Starting Point
The experience has two starting points. The first one is when you leave home to step into the adventure, and the second is when you find yourself at the starting point of the quest per se. At this moment, adrenaline levels are high, your heart is pumping blood furiously and your mind is focused on one thing and one thing only: the road ahead! And so, the days before the first starting point, we research, study, and prepare for our new challenge.
The Research
Your success depends heavily on your preparation. The more time you invest researching, studying, analyzing, and adapting your plan, the better outcome you can expect. Based on this principle, I am a firm believer that this is time well spent and requires the utmost care of all the details, especially the small ones.
For example, distances between towns are important, but so are elevation changes, the popularity of the path among pilgrims,
El Camino de Norte has the highest number of pilgrims between August and September, having its lowest flow between December and February. Our quest is scheduled for April and May. During the last year, the former placed 7th and the latter 3rd in the most popular months for El Camino del Norte. This means the first week of my trip will not be as populated as the rest. Based on this, booking hotels and albergues is critical to be able to have a trip as stress-free as possible when it comes to overnight stops.
Clothing is very important, and keeping it cry is of utmost necessity. One of the purchases I made was a backpack liner. It is a waterproof, lightweight bag where you can fit all your clothes and toiletries. It then can be fit inside the backpack.
A pair of shoes and wool socks are recommended, in case it rains, you can change shoes and socks. The wool socks dry faster and they are very comfortable… unless you are allergic to wool! In that case, look for compression running socks.
Studying the Route
El Camino del Norte is originally divided into 32 to 37 stages. Each stage is between 16 to 32 km long. We plan to go a little further every day so that we can cover an average distance of 43 km daily. That is the equivalent of walking a tad over one full marathon per day.
The fun side is all the hundreds of beaches, bridges, Ermitas, Churches and Cathedrals to be visited along the way. In the route are fountains, monuments, museums, and of course pinchos and tapas places to stop by, rest, enjoy the local ambiance, and connect with the people as we cover the distances.
Elevation changes vary between each stage. The most challenging are in the Basque Country and Galicia. The differences in altitude go from a few matter up to 500 in the Stages between Irun and Bilbao. While the stages between Lourenza and Santiago de Compostela go all the way over 720 meters.
Preparing for the Challenge
As for the preparation, walking daily is advisable. So once I get my backpack, I will go around the neighborhood, backpack fully loaded, and walk between 10 and 12 km daily. A couple of full water bottles will be part of these walks as well. The hiking shoes need to be worn a little to avoid blisters and pain, so I will wear them at least once a week to help loosen them a little.
There will be three or four days a week when I will need to run from one town to another, to keep my running level ready for the next marathon, in June. For these stretches, I will have my backpack taken to the next stop, where I will resume walking. It means that at least 10 km of these journeys will be run and the rest walked.
The current walking paces are:
- Fast Walking: 9 min/km
- Slow Walking: 12 min/km
Let’s see how carrying a full backpack impacts those paces. In the next post, you will be able to see the differences. 🌟🚶♂️
The statistics
Every time I talk to someone who has walked El Camino, any of the different options, a book is always recommended, as well as the Official Site. The most common book, by far, 90% of the times was mentioned, is
These are the statistics of EL Camino del Norte in 2023:
- Number of pilgrims who completed it: 20,583
- That represents 4.66% of the total number of 441,696 pilgrims
- Pilgrims by country:
- Spain: 8,360
- USA: 1,389
- Mexico: 276
- Pilgrims per transportation:
- Walk: 17,129
- Bike: 2,402
- Horse: 32
These are the statistics of EL Camino del Norte in 2024:
- Stats until Feb 20th, 2024
- Number of pilgrims who completed it: 90
- That represents 2.19% of the total number of 4,101 pilgrims
- Pilgrims by country:
- Spain: 1,495
- USA: 195
- Mexico: 88
- Pilgrims per transportation:
- Walk: 3,714
- Bike: 87
- Horse: 7
The books
Every time I talk to someone who has walked El Camino, any of the different options, a book is always recommended, as well as the Official Site. The most common book, by far, 90% of the times was mentioned, is
These are the recommendations we have for you to buy to help you have a better experience.
You can find many options on books to read and prepare for the Walk. But these two are the most recommended. The “Guia Espiritual” is only available in Spanish from the Official Site.
Gear to buy
These are the recommendations we have for you to buy to help you have a better experience. The new items, from the same list in past posts are highlighted in blue:
- Six Moons Swift V Hiking Backpack
- Six Moon Designs Pack Liner
- Trekking poles
- Wool Socks
- Lightweight Rain Jacket
- Backpack liner
- First Aid Medical Kit
- Small flashlight
- Ascis Trail Scout 3
- Arctix Cliff Convertible Trail Pants
- Kelty Rambler Sleeping Bag
Portable Charger 36800mAh Power Bank
The links
These are the links that helped me find information about the different options.
This adventure is not just about me; it’s about making a difference. I invite you to join me in the fight against diabetes by contributing to the fundraising campaign. Every donation, no matter how small, brings us closer to a world without the challenges posed by diabetes. Over 80% of all the funds will be donated to the ADA (American Diabetes Association), for some of the funds will be used to pay some of the expenses incurred along the way. AND for every dollar donated to the ADA, my employer will MATCH IT!
Stay tuned for more updates as I embark on this life-changing journey. Your support means the world to me, and together, we can make strides towards a healthier and happier future. Buen Camino!
Register for an amazing experience while riding your bike through the amazing scenery of Asheboro, NC. Coming soon, this May 18th. For more information contact us or visit the Official Webpage of the event.
