My Bag Is Packed, I'm Ready To Go

A lifelong friend of mine invited me to join her on her dream of walking the Camino, a historic pilgrimage that winds hundreds of miles through Spain. Before she asked me, I had never heard of it. This is the joy and honor of having beautiful friends who open up your life to new experiences. Now I’m one week out from following in the footsteps of centuries of seekers of meaning, faith, or adventure. Personally, I am seeking connection with my friend and as many fellow travelers as I can meet in the weeklong span I’ll be out there.

Once you discover something exists, it seems like the whole world was in on secret you hadn't been let in on. The internet delivers shelves of books and movies on the topic, photo albums from thousands of modern pilgrims, open journals of reflection, detailed guides, and curated packing lists with product promotions. There’s not a ton of guesswork on what I need to do to prepare. But it is always fun to break down a packing list.

The main goal is to pack minimally, since I’ll be carrying everything on my back every mile of the way. On the other hand, I need to cover cold weather, hot weather, wet weather, potential blisters or other minor injuries (I never plan for major injuries). I culled a few packing lists that accounted for all the weathers to come up with mine.

I am borrowing a friend’s backpack that served her through a few European adventures in the 2000s. I can feel the backpack’s excitement to get back out there when I strap it on for weighted practice walks. Today, I laid out everything before packing it for a full simulation.

There was quite a dichotomy among experienced walkers regarding packing books to read. Many people never had a chance to crack a book, taking in every vista and story from fellow travelers as their narrative. Others found a lot of meaning in having some literary accompaniment. I'll be taking Amber's recommendation (she always has good recs), Richard Powers' The Overstory. If I don't have time on the trail, I'll have lots of time on the travel to and from the Camino.

Another critical item is my very own hand-crafted journal built and bound by my friend (and Camino companion). I hope to fill it with discoveries, drawings, and data present only on the Camino.