Safety in the Camino

[Diane Grust]

I just walked the camino alone this past May and can say I heard of no
problems with theft at all.  I usually stayed in refugios in larger cities
and generally started out the day by myself and other than a couple of older
men giving me candy (which I took even though my mother warned me against it
years ago) I never encountered a "problem."  I also left my backpack outside
the refugio in Burgos so I could go back into the city in the morning.  I
took my journal with me as I did not want to lose it but if my backpack were
stolen the only other thing I would have been sorry to lose was my film.  My
valuables: wallet, camera were in my jacket pockets.  My backpack consisted
of some not so clean clothes, a sleeping bag and a pair of sneakers.  Hardly
a fantastic score for a criminal and as for other pilgrims after two weeks I
was looking to carry less stuff (and often gave things away I did not need)
rather than more.  I thought that was one of the better lessons of the camino
-- you learn the real price of things by having to carry them around on your
back (and believe me you will find your stuff a lot less valuable).  I gave
up the notion of hair conditioners, skin cream, etc., as I did not want to
carry any of it.   Many of the people who have problems with blisters are
carrying a mountain on their back.  It was very hot on the second part of the
camino and I often had to carry three liters of water which is quite heavy
but also the most necessary item.  Whenever I met someone who had walked the
camino before they were always the people with the smallest bags who were
carrying the most water.