While I’m in Dallas sweating as I look forward to my trip to Iceland, Ireland and Germany, I have friends on the Camino now.
Katja, who I met last year is walking the Camino del Norte in the wind and rain, check our her blog at Vagabunterlebendotnet
Her site is in German so I use Google Translate to read it, it’s worth a look.
The Professors, Chris and Steve should be somewhere around Astorga at this point, they’re doing their second Camino with more of the optional routes on the Camino Frances, Chris’s Blog is at Andtheuniverseconspires
Several months ago but months after I left Spain and the Camino, I woke up very early one morning with a jumble of words and thoughts in my head. It stayed with me and I could not go back to sleep so I decided to get up and write the words and thoughts down. After I did that I was able to go back to sleep.
When I got up, I went back to what I’d written down and read it, The Pilgrim was my first experience with a creative flash. I made a few changes but not many from my original notes.
This poem tell my story, the story of any pilgrim, crossing Spain while walking the Camino. I think anyone who’d done that will immediately relate but, I also think there are some universal thoughts that appeal to almost anyone.
I hope you enjoy it, it’s not Whitman but I like it.
For years, I’ve traveled for both business and pleasure living out of a TravelPro 22″ roll-aboard and both Susan and I can live indefinitely out of our carry-on luggage, 17 days in Europe, no problem unless there’s no place to do laundry.
After my month long experience wearing a pack on the Camino last year, I’ve decided to try out a pack this year on on our vacation. I found a 65 L (total including the day pack) that is designed for carrying like a pack but also has a zippered back entry for easy loading.
REI Rucksack 65L (back)
As you can see, it stows very nicely and includes cinch straps to help compress the load which keeps it from shifting but it may also help get it on board if it’s a little full and you catch a bored Gate Agent. The pack has handles on the top and side so you can carry it like a conventional bag. There are 2 side compartments for a water bottle or anything else you may need to get at quickly and, a padded glasses pocket at the very top. A very nice feature is the day pack that fits into the big pocket on the back but, you can quickly extract it if you wanted to check the larger pack but carry on your essentials.
Front side with the straps partially exposed.
Last year while flying to Spain, I had to check my pack (dangerous considering my friend Katja got seperated from hers just yesterday between Madrid and Santander, thanks Iberia) which meant I needed to find something to protect my pack and to manage all the straps and loose attachments.
This pack has a hidden flap that you can quickly deploy or stow to cover the straps it also makes the whole pack more streamlined. In this picture, the flap is partially unzipped to give a better idea of how it looks.
Finally, I did a test pack to see how things fit and there was plenty of room. Unlike a regular pack, being able to access it completely instead of only from the top was great. While you still need to be organized, no more unloading if yo need something on the bottom.
Pack open
There are extra pockets inside for loose items or toiletries and there is a compartment for wet items as well. I did use the packing cubes as I did last year, I’m sold on those. It helped keep the entire pack organized.
I’m looking forward to giving this a try, I don’t think that I’d want to carry this particular pack 20-30 KM each day, the frame is rigid and generally it does not adjust like my Osprey does but, I think it will be perfect for this holiday. I’ll let you know when we return.
I had been meaning to update my site but, as with many things, it had to wait until I had both time and the motivation to get to it. I guess my upcoming travels to Iceland, Ireland and Germany finally got me to where I needed to be. So far, Word Press has been a real pain in the butt to deal with but, there’s a learning curve to everything.
I also want to thank my Pilgrim friends who unknowingly encouraged me to get this done by putting up much better looking sites in almost no time at all. Both Katja and Chris are back on the Camino, my sisters, in my heart, I’m there with you both!
My Camino friends from last year, Chris & Steve are back on the Camino and are staying at the Casa de espiritualidad Nueva Senora de Belen where we stayed last year in Carrion de los Condes.
Sisters Carmen and Edith were an inspiration at a point on the Camino where I needed one. I’m thrilled to see that they are doing well. Ironically, it is almost 1 year to the day since I was there. If you’re interested, please look at my June 3, 2017 post.
