Walking the Camino de Santiago (St. James Way)

Can I tempt anyone to walk the Camino? I had my doubts, but it was doable after BC.

Yes, I was on my own. A friend (who also has had BC) joined me for several days in the middle.

We hope to walk Hadrian's Wall some year.

What made you decide to make this particular pilgrimage? I'd wanted to walk it since I heard about it. It had the option for a reasonably long walk (on the Camino Frances route), was well-marked, and had lots of service infrastructure. I also wanted to walk where there were lots of historical areas and churches, as well as looking for evidence of Jewish and Muslim presence prior to the expulsions.

How far did you walk each day? 0-15 miles, depending on the terrain and whether I was taking a rest day. Including rest days (0-3 miles, typically), I averaged 12 miles a day.

And how many days did the entire trip require? I gave myself 40 walking days, but to build in rest days and to accommodate needing to alter my progress a little in case friends joined me for segments. One did (also a BC survivor).

Did you keep a blog of your experiences along the way? Sort of. I didn't want to feel obliged to write, so I brought a tiny notebook to record basics, and used an online travel tracker (Polarsteps) where I posted a couple of photos and commented very briefly so my family would know where I was and that I wasn't lying in a ditch somewhere in rural Spain.

Did you backpack it, or use a baggage transfer service? I carried my pack (~20# with water and lunch) except for 3 days at the beginning, when it was very hot and I had blisters under a couple of toenails. I was scrupulous about adhering to my PT and MLD therapists' rules for backpacking, and did MLD frequently and stayed hydrated. I had compression garments with me, but didn't need to use them except on my flights.

When it was over, did you feel like it had changed you? Yes, to some extent. I spent much of my walk meditating and being mindful and intentional. I already had these practices, but it was great to have long, uninterrupted stretches to really get into it. I also had a goal of decreasing the anger and sadness that Catholic Europe brings up in me as a European Jew, and I feel that I made some headway in that. Of course, there was also a post-BC treatment piece about being able to do something like this. I was successful, but also noticed that I'm slower, so there was also a component of noticing that I'm aging.