Introduction

[Forbes Christian A]

Hi everyone

I hope to meet some of you along El Camino, this Spring or Autumn.  By then
I should be in sufficient shape and have raised the courage to take the
pilgrimage I have talked about for years, ever since I fell in love with
Spain.  By then I'll be 58, a shy guy with a gray beard, listening to opera
and perhaps even talking to myself.

You'll know me by my bobbing gait on a good day, nursing a limp or maybe a
hemorrhoid on a bad one.  I'll be alone because my wife has a bad foot,
never had a religious moment anyway, and would prefer to be on a cruise.
But I need to think, shed a few tears and fears, and get closer to the
stars, my maker and His friends.  I hope St. James will be a special friend
along El Camino since he permits the use of his name at my parish church
here in Pittsburgh.

I'll have a week or so, 10 days max.  Where should I begin my walk?  Is ~20
km/day too much to average?  How long should it take from the Ponferrada
area?

How frequent are places to stay in Spring and Autumn?  What's the weather
like?  Can anyone point me to a diary from someone's trip at that time?  I'm
thinking October since April may be too rainy, and generally they pick
grapes in September/October before the rains.

Also, how much conditioning should I have (at 58)?  I now walk a few miles a
week, with a my marathon of 3-4 miles on Sundays.  Should I step it up a
lot, just a tich, or bring my personal trainer along (just kidding)?  I want
to wear in some new boots, not wear them out!

All the best/saludos a todos,

Chris Forbes