[Gocamino] 17 year old on solo Camino.

[Richard Ferguson <peregrino at att.net.]

There are 17 year olds and 17 year olds, is he pretty mature?  Does he speak much Spanish?  Has he been to Spain in the last few years?  It is a very long way from home when you are by yourself, but if he has a family member to walk with him the first couple of days, that would go a long way to getting him into the routine.  I saw a lot of high school kids in organized groups with adult leaders.  I saw a lot of college kids on camino, but I think they were doing it with friends, not solo.  I don't think that I would  agree to it as a solo trip, unless he has done a lot of international travel and speaks some Spanish.   If there were two teenagers, both mature, that would seem more reasonable, if the one panics the other can help keep things level.

I remember reading something from a doctor who panicked on a solo Camino trip and had to fly home early.  Jet lag may have contributed to his anxiety attack, but in a very strange environment, anyone can panic, especially if they perceive that they are alone.  I remember being close to the end of my rope the first two days on my own solo Camino, and I was 50 years old, spoke good Spanish, and had traveled to various countries around the world.  I remember being agitated, and a Spanish pilgrim telling me that I was OK, trying to calm me down.  Solo trips are harder, especially mentally, than trips with others, unless you are accustomed to them, which he surely is not.

I saw a 17 year old panic on a canoe trip last year, the situation was scary, but he just froze up, which presented a challenge for his partner, and increased the danger of the situation.  Luckily his partner was much older and very panic resistant, so I didn't have to bring sad news to his mother.

Notice that I have focused on panic as a hazard, but teenagers are not known for good judgement either, and could get into trouble that way as well.

So I will say no to a solo trip by teenagers, whether they are 18 or not.

Richard


 -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Rebekah Scott <rebrites at yahoo.com>
> A 17-year-old pilgrim?
>  
> My son Philip is 17, turning 18 in August. He wanted to volunteer with a 
> literacy group in rural India, but couldn't go until he turned 18. Having heard 
> his mom and step-father obsess for years about the Camino de Santiago, he's 
> asked us to ship him over to Pamplona in June so he can walk The Way. 
> I am thrilled and excited. But I'm also having second thoughts about someone so 
> young and so American walking so far on his own. His step-dad, who walked the 
> Way in 2002, will take him there and walk the first couple of days with him, and 
> will greet him in Santiago when he arrives...they will come back to USA 
> together. (stepdad patrick is doing a hospitalero stint on the Via de la Plata 
> whilst Philip does the Camino Frances.) 
> I say all that to say this: What do you wise heads think? Is 17 too young? Will 
> he be OK? What do you think?
> Rebekah 
> 
> 
> Rebekah Scott, periodista
> Westmoreland County bureau
> Pittsburgh Post-Gazette USA
> 		
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