Whoa, that first day sounds more grueling than fun. The rest is a pretty brisk pace too, but if you want to see a lot of country that is a great way to do it. Kudos to you on an impressive adventure!! I am curious on what you pack for a hike from town to town? Are you buying all your food already prepared?
Cindy,Thanks, and YES, that first day started out as heaven and quickly turned to the opposite. My boots filled with rain water. My rain cover blew off twice in a sleet storm. Took two days in a hotel to recover from hypothermia and dry out the boots. But the food was Basque and wine was endless. I have (net) fond memories of Roncesvalles.
(In the movie
The Way, Emilio Esteves dies of hypothermia on the top of the Pyrennes hiking the Camino from St. Jean to Roncesvalles.)
Good questions. Answers:
1. As little as possible. Always. Two sets of all-nylon clothes cuz they weigh nothing, wash out easily and dry fast on the line. (No electric clothes dryers in most alberques, just clothes lines.) At 20 pounds I had too much stuff. As I acquired any new weight, I gave away stuff I didn't need. No sleeping bag, pad or tent necessary. I'll have 10-12 pounds next time, including the two 16 oz. plastic water bottles full. I met a 66-year old Brit academic who was carrying 8 pounds for the whole journey. I also met a 55-year old lawyer from Alaska. She was carrying a burdonsome 35 pounds. (One doesn't really need a laptop and a hair dryer, just a 7" tablet and a microfiber towel that miraculously dries in minutes.)
2. I was walking, one sunny, lovely morning in Basque Country, on the trail beside a creek for miles surrounded by lovely, flowering foliage. Suddenly the dirt trail ends in someone's concrete driveway. A few more steps around a tight, left curve and there's an open-air pizza restraurant with a wood-fired pizza oven serving breakfast and pizza. You'll never go hungry on the Camino de Santiago. Restraurants/cafes are found even in the least likely places.
Bought a few things in supermarkets, but why carry the weight, after all?~!
The most common food is "tortilla," but it's not Mexican flat bread. It's yummy Spanish tortilla made in a cast iron skillet of eggs, potatoes and peppers. A wedge is a meal unto itself...with a glass of Tempranillo.
When in Spain, do as the Spaniards do.
Galician soup is another staple. Lots of salads, fish and beef too. Their potato salad is made with green olives. They grow all their own food beside their houses in large fields. Rain waters them all summer.
BTW, I lost 17 pounds on the trip.
My goal...
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...is to live in a trailer.
by Gonefishin » Sat Jan 18, 2014 5:59 pm 
Imports are taxed to the max. Domestic products are real cheap.
22 miles the first day in an insane wind and rain storm over the Pyrennes from France to Spain.