If you’re new to our blog, welcome! In Aug. 2012 my husband/Tim/Walker retired and I/Cathy/Pokey/Princess voluntarily left the workforce so we could start crossing things off our bucket lists. First up was El Camino de Santiago. We started this blog as a way to keep family and friends informed of our whereabouts and as things go, they told a friend who told a friend and we now enjoy keeping acquaintances and strangers apprised of our travels.
Our bucket lists have shrunk and grown…in 2013 Walker scratched “Hike the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine” and I added “Walk all seven major Camino routes”. We’ve found ourselves on a bi-annual rotation, this year is my year, hence the Camino Portuguese.
Our blog name is derived from the fact that Walker is more direct/destination oriented while I’d stop at every café if time allowed and every thrift store if there were any. Walker comes from “he walks”; I didn’t want to be called “stroller” (she strolls) and one day when we were training he said “come on Pokey” and that kind of stuck. However, in his AT blog walkerat2013@wordpress.com, he referred to me as Princess, and since I’m frequently called that, that will be my moniker from here on out. (I don’t think it’s true at all, but one can hope for a self-fulfilling prophecy!)
After traveling with a packed car for the last two months, it feels strange – and wonderful – to have just our backpacks in our possession. Mine weighs in at about 13 pounds, and Walker’s at 17. Neither weight includes water. We checked a medium-sized box with our trekking poles, nail clippers, and pocket knife for the Camino, and nice (relatively speaking) clothes that we will mail to Sofia, Bulgaria from Lisbon. We’ll be going to Sofia near the end of April for a reunion celebration and then on to Athens to visit friends.
Although we’ve packed similarly to what we packed last time, we’ve made a few changes. I left my Keen hikers at home and plan to walk in ASICS Duomax running shoes. I bought a new pair of bright green and turquoise ‘evening shoes’, aka Crocs. Walker is walking in Merrell Moabs with a pair of Frocs (that’s what I call faux Crocs) for evening and shower wear. He’s carrying both of our sleeping bags again. I downsized to an iPad mini which I’m carrying this time and I’ve added a puffy jacket. Walker’s added a long sleeve base layer pullover, a cap I knit with possum wool that he brought back from New Zealand, and a Nook. We both have gloves this time and still our quick drying Ex-Officio undergarments. In case you’re wondering and as one reader has already asked, I did not get a new bra. I am, however, sporting a pair of “petals” which my dear friend Ellie B. presented me with upon my return last time.. (Walker never did photoshop those photos like he said he would!)
What we didn’t pack includes pj’s, hair dryer, cosmetics, lotion, or separate soap, shampoo and laundry wash – we have one product that does it all. (Happy surprise just now; I learned that a Walker packed a hairbrush!)
Walker is excited to use the GoPro camera he got for Christmas, but won’t be able to share videos until he meets up with his computer again in mid-May.
We’re trying hard not to, but it is difficult to not make mental comparisons between this Camino and our first. Knowing that this path is much less populated than the Camino Frances, we wonder if we’ll meet fantastic people like we did before. We had perfect weather in 2012; this year we’re prepared for much cooler temps and lots of rain. We think the terrain will be less difficult…will it? It looks like there will be more miles between cafés and albergues. Will I have to resort to answering the call of nature in natural environs this time? (I was quite proud of the fact that I never had to use the great outdoors last time.) In 2012, we felt our arrival in Santiago was almost anti-climatic as it was cold, wet and dreary and the streets were empty. This year, we plan to arrive in Santiago on Easter Sunday and can’t help but have visions of the glory of it all – perhaps not with choirs of angels singing, but hopefully with the infamous lone bagpiper.
Thanks for coming along with us on this journey and we look forward to your comments and questions!
He Walks, She Strolls... 