Time?

Where does the time go?  We cannot believe it has been 8 months since we first decided to walk El Camino de Santiago.  We still have approximately 2½ to 3 months before we leave and both of us are starting to get a bit anxious about our supplies - our training - our expectations.  Obviously we will never have our list complete - so we buy in Spain.  Our training has had its bumps in the road but at least we are training - not as aggressively as we thought - but better than none at all.  Expectations - threw those out the window last month.  As everyone says - the Camino will provide - what happens is what happens - and that is good enough.  We are adaptable - we will adjust - we will succeed!  In the meantine we keep on walking - doing longer and longer walks weekly - training for our one day Camino on July 6th.  If that goes as planned - then we will be much more comfortable with the big one.

Like the shell above there are many routes from the edge to the center - we shall find our way - in our own time - in God's time.

Buen Camino
Dale & Arlene 

Join Us On Our One Day Camino This July

JOIN DEACON DALE & ARLENE METCALFE ON

El Camino de los Santos

(The Way of the Saints)

An Original Walking Pilgrimage Developed By Deacon Dale For DeaconTravel Ministries

Saturday – July 6, 2013

Come Journey With Us

A Two-Part One Day Walking Pilgrimage From

A) St. Patrick, Yorkville To Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine At

St Mary Church, Plano

B) St. Mary, Plano To The Site Of The St. Gianna Beretta Molla Shrine At St. Patrick, Yorkville

Morning Pilgrimage – 8:00am – 12:30pm

(includes Morning Mass)

Afternoon Pilgrimage – 1:00 pm – 4:30pm

Adults And Youth Welcome To Participate

Participation Forms – Registration Fees – Additional Information

Available At  http://thewayofthesaints.blogspot.com

Sponsored By The Knights of Columbus – God’s Divine Mercy Council #14463

(All Proceeds Benefit The Saint Gianna Molla Shrine Project)

            

Training Days

Today we wish to update you on our recent training days.   Besides regular visits to Planet Fitness to workout on the equipment there - we have also been getting outdoors as much as possible.  This past weekend we ventured to the Galena, Illinois area to attend a wedding. Because of  the distance we made the decision to stay overnight on Friday and Saturday. While some of our friends went golfing and wine tasting - we elected to bring our backpacks and trekking poles and walked the many trails available at the resort.  Friday afternoon we went on a two and a half hour trek up and down the many hilly trails.  Saturday morning also gave us a second chance to go trekking on other paths - one very hilly one we had missed on Friday.  Needless to say - this was a change from the flat lands that we have near our home and it was a good learning experience for both of us.  How to adjust the back packs - how to use the trekking poles - and even how to keep our sun hats on in high wind.
  

We even had time to attend the wedding service and attend the evening reception.  Over all one of the best weekends we have enjoyed recently - being able to be with friends - enjoy a wedding - and celebrate Mother's Day.

Today - back on the flat land we went for our first longer walk - fully equipped - again learning and making adjustments.  What was suppose to be a five mile trek ended up being six miles - seems MapQuest miscalculated the actual distance.  Arlene felt like she was starting to develop a small blister on the top of one of her little toes - but at our half way mark we stopped for a rest period and she decided to remove her inner wool socks and walk with just the thicker ones.  Turns out the seam on the inner pair was the guilty culprit. So now - to wear two pairs or not - that will have to be decided on our future walks.

Buen Camino
Dale and Arlene

Foot Issues

Probably the biggest concern for anyone walking the Camino de Santiago de Compostela is foot issues. Blisters - tired achy feet - tight shoes - and other issues that pop up out of no where.  So I thought I had that all under control until this past weekend. I participated in the March of Dimes March for Babies - a simple 3.1 mile walk. It was slow going with thousands of people walking - pushing baby strollers - long lines at the rest stops. It was not until near the end that I started experiencing a funny sensation in the balls of my feet. Upon investigation - I discovered some serious issues that might be the cause of my problem. Rather than second guess any doctors or read too much into what happened - I will wait until tomorrow morning at which time I will get a real diagnosis.  At this point I am praying it is something simple that I can do to correct this issue. It is still about four months before we leave for Spain and after spending all this time preparing - now is not the time for any major issues.

Foot health is so important - I can only encourage others who are also preparing or thinking about preparing for an adventure like the Camino - to pay attention to their feet - to be sure you get the correct footwear - and to take the time to test and break them in before leaving for locations far distant. 

4/30/13 Follow up - saw the doctor today and good news no major problem. Seems that the fat pad under the ball of my feet tends to slip forward and cause the weird feeling. All I need to do is add a metatarsal pad to my insoles and that should correct this issue. Keep the fat where it belongs and happy feet!

5/6/13 Follow up - was able to get out for a 4K walk today - the bunching feeling did not happen - looks like the pad solved that foot issue.- now to continue with even longer walks. Camino here we come!

Buen Camino
Dale & Arlene 

Special Training Feature

As part of our training for El Camino de Santiago de Compostela I am designing my own original Camino in Illinois. This will be a one day walking experience from St Patrick Church in Yorkville, Illinois to St Mary Church in Plano, Illinois. St Mary Church will be dedicating their new Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in May 2013 and on April 28, 2013 St Patrick Church will be dedicating the site of their future Shrine for St Gianna Beretta Molla. Eventually St Patrick will have the Shrine completed - hopefully later this year - and my hope is that my "El Camino de los Santos" - The Way of the Saints - will become an annual pilgrimage for the parishioners of each parish.  

 The "Camino" is approximately 13.6 Kilometers (8.5 miles) one way so walking both directions will approximate one days walk in in Spain.  Total time about 5 to 6 hours depending on pace. At a 3 miles per hour rate I would expect closer to 6 or 7 hours total time for the day - allowing for rest breaks and lunch time. 

Buen Camino

Deacon Dale 

Back on Track

After a cold and windy winter - we are now back on track to pickup our training where we left off. Springtime offers us the climate similar to that which we anticipate on the Camino. Almost all of our gear has now been checked out and either replaced or stored for our walk. We have been reading posts on Facebook from those who are either currently walking or leaving within the next month for their Caminos and we are starting to get anxious to start our own. We do have a timetable and other commitments that need to be setttled before we can leave - so in the meantime we walk and do other training.

For those who are already walking - we offer our prayers for a safe trip and a rewarding experience.

Buen Camino
Dale and Arlene 

Anticipation

The winter months have taken their toll - my wife and I are both anxiously waiting for warmer weather so we may resume our training outside in the fresh air.  Waking on a treadmill at the health club fulfills a part of the training but nothing compares to walking on real ground where the terrain changes and our bodies have to cope with slopes and hills.  If the weather continues as it has in the past week - spring cannot be too far behind.  In the meantime we continue to evaluate our gear - packing and re-packing to learn what is going to be best for us.

For those who are already walking their camino - coping with snow still on the Camino - we wish  them good luck and safety.  Walking in the fall will provide different challenges - but we would rather be hot than cold!

Buen Camino

Dale and Arlene 

A Mini Camino

As part of our training we will be making periodic training walks with and without our back packs.  We have selected routes that will take us across various terrains - not as hilly as we might like - we are still searching for some of those - most likely will have to drive a bit to find as our local area is fairly flat.  As it warns up - soon we hope - we will tackle specified routes that will provide increasingly longer sessions.  As it stands we have a simple route from our home to US Route 47 and back - continuing on to the local post office and returning home. That is a short walk of only 2.6 miles (4.2 Km) for approximately 45 minutes.  A second route takes us from our home to a friends home that will provide 5 miles (8 Km) for approximately just under 2 hours. Our current pace is between 3 mph and 3.5 mph.  With our back packs we are aiming at an average rate of 3 mph and averaging 18 miles (29 Km) a day.

Our goal is to be able to comfortably walk 20 miles (32 Km) in approximately 6 hours - with reserve to walk further as the need arises. As a part of our training we have decided to design a special "Mini Camino" and invite people from our church to walk to a new shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe recently built in a neighboring parish which is approximately 9 miles (14.4 Km) away. The round trip will be 18 miles (29 Km) and approximately the daily distance that we will be walking when on the Camino in Spain.

So if all goes as planned we will walk El Camino de los Santos to Plano, IL  in mid June of 2013.  Our intent is to walk this route or a slightly modified route for 4 days in a row as a way of testing our stamina and seeing how our bodies feel.  This should be a good indication of how well prepared we are.  Since we are not planning to walk until the end of August that will give us another 2 months to modify our training if needed. 

Buen Camino
Dale and Arlene 

Weight Matters

In the previous post "size matters" - we mentioned that it was important  to limit the amount of gear that we would be carrying in our back pack. Taking lightweight compressible technical items will help to save weight and space - allowing us to carry a smaller sized back pack. At this point our list includes the following items and weights (in kilograms)

                  Item                                              weight/Kg - Arlene             weight/Kg - Dale 

1.  Back pack/rain cover/tubing                                  1.45                               1.45 
2.  Sleeping bag                                                          0.77                               0.77 
3.  Undies - 2 pair to carry                                          0.06                               0.145 
4.  Bra - 2 pair                                                             0.09                                 0
5.  Wool socks - 2 pair                                                0.196                             0.23 
6.  Wool liner socks - 2 pair                                        0.087                             0.107 
7.  Tech t-shirt short sleeve                                         0.14                               0.154 
8.  Tech t-shirt long sleeve                                           0.2                                0.293 
9.  Rain jacket/pants/stuff sack                                    0.541                            0.669 
10. Zip off convertible pants                                         0.32                             0.398 
11. Quick dry towel                                                       0.186                           0.186 
12. Toothbrush                                                              0.013                           0.013 
13.  Toothpaste                                                            0.028                            0.028 
14.  Headlight                                                               0.092                            0.092 
15.  Extra batteries                                                       0.031                            0.031 
16.  Guidebook                                                                0                                0.303 
17.  Canon Elph Camera + charger                                0                                 0.214 
18.  iPhone + charger                                                   0.195                            0.195 
19.  Down jacket   "puffy"                                              0.316                            0.450
20.  1.8L platypus biz zip bag only                                0.9                                0.9 

Total Kg                                                                        5.615                            6.628 
Total lbs                                                                      12.353                          14.582

 Water will increase the weight by 1Kg per liter - we will not completely fill the bladder - so we will add about 1.5Kg with water.

This list is constantly being reviewed and modified - as of today this is our list. A few items we will add when we we get to the Camino since we intend on carrying our back packs on the plane - so we cannot carry knives and some first aid supplies. We will buy in Spain and add then. 

From everything we have read on the Camino forum and elsewhere - our weight should be good - keeping the basic weight including the back pack to under 7 Kg.

We will update in future posts and publish a final list before we actually leave.

Buen Camino

Dale and Arlene

Size Matters

Size does matter when you are making decisions on what to carry with you on the camino and what to put it in. My wife typically likes to lounge around in oversized t-shirts and baggy clothes. We all tend to do that - comfy is more important when relaxing at home. On the Camino de Santiago de Compostela - that is a whole new issue. For the camino we have to live diferently than we normally do - not only in size of garments and bulkiness - but also in our daily living. On the camino we will leave behind many of the daily comforts that we have grown to rely on - to make our lives simpler - less cumbersome to cope with. With that in mind we have had to look at our wardrobe and replace certain items - actually most of them. For a journey of this nature we have been forced to select very lightweight fabrics - trimmer cut - which are quick drying and wick perspiration away from the body. In the outdoors world this is known as technical clothing. With a fancy name like that also comes bigger than normal prices. We do have to admit - that after trying technical undies for starters - they are worth the money invested in them.

Normally - when we go away on a ten or fourteen day trip to Europe - we would pack ten or fourteen pairs of undies and socks. Now that we have been testing the quick drying lightweight fabrics - we have learned that we no longer need to pack as much - making for lighter weight baggage and more room for trinkets when we return home :) We have an European trip planned before we walk the camino - so we will put our new clothes through an actual test on the road. It will be interesting to see how we adapt to that. Wearing convertible slacks that convert to shorts with a zipper is another way to make one item multi-task and avoid extra garments.

 

In my previous post in which I showed a list of what we plan to carry - I mentioned that we will keep all of our extra clothes in a waterproof stuff sack - which we will use as a pillow - thus avoiding the need to carry a pillow with us. 

We selected the Sea to Summit 8 liter sack which amazingly holds every single piece of extra clothing that we need - undies - socks - shirts - pants. This is important because most likely we will encounter rain at some point on our walk and although we have a rain cover for our backpack - there is always the chance of getting the items inside the backpack wet. We want to avoid having to wear wet clothes at all costs - so the sack is a very good investment.

We also had to consider a sleeping bag versus a sleep sack - after trying both we determined that a 55F travel sack - sleeping bag was all  that we would need. We debated if we should buy the poly-fill one or the down filled one - but they both were the identical weight and size - so we selected the synthetic one since we possibly may never use it again and it was one-third the price.

I started this post by saying that size does matter - after doing the research and buying and testing and returning different items we ended up with our proposed list. The next small item we needed was a backpack to carry all of this plus our hydration bladder. We tried on different brands - the folks at REI had us walk around the store for half an hour with backpacks loaded with weight so we could see how they felt. After all that - we still were not sure which to buy - so we returned to online research armed with the information the REI folks gave us and we selected two bags - which we bought online from REI - since they had earned our business by their helpfulness. The bags arrived - we loaded them up - walked around the house with them and immediately knew we had purchased the wrong ones. Back to REI with our selections - they cheerfully took them back and made other suggestions. More online shopping since they didn't have the ones we wanted in stock - no problem. Within a few days the new ones arrived. Again we loaded them up - walked around and this time were pleased.

 

Deuter ACT Trail 32L 

Dale's

Deuter ACT Trail SL 28L

Arlene's

There is a lot of discussion on the Camino forum about what size backpack. Some feel bigger is better - you don't squeeze everything so much - so they like 40 liter and bigger. Then there are those who go very small. We chose a 32 liter for myself - my clothes are bigger than Arlene's and she chose a 28 liter. When we added the hydration bladder - the sleeping bag - the stuff sack with clothes - the sack with rain gear and the remainder - we both have room to spare. We are not using all the space or the pockets - so we should be fine. Once packed - the backpacks may be cinched down to make them as compact and stable as possible. We are paying close attention to how we pack these - as keeping the weight evenly distributed will make a difference on how comfortable they are to carry for six hours a day or more. We are also trying to keep them as compact as possible to avoid them shifting around when we move and bend - to help increase our stability and avoid issues with our backs - hips - knees and ankles. Walking with trekking poles will help us achive our stability goals. The last time I weighed our bags - both came in around 12 pounds or 5.5 kilos. Everyone on the forum stresses that we want to stay at 7 kilos or less - so right now we are doing good. Hopefully it stays close to these weights by the time we actually leave. 

By keeping the bulk down - choosing lightweight technical items that are highly compressible - not worrying about wrinkles :) we should be in good shape.

Buen Camino
Dale and Arlene 

Equipment list

Today we are providing a list of the items that we will take with us on our camino. In regards to clothing - we will wear one and carry one. In order to keep the weight of our backpacks to a minimum we are forced to become minimalists - carrying as little as possible and as light as possible. The goal is to be able to walk as if you were carrying nothing more on yourself than the clothes you wear. 

Our List

backpack with raincover
sleeping bag
undies x 3
bra x 2
wool socks x 3
liner socks x 3
t-shirt short sleeve
long sleeve shirt
rain jacket
rain pants
convertible cargo pants 
walking shorts
quick dri towel
light weight sandals
toothbrush
travel toothpaste
headlight
extra batteries
guidebook
camera + charger
iPhone + charger
iPad
safety pins
down jacket
1.8L platypus hydration bladder 
Passport + Drivers License
Insurance Cards + Travel Documents
Small wallet w/credit card + ATM card + money

As it stands this is all we will carry. No pillow? Our extra clothes will be carried in a waterproof stuff sack and we will use that as a pillow. Since we will be walking in August - September - October we can get away with shorts for most of the time except for early mornings when there is a chill. For those times we wear the convertible pants and convert to shorts as the day warms up or we wear our rain pants over shorts and remove them later in the day. If our t-shirt and long sleeve shirt does not provide enough warmth then we can layer on the down jacket and in worst case senario - add the rain jacket which will be a great windbreak and add warmth. Since Dale loves cooler weather - he will not have the same warmth issues that Arlene will. Layering with two shirts + down jacket + rain jacket should be more than enough to keep Arlene warm. 

In addition to the above items we do have the hiking boots, the trekking poles and a sun hat.

Food items will be purchased on the walk and should be readily available. Our iPhones will have music - and apps for language translator - daily Breviary.

As with everything - we are constantly evaluating - adjusting - so this list could grow a little or it could shrink - but right now we do not see anything that is excessive except the iPad. The iPad is coming along because we intend to do daily blogging and Dale will attempt to keep his Deacon blog posts current also - as long as we are able to find wi-fi.

Buen Camino

Dale and Arlene

Walking Aids

Once we settled on our hiking boots we learned that we should also use trekking poles. They are very similar to ski poles and if used properly help reduce the strain on the hips and knees. Some perrigrinos like to use a single walking stick - coming from a health care background - we knew it was better to do a proper balancing act - i.e. use dual poles. Trekking poles - we are told - are mandatory on the hills. They help you keep your balance on the uneven terrain - especially on the down hill descent. Our biggest concern is to maintain our balance - if we can accomplish that - we should be able to avoid any ankle or knee issues.

PaceMaker Poles **Note The Tips 

There are a lot of different trekking poles available. To start with we purchased some inexpensive ones - we are testing those and learning how to properly use them. There is a technique to get the maximum benefit from them. We may upgrade to better poles as we continue in our training - for now what we have seem to suffice. There are some ultralight - compact poles that we may take with us - our concern is being able to carry on the airplane - as many airlines insist they must be checked. We have time to figure this issue out.  **Shown above are the poles we decided to use - lightweight - cork grips - multi-tipped tips. 

The other important walking aid is a water container. The two options are carrying a water bottle or a hydration bladder. The bottle slips into a side pocket on the backpack - the hydration bladder fits inside the backpack with a drink tube that snakes its way along the backpack straps and hangs by your chest. We tried both and selected the hydration bladder. It was too difficult to reach around our backs to insert the water bottle into the side pocket after drinking. The bladder keeps the drink tube right at chest level and is more convenient. 

We purchased the Platypus Big Zip which fits nicely inside our backpack. It is easy to fill and holds 1.8 liters (60 ounces) of water which should be more than enough as water is readily available along the Camino. 

Keeping our balance by making sure the weight of our backpack is evenly distributed and using  trekking poles as we walk and having a readily accessible source of water to keep us hydrated will help assure that our Camino will be successful.

Buen Camino

Dale and Arlene

Hiking Boots

The most important piece of equipment that we need to walk El Camino de Santiago de Compostela is a very good pair of hiking boots. When we were researching information we learned that this is one of the hottest topics - boots - shoes - sandals - barefoot? Yes we have read that every once in awhile someone attempts to walk the Camino barefoot. Unless you have been raised all your life going barefoot - or are one of those African runners who have unbelievably well conditioned feet - I would not even think about going barefoot on the Camino. Over the course of 790 kilometers - i.e. 500 miles - we will walk on asphalt (in the hot sun - need I say more) - gravel - grass - mud - and everything in between. We will walk on flat terrain - hilly terrain - over streams - wooden walkways - rocky mountains. If we were much younger - we might attempt this walk with a good pair of athletic shoes - but alas - we are older - and hopefully wiser. The shoe of choice by the majority of older peregrinos - is hiking boots. Even in this category - there is a choice between lo-cut, mid-height - full height. To make it more interesting you also have backpacking boots - hiking boots - trail boots and lightweight and heavyweight. As you can see - this is not a choice made lightly or quickly. We did know we wanted a boot that would give us ankle support for going up and more importantly going down hills - also with a hard sole - i.e. Vibram - that would be able to stand up to the varying terrain and last the entire 500 miles.  

Luckily we were aimed at REI - what began as a group of 23 mountain climbing buddies is now the nation's largest consumer cooperative - focusing on outdoors sports - equipment - supplies. The one thing about REI that we have grown to love is their 100% satisfaction return policy. This means that although both of us are now on our third pair of hiking boots - we have not lost any of our investment in this particular item. There are other products that we have purchased - took home - weighed - packed into our backpack - and decided to return - either for a different model - size - brand - or just decided that we really didn't need it in the first place. Equipping yourself for the Camino is a lot of trial and error - we are learning quickly - how much trial and error. 

At this time we both ended up with Vasque Breeze 2.0 Mid GTX Hiking Boots which seem to be working out just fine. 

Dale's 

Arlene's

Along with the hiking boots we purchased wool socks. I had no idea that wool - especially merino wool - is the preferred sock that hikers wear. For especially long hikes - like the Camino - it is recommended that you wear a thin wool liner sock inside the wool hiking sock. So far - so good. As soon as the temperature gets a bit warmer we can resume our outdoors training - so for the time being - we wear them around the house - and spend our walking time on the treadmill at Planet Fitness.

Buen Camino
Dale and Arlene

Buen Camino

If you read anything on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela you will notice very often the article or post will end with "buen camino". So what does that mean? Buen in Spanish means good. Camino has numerous meanings - 

noun
		way	manera, forma, camino, modo, medio, vía
		road	carretera, camino, calle, ruta, calzada, firme
		path	camino, trayectoria, sendero, recorrido, paso, pista
		journey	viaje, camino, trayecto, ruta
		track	pista, vía, rastro, trayectoria, camino, huella
		trail	sendero, rastro, camino, pista, recorrido, estela
		pathway	camino, senda, acera, vereda
		course	curso, transcurso, rumbo, camino, proceso, trayecto
		line	línea, fila, cola, renglón, vía, camino
		avenue	avenida, camino, rambla
		lane	carril, calle, vía, camino, banda, callejón
		bypath	camino

Pilgrims - in Spanish - peregrinos - offer this greeting to each other as they pass by - wishing their fellow pilgrims a safe and happy journey. This greeting is not just for The Way of St James in Spain - it is very apropo - fitting - to offer this to anyone - as all of us are on some kind of journey as we pass by each other in this life.  Buen camino = good journey.

Buen Camino

Dale and Arlene - peregrinos in training