After two weeks of packing ...

(at least it feels like it) ... and repacking, making packing lists and then making lists of what to strike from the packing lists, I have packed half the stuff on my packing list into the other backpack. In the end I have decided to go back to good, ol' Susann Himmelblå. She has been out walkies before and I had no problems then - apart from the squeaking of the back system, but that has been fixed by Osprey. Whatever I do or which pack I try on, I just end up with a sore lower back or pains in the shoulders or wings (you know what I mean). This back would get a kicking if it wasn't about to get a beating!

Never mind, I'm sure Sil will be proud of me, for one. Susann is an Osprey Talon 44 and only weighs about a kilo. Holds all the stuff I need as well, and this time I am taking a few things for my friend, leaving room later for food and stuff on the Camino. At the moment I have got about 7 kilos in total, but 650 g of that is going. Pretty good, I think! My Merrells have been good so far, and I am still dithering about Crocs or Tevas for sandals. Crocs are lighter, but Teva Dozers are much more cushioned and just as airy, so could come in handy for tarmac/road walking.

Oh! And I have managed to raise no less than £211 for Comic Relief already! I am taking the Red Nose Day Beatles T-shirt and all three noses and will be taking pics along the way, posting them on my blogs and on my Red Nose fundraising page http://www.myrednoseday.com/caracolinda
Please help me reach my goal of £500 for doing something funny (and challenging) for money this year! I am paying all my own expenses; all donations go to Comic Relief.

Jitters

Eeeek! A weeeek! Only a week until I go for the walk I have had on my calendar since late 2007! And it still feels like I have no idea what I'm doing; I haven't reeeally read all the guides and info sheets yet, because it always felt like we had all the time in the world to do it later - and now it's here, and I have got some serious jitters. Good ones, mostly. I am hoping the weather is going to stay the way it is now, at the moment Porto has got 15-19 degrees and pure sunshine every day apart from the day before we arrive. Let's hope that's not representative of a negative trend!

Packing equals tough choices

So I took my Stralon - as you do, if you have hand made one - and quickly put all my Camino stuff into it. I stupidly/cleverly bet a friend that I will be carrying no more than an English stone, which equals 6.35 kilos, and that's with the water. Brr. So that's 1.25 kg for the pack, leaving 5.10 for stuff, which is really 4.60 with half a litre of water or 4.10 with a litre. Then I put it on my back - feels okay so far, but thinking about walking with it all day ... hm.
Naturally, when I discovered that one of my fleeces weighed in at 420 grammes and the other at 280, I chose to bring the latter. It feels as if Sillydoll from the Pilgrimage to Santiago forum, the Queen of sensible and very light weight walking, is standing in the room watching me every time I try to put something not strictly necessary into the pack ... like the silk top or the cashmere wrap or that lovely day cream or the conditioner or a spare pair of shoes.
Right, so that's two pairs of walking shorts, one pair of long trekking trousers which look decent enough for Lisbon and Coimbra and are warmer, in case the weather turns (In Galicia? You must be kidding). One long sleeved and two short sleeved walking tops, one fleece, one pair of Crocs, one pair Merrell walking shoes, a light scarf/sarong/wrap, toiletries and travel towel, first aid stuff, socks and undies, weatherproof jacket, silk sleeping bag and my Altus. Oh, and red noses and Red Nose T-shirt for taking silly photos along the way! I'm sure it will weigh more than 4.10 kg ...

The Stralon has landed!

Or is it a Tatos? Who knows - it's the first one in of its kind, and I am feeling Rather pleased with myself. (Borderline smug, truth be told.) So here's the receipe:

*Take 1 brand new Osprey Stratos 40, size Small, giving a capacity of 38 litres all in.
*Realise that the shoulder straps curve sort of mid-shoulder and not at armpit level as prescribed.
*Sigh, swear inwardly, list it on eBay, then have lightbulb moment.
*Cancel eBay listing and carefully undo shoulder straps from pack.
*Stitch narrow-ish webbing to strap ends, then fasten them onto mesh thingummy that the straps were sewn onto before taking scissors to them, thus gaining about 4 inches on the strap length and getting that blessed curve in the right place. Yay!
*Cleverly make cone type thing covering the end of straps, simultaneously protecting the join with the webbing and allowing a certain amount of movement sideways and at angles, insuring that shoulder straps will never rub side of neck.
*Then insert Talon ridged back panel into space between mesh and the struts creating air space for cooling down sweaty backs. This space can be used for a water bladder or additional storage, effectively upping the capacity to 40 again. And you still have a great cooling system at the back!
*Give yourself a pat on the back.
*Now name the thing you have created (there is literary presedence for this; avoid your last name). Hmm. Stralon? Tatos? Carrie? (I like Carrie.)
*Feel smug, take pictures and post on blog just because you can.
*Pack it full and walk about with it as often as possible before leaving for Camino Portugues with custom made backpack!

BEFORE:



















AFTER:

The kindness of Customer Services

Can I sing their praises for a bit? Just a little bit? Osprey's Customer Services Dept (hi, Kamila!) has very kindly helped me sort my Stratos 40 out in preparation for my second training Camino. As you may have noticed, I quite like my Ospreys, and I have tried, tested and rejected most of them. Not because they are not good enough, because they are the bee's proverbials, but because I have a very short back and a duck's bottom, plus proper hips, I keep falling between sizes Small and Medium - and if that wasn't enough, I have RSI as well, so weight distribution and harness shape is very important to me. The Talon 44 was almost perfect, but a bit on the big side, so I decided to downsize by a few litres.
After hunting through just about every Osprey model there is (plus a few other makes and models) I have found near bliss in the Stratos 40 (38 litres in a size Small). It has a lid (check), side zip (ditto), compression which protects the zip (yay) and does not squash the water bottles in the stretchy side pockets (hurrah!), a front stretch pocket to keep jacket etc in (brilliant), a good hipbelt which fits me (at last), the right back length ... so all should be well. It really does everything, is light and sturdy and just big enough that I can bring everything without bringing too much.
Only problem was that empty space on the back, designed to keep you cool, means that the weight is shifted a bit away from your back. But I had a cunning plan ...
I contacted Customer Services and asked about buying a Talon ridged back panel to insert into the cavity in the pack, behind the mesh, which makes it almost like a Talon - and they very kindly sent me a factory second free of charge! Now I can use the space behind it for wet gear, rain poncho or laundry, which means more capacity and a better carry, because it brings the weight closer to my back.
Oh, and I have also turned the back system; for some reason the corners resting near your bottom are sharper than the ones in the air above your shoulders, so I swapped them around and now it sits much better. I am loading it up with my Camino stuff this week and then going on my first test walk as soon as possible. Pics and review of my customised Stralon later!

18 days left!

Less than three weeks until I leave for Portugal! I'd be lying if I said I had everything ready, but with a little luck, a little training and a little (rather a lot) of help from the kind Kamila at Osprey, it looks as if I might just be getting there by the time I go.

I have never been to Porto before, and on our way there from Lisbon we are stopping at Coimbra, a place I have always felt strangely drawn to. So it'll be like a little mini-break before we start the Camino in earnest. And I am so looking forward to that part, almost more than seeing Lisbon again; I can almost feel the cooling evening breeze on us after a day's walk, sitting down on plastic chairs, undoubtedly, in a small village somewhere, saying nothing, just staring out into the air, maybe watch a sunset, and then, after having finished the glass of vino tinto, toddling happily off to bed, early to rise and go out walking again, come rain or shine.

I never would have thought (and ask any of my friends or family; that's them shaking their heads now) that I would ever be so content to do something so - exhausting at times. Hard. Tiring. Some would say meaningless. Just walking from one place to another, when there are perfectly good public transport alternatives, and more interesting holiday destinations besides. But I love it. Need it, maybe? Is it a simple solution to a complex set of questions? Or a simple way of overlooking them to see if they really matter? I don't know, nor do I care. All I am going to do is go to Portugal and enjoy the walk towards Santiago, enjoy the time I will be spending sightseeing, walking, resting, talking to my friend, finding my way and slowly, gradually getting there.

Santiago ...

I know. There is no mention of my arrival in Santiago. Don't know why - maybe because I am still trying to figure out what it is about the place that makes me want to not only keep on walking there, but sell up and just move there. The atmosphere in a city which people flock to is obviously pretty amazing - these tired souls (and soles) have walked for weeks, sometimes months, to get there, and there they are, all smiles and tears, soothed and relieved to be at the heart of the journey at last. I certainly felt it. Something buzzing, something positively glowing, something awe-inspiring in the air. That is why I am going back.
In March!
In two months' time!
Got my backpack (don't mock; it's new one ...), my Merrell shoes, best ever, and all my other equipment ready. This time we are walking from Porto, possibly avoiding the initial roadside etapas, but looking forward to the Portuguese and Galician countryside preparing for spring. Can't wait!