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CAMINO DE SANTIAGO | ADVICE FOR BACKPACK TRAVEL
The Logistics of a Long Camino Walk and What I Carry
Think hard because every gram makes a difference
Every item in my backpack, in this long distance walk in Spain, takes a toll on my body. An hour-long walk is one thing.
On Camino de Santiago, I’m walking ten to fifteen miles every day, with a heavy backpack. Every day I’m in pain, so I constantly assess what I can get rid of. Every item is scrutinized.
An item I purchased last week was an anti-inflammatory cream for my legs and feet. The tube felt heavy in my hand.
“Apply it twice a day,” said the pharmacist, after a look at my swollen ankles.
Yesterday I walked a fourteen-mile day that was much too arduous, up and down hills, the weight of my pack and body making my legs and feet sore
I met a woman from the Czech Republic. She appeared to be in her late twenties to early thirties.
“My name’s Pouvarina,” she said, “But it’s very difficult to say correctly, so you can say ‘Czech Girl’ when you greet me!”
She was tall with a beautiful smile, and I noticed she walked with a stumbling gait, and one of her shoes was unlaced. The basic ‘accident…
