clothing variety

[Jim Damico]

I liked Alan's ideas on having "two pairs of walking shorts with zip on/off
legs and one pair of legs".  Sounds great.  I used a wicking Tshirt during
the day.  It was cool, very easy to wash and dried almost immediately.  But
I'd almost only recommend just one more shirt for evenings.  You can always
buy a souvenir tshirt if you need a third shirt.

I was able to walk almost the whole way from St Jean to Finisterre in Chaco
Sandals.  But maybe I have really strong ankles.  As far as wearing sandals
in the mud, I'd skip the plastic bags - just wash your feet at the next
town's fountain.  I used a pair of very thin neoprene socks with my sandals
when the cold and/or rain got more than I could handle comfortably.  They
worked great  and could come in handy whether you wore sandals or non-Gortex
boots.

Another thing that I found handy and cut down on my wardrobe - arm warmers.
These are a fleece sleeve worn by cyclists.  They are very warm and easy to
put on or take off.  Sometimes I just pulled them down to my wrist in case
the temperature kept changing, so I could pull them up again if needed.
With my rain jacket on with the arm warmers, I was pretty toasty and no need
to have a fleece jacket.  Just a idea for those lightening the load....

And David, I don't remember walking through any "animal pastures".  In fact,
other than a few spots, the Camino in Spain is like one long bike path;
usually some crushed stone trail (sometimes 5 feet wide), and towards the
end you will even walk on concrete sidewalk just made for the pilgrims. It
gets more 'substantial' the closer you get to Santiago.

And last, about churches: I was warned about being presentable when coming
to church (ie. no shorts).  If you are able, such as after you've reached a
refugio for the night, then by all means dress better when going into a
church.  But during the day, many pilgrims don't even take their backpack
off when going in either to see the beautiful items inside or to say a quick
prayer (or both).  I think it's you're attitude that's important.  If you
come in reverently, then I'm sure god could care less what you wear.  And
the Spanish will sense your intent, rather than criticize your clothing
style.  Oh, don't forget to take off your hat.

Buen Camino

Jim Damico
www.WanderingTheWorld.com
hiking, biking & beyond...