Our Walk Along the Camino de Santiago

  We are about a month away from striking out onto the Camino De Santiago, along the Camino Frances route.   Central to this, and the part we have most struggled with, is packing our bags. What to take?   We hope to take our packs for the entire length of the trail, and realistically we are only able to carry   so much comfortably.   While this seems easy, the desire to stay comfortable hiking while also being prepared for a range of temperatures and weather types, makes it a little bit of a challenge. Given the range of choices we faced, we thought we would share what is in our backpacks, perhaps serving as something useful for what others might carry.   Two things to remember here are: First,   our bags differ according to our own interests and needs.   Second, please remember that not all that is listed went into our bags, one set of clothes and either our hiking shoes or sandals will be worn by us at any given time. ** Post Camino Addition: I would also point out that en rou

Where does a hike or pilgrimage begin?  Is it when you step onto the trail?  Is it when you purchase your airline or railway tickets?  Is making the final choice to go?  Or is it a decision woven in parts and pieces throughout your lifetime that slowly put you on the path? I can say with all honesty that before my best friend asked, I had never really thought of long distance hiking.  Sure I had trekked 100 and 200 km stretches of the Bruce Trail , and hiked along 50 km pathways in Algonquin Park or walked in amazing places such as Banff National Park ,   However, the fact was that deep down I had never even considered thru hiking or something as long as the Camino de Santiago.  If the truth was to be told, until that point I had never even heard of it and knew almost nothing about the country of Spain, or the Way of St. James.  Indeed, (if a second truth had to be told) I am not even particularly “religious”.  Perhaps I say a quick prayer during important exams, or before a tense job