Tents and cook stoves

[Elyssa East]

Hey Ana,

Thank you so very much.  I figured I didn't need all of that stuff but then
I've seen pictures of people with huge packs on.  Part of why I want to do
this trip is to have a nice walk and to not have to carry so much, so I just
wanted to make sure.

Did you make your trip by yourself?  I am going alone and am just curious
about that.  I've traveled alone before to Mexico and N. Europe, and Canada.

I'm so excited.  My birthday is St. Santiago Day (7/25) and I plan on
hopefully arriving in Compostela on that day.
--
Elyssa East
eeastamaine.rr.com
207-874-0694


> From: Ana Young <ayoung2001aYAHOO.COM>
> Reply-To: Road to Santiago Pilgrimage <GOCAMINOapete.uri.edu>
> Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2001 06:24:51 -0700
> To: GOCAMINOapete.uri.edu
> Subject: Tents and cook stoves
>
> --- Elyssa East <eeastaMAINE.RR.COM> wrote:
>> Also, how much do people usually carry with them?
>> I've done a lot of
>> backpacking and have read suggestions to carry a
>> small tent. Is a cook stove
>> necessary?  Food I take it is not
>
> Hi Elyssa,
>
> A tent and cook stove are not necessary unless you're
> camping out. Most pilgrims in Spain do not, as there
> are refuges on each stage of the walk. You do need a
> sleeping bag or at least a bag liner (better for the
> weight in summer) because many of the refuges require
> one because they don't have sheets. All towns have
> stores where you can shop for your dinner if the
> refuges have kitchens, which most do. So no one brings
> a stove - again, unless they plan on camping out the
> entire time. On the pilgrimage, weight is the primary
> factor.
>
> Even if you choose not to cook your dinner every night
> in the refuges, restaurants and bars in Spain are
> wonderfully cheap - at least compared to what
> Americans are used to. You can get a full three-course
> "pilgrim's menu" for 1,000 pesetas - right now about
> $7. Many times you will have to pay more, of course,
> maybe 1,200 or 1,500. But not much more.
>
> This is not a traditional backpacking trip where you
> need to carry your kitchen and full bedroom with you.
> I ran into two German pilgrims last summer who had
> theirs with them - they were loaded down with what
> they thought were the "essentials" - a tent, cook
> stove, umpteen food packets, pots and pans, etc. They
> ended up sending most of it home when they reached
> Leon.
>
> Many of the grocery stores in the small towns have
> some of those same food packets you see campers carry
> - usually soups or stews where you just mix it with
> water. I had some of them and they were not bad at
> all. I also cooked pasta, sausage, chicken and mixed
> vegetables during my stays in the refugios.
>
> One refugio I was in, the one in Arzua, two stages
> before Santiago, had a big kitchen and I enjoyed a
> terrific chicken dinner prepared by a Portuguese
> pilgrim who invited me to partake (yes, that will
> happen. always accept). But the problem there was
> there was no dish detergent or anything to wash the
> dishes with afterward. So you may want to take a sec
> before cooking and make sure there's something there.
> If not, it might be nice to donate some dish detergent
> which you can also buy at the local grocery.
>
> Always take some fruit, bread, dried fruit, raisins,
> etc. with you on the walk each day. These will provide
> you with protein and energy until lunchtime. And, yes,
> you can buy these each night in the groceries.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> Buen Camino,
> Ana
>
>
>
>
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