Having made up my mind...

Once the decision was made I started on an information-gathering marathon, visiting loads of sites and forums and comparing what they said. My favourite is at www.pilgrimage-to-santiago.com/ where the folks are really friendly and full of good advice. Apart from getting a general idea about the Camino I started checking out equipment lists and making up my own. Following other pilgrims blogs was really useful, and one of the reasons I decided write my own blog. Hopefully it may be of some help to others as well as a record for myself of a very special time.

So, list made, I checked out what gear I already had. Sadly most of my stuff dates back to rambling days in the English Lake District and has been overtaken by all the new technology, so basically I was starting from scratch. Virtually all the brands for rucksacks and clothes, etc, mentioned on the various sites are unavailable here where I live (in Brazil) and buying over the Internet was not really an option when you need to try things on. So I decided to see what I could find locally. I visited four specialist shops to compare prices and assistant knowledge, but didn´t feel very confident about the information and advice given. Maybe I´m an old stick-in-the-mud, but when a lad who looks about twelve years old tells me I need a 60L pack weighing in at over two kilos, my inclination is to take my business elsewhere!

At one shop there was a lady assistant who has done the Camino several times, and I thought "at last, I´m in the right place". Unfortunately as soon as she opened her mouth she got right up my nose. Now, I am not a difficult or demanding person (as far as I know), but I object most strongly to being spoken to like a child. She never bothered to ask whether this was my first Camino, whether I had ever done any long-distance walks, or even any walking at all. Instead she immediately launched into a tirade of do´s and don´ts and must´s and must not´s as if I had decided at the drop of a hat to go on an 800k walk without a second thought. I gritted my teeth, thanked her politely for all her advice and left. It was a pretty upmarket shop and quite expensive, so I wasn´t all that sorry to leave anyway.

I finally found a shop where I could get most of my stuff, although I am still not sure whether I have bought the right rucksack. It weighs in at 1.5kg, which I know is over the recommended weight, but it was the most comfortable one I tried on. I have set myself a target of carrying a maximum of 7kg including pack, and am enjoying the challenge of planning for that. So far it seems to be working so hopefully the heavier rucksack won´t matter in the long run. I´ve done a couple of two-hour walks with the pack weighing 7kg, and by the end my neck and shoulders were aching, though. I am naturally concerned about this, but don´t know if it is because I haven´t adjusted all the innumerable straps properly, or whether I´ve got round shouldered and stooped as time got on, or whether I am just not used to it. Time will tell.