all plans that went totally off track. Result - First night Paulo spent mostly in the hospital…kidney stone attack. He wanted to give it a go…250mm of torrential rain 🌧 over first 3 days…I get massive blisters and on day 4 admit for first time ever “I can’t go on”. On to Porto…magical Dr Olga…4 days bed rest…hobble over last 300 kms to Santiago de Compostela. Oh and we had booked the entire 20 days in advance so that took some fancy work to change…NEVER AGAIN we said to booking in advance!!!

2020 Camino Primitivo - 310 kms through Mountains... everything a go until HE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED shows up…Result - cancel, cancel, cancel.

2020 Camino Primitivo Alternative- Had a bright 🤣 idea (at least for me) Result - easy 310 kms walked on 29 foot deck in backyard over 12 days. 😂😅🙃 Met some really nice pilgrim friends along the way.

2022 Camino Primitivo and Camino Salvador - 430 kms...significant portions through Mountains. Expected result - All will go as planned!!! I can feel it in my bones!

My golf friend Ken hears me say “I can feel it in my bones - hole in one” every single golf round and many times within the round! So far nada…Ken has two holes in one, another blog subscriber...he also shall remain nameless St*f*n has three…and I was there as his partner for the first one! Sometimes life isn’t fair!

I fully expect the 2022 Camino routes will be the most challenging to date...12,300 metres of elevation gain and subsequent loss will do that! In 2022 I have averaged 21 km walking a day so I will leave knowing that if I poop out...it isn’t due to lack of walking prep effort!

Once the 2022 Camino Primitivo and Camino Salvador routes are completed I will have walked 7 different Camino routes...arriving in Santiago de Compostela 3 times. This may seem like a lot but believe me it pales in comparison to many, many other Camino pilgrims...have a look at these images of Camino routes through Spain / Portugal and Europe...a seemingly endless number of possible routes!

Camino Routes in Spain and Portugal

Camino Routes in Europe

COVID Update

Essentially as good as one could expect 👍 Will have to be aware and take prudent precautions. 14 day rolling Hospitalizations as of Sept 2, 2022 are the lowest since the 14 day period ending Dec 6, 2021…considering the total loosening of restrictions that’s quite good…and that’s all I want to say about COVID.

Learning Spanish

Well I have given it a go…over the past 8 days I have listened to season 1 of Coffee Break Spanish. 40 podcasts while walking🚶‍♀️totalling 12.4 hours of pure listening enjoyment 🙃.

My rationale is that by going at this hard at the last minute I have the best chance of remembering something…anything! A small epiphany here (as opposed to Epiphany below) is that many, many other people were probably doing the same as I was…they are talking to themselves out loud with no one else around…what else could they be doing but listening and learning Spanish!

So maybe I am at a pre-kindergarten level now…by mid Sept I will likely have regressed to the year before pre-kindergarten…so be it…but geez 🙄 can't I be quick learner in something? 

Likely the most common Spanish phrase I will use!

lo siento hablo muy poco Español

Or maybe I should really say 🥲

lo siento no hablo Español 

Epiphany

Yes men can have epiphanies as well…mine tend to be of the recurring kind which I guess takes away from the magic of them a bit 😂. 

Will expand on this later but for now will simply say Dangerous animals, Colour and Packa rain gear are the main drivers of my epiphany.

Walking shoes 

I know Paulo, being from Brazil which is a little more flamboyant a country than Canada has had a very difficult time accepting how good my HOKA  Speedgoat V5 shoes look...

So Paulo sent me this picture of his new shoes…note the brilliant blue which will become important when outlining my epiphany...also this was taken at the end of a Brazilian winter!

Paulo with son Pedro and blue shoes

A competing picture with special HOKA’s and granddaughters Elodie (not cooperating) and Rose

2022 Camino Pilgrim numbers 

Not surprisingly ALL records will be smashed in 2022. Various graphs clearly show this. 2019 was a record year with 347,000 pilgrims receiving Compostela’s…my previous best guess for 2022 was 405,596 +/- 25 whereas a projection based on 2019 Aug/Dec ratios applied to 2022 Aug numbers forecasts 415,750!  🤔

Camino Primitivo end of Aug 2022 in year 2022/2019 ratio is 132%...Aug 2022 numbers almost exactly equal full year 2019. Projection based on 2019 Aug/Dec ratios applied to 2022 Aug numbers forecasts 20,700 for 2022!

On the positive side as Paulo has pointed out...the high numbers show that people are comfortable walking in COVID times...and successfully doing so.

Decision time: Accommodation pre-booking Y/N?

Record number of pilgrims + Want private rooms to minimize COVID exposure + Clear accommodation issues currently faced by pilgrims

                                                     VS 

Risk associated with something going wrong early and having to rebook everything (Camino Portuguese) + Camino Portuguese past decision to NEVER book in advance again.

Well the answer is clear…past decisions must always be reconsidered based on current situation AND the thought  “I feel it in my bones that things will work out as planned” 🤣

Sooo…I have proceeded to book all 19 nights accommodation in advance in private shared rooms (with Paulo on Primitivo, Cyrille on Salvador). One exception being the second last night on the Camino Salvador where we will stay in a small Albergue in Benduenos…reason being many past pilgrims have indicated this place is incredible! My What'sApp exchange with the hospitaleria was delightful!

Potential airline issues getting to Madrid and Oviedo represent the biggest initial risk. Current Plan is an Iberia Flight on Sep 15th from Madrid to Asturias airport leaving 15:30...arriving 17:00. 

Plan B would scrap this flight...hop on a Sep15th ALSA 23:59 bus arriving in Oviedo at 6:15 am on Sep 16th...quick breakfast and walk as planned. At this point no Plan C beyond that...IF something does goes really south then a Brazilian lawyer and a Canadian (well I don’t really know what I did for a living) will simply have to work things out!

For your viewing pleasure updated graphs on the Pilgrim numbers!

All Camino Routes by Year

Mujer vs Hombre % - note trend

Pilgrim numbers by Age Group - Note Older Pilgrim growth

All Camino Routes Cumulative

All Camino Routes Monthly

Camino Primitivo Cumulative

Camino Primitivo Monthly

Epiphany

A while back a Camino Forum Member (incredibly she has walked with her family...up to 4 children ~ 16 and under... significant Camino kms) reached out and suggested that I might want to try the Packa rain gear. She also provided a link to a blog posting where her kids ran into a dangerous animal situation - bee swarm...including comments on colours which attract bees.

I then bought a red Packa (why not...try something new!) and some of you may have seen my initial attempt to slip it on during a trial rainstorm...given that I simply nailed that 1st attempt successfully I have not felt a need to try a second Packa attempt. 🙂 Geez maybe I am a quick learner after all...Packa wearing!

Soooo...my Epiphany came to me in a flash while walking one day. 

The Packa is my secret weapon against Dangerous Animals and their colour preferences!

This is of course an untested theory however I fervently believe my Red Packa will be my secret weapon...6 Dangerous Animals (out of the thousands of potential ones) will be briefly commented on below. Cows, Chickens, Dogs, Bees and Snakes/Slugs...

Note: Comments about colour preferences and bee swarms were carefully researched and while I am not citing my sources they are of highest quality.

Dangerous animal colour recognition

Cows including Bulls - Cannot see red! Recognize yellow, green, blue and violet. Movement of matadors cape is what makes bulls angry.

Chickens - Recognize red, blue, green, and ultraviolet light

Dogs - Basically cannot see red. Recognize green, yellow, orange as yellowish, violet & blue as blue

Bees - Cannot see red! Recognize blues, purple and violet

Snakes - Cannot see red! Recognize blues, greens

Slugs - Cannot see any colour!

Based on the above my Red Packa provides significant protection against most dangerous animals...cows/bulls, dogs, bee swarms, snakes. Chickens and slugs remain an issue.

Based on the above Paulo you are in BIG trouble with your blue fancy shoes...oh you are ok with slugs. 

Packa non colour protection

Cows including Bulls - Essentially just keep walking peacefully watching for young calves and maybe the odd bull. Likely the best use of the Packa will be to save my fellow pilgrim friends Paulo/Cyrille in case of a bull charging where I will quickly whip off the Packa and use it like a Matador cape while they have a chance to run away...then I will quickly sprint and use my trekking poles to pole vault over the nearest fence.

Chickens - My Packa may not be of much benefit for dangerous chickens although if attacked I will once again whip it off and throw it on the nearest chicken thus causing chicken pack confusion while I run away. Cyrille has also indicated he will protect me on the Camino Salvador.

Dogs - Always the most common dangerous animal as they come out of nowhere...often under a fenced yard! I will have good colour protection however this may not be enough... I often slap my trekking poles together to warn them off...I am thinking this plus waving my arms madly while wearing my Packa and turning around to show the hump in the back will likely cause most dogs to back off and retreat...this will have to be tested in the field.

Bee Swarms - First a definition "Swarms are normal behaviour for bees, and if left alone, are usually quite safe. Put simply, a swarm is a collection of bees that have decided to look for a new home. They often stop at a location temporarily to rest and send out scouts to look for a suitable new residence”.

Ok well that’s all fine and good however when walking one sometimes needs to take a slight detour for whatever reason...often times in the bush...so what if one comes upon a Bee Swarm! Yikes that could be really, really bad. 

This is a new dangerous animal...one that I have not encountered while walking however if I do my Packa could well save me! Thinking I could (if not already wearing it) quickly 🤔 slip on the Packa...zip it up and voila I have a makeshift suit that beekeepers wear. A few possible problems...

- Bees could get inside the Packa while I am zipping it up...ok a few stings maybe

- Stingers might penetrate the Packa...pretty unlikely...Packa is designed to hold off rain 😂

- Facial area uncovered...Camino beard may provide some protection

- Packa does not cover below the knees however that is so low to the ground that bees likely don’t go there.

All in all Packa seems like a game changer here! If by some fluke this strategy fails then I will run from the bee swarm 🙄

Snakes - Well not sure about Packa as snakes tend to be low to the ground unless of course it’s  a King Cobra! They don’t recognize red so that is a plus and Cyrille at least on Camino Salvador has promised to keep guard. Remains a concern!

Slugs - Ok maybe a little stretch to call these dangerous animals however they have followed me through Switzerland, France and Spain! Packa of limited use here but not that terribly worried 🤣

An important event before I leave...someone very dear to me/us is celebrating a special birthday. Victoria Afternoon High Tea awaits - scones with chantilly cream & jam, 6 mini tea sandwiches, mini desserts white chocolate & raspberry tart, orange brûlée and a chocolate roulade! Oh and some fancy cupcakes.

I suspect that someone else... grandson Rishi who is 5 months old may successfully steal the spotlight however our birthday celebrant will certainly not mind 😘

Hasta pronto!

Guy