[Gocamino] yellow arrows

[Robert Spenger]

Somehow I get the feeling from all this furor that a lot of people  
are overreacting. Sure, the new logo is crummy, but I don't think  
that it is as bad as the silly cartoon figure that was put up all  
over the place in Galicia a few years ago. And please note that the  
cartoon did not replace the yellow arrows - well, perhaps a few, I  
couldn't really tell, but the vast majority of them were still  
around. The new waymark is another matter. It is not ugly and it does  
vaguely resemble an arrow, but it is obviously  much more difficult  
to apply and, I agree, that it would not be as easy to spot,  
especially under poor lighting conditions. My strong hunch is that no  
one is going to be trying to remove any yellow arrows - at least not  
outside of Galicia. Most likely the new way marks, like the cartoon  
figure, will be used to supplement the current arrows, not replace  
them. Any problem would be in the future as the old arrows fade and  
need restoration. Except for Galicia, which seems to be responsible  
for all these controversial experiments, the maintenance of the  
system of markings is up to the local Santiago organizations. It is  
going to depend on the enthusiasm and attitudes of the camino  
supporters of each area as to how well the system is maintained.  
Appeals to any central authority aren't going to have that much  
effect outside of Galicia. Yeah, I know - this is all just  
speculation on my part, but I just don't think that the thousands of  
yellow arrows are going to disappear any time soon.

It is interesting that so many members of these three groups have  
shown such a strong emotional reaction to this potential threat. The  
arrows are not exactly an ancient tradition. They have been around  
for only thirty years. From the point of view of camino pioneers like  
Linda Davidson and Elyn Aviva, we are all newbies - spoiled by the  
convenience of having the many yellow arrows to mark the way. When  
Linda and David Gitlitz made their first trip in 1974, there may not  
have been any arrows painted yet. I don't remember the date that the  
good Father first started his monumental work. Elyn made her trip 8  
years later and I doubt that there were many arrows in place by 1982.

I can understand the reactions. I have strong feelings for the arrows  
myself. After struggling with the non-directional rouge et blanc  
symbols of the GR 653 for 400 miles or so, I really appreciated  
having the directional arrows to show the way (but not the ambiguous  
shells which could be interpreted as "fingers of the saint pointing  
the way" or, just the opposite, "all roads lead to Santiago").

Interestingly enough, I ran across yellow arrows in France a few days  
ago, in the neighborhood of Saint Privat, the first major stop on the  
LePuy route. The pilgrim route, the GR 65, was way marked with the  
usual GR red and white bars, but there were several local short loop  
hikes in the area and they were marked with yellow bars. An  
approaching turn on these non pilgrim routes was often signified by a  
yellow arrow. Deja Vu all over again as Churchy would put it.

By the way, the GR 65 in that area was really loaded with pilgrims in  
that period (i.e. last week of May and first week of June). It was  
cold enough for a hail storm and snowfall along the route and then  
abruptly turned summer hot at the start of June. The baggage  
handlers, Fractage and Transbagages, were doing a brisk business, as  
very many of the pilgrims were carrying just their daypacks. Many did  
not even have backpacks for their main luggage, but used more  
traditional suitcases and valises. Of course, I often did not know  
which travelers were Saint Jacques pilgrims and which were not, but  
from our conversations, most of them seem to have been pilgrims. For  
this route, I got the feeling that just walking and not packing all  
the gear was regarded as perfectly acceptable. We were not on the  
pilgrimage by the way. It became apparent even before we left Lyon  
that the pilgrimage was not to be. We ended up doing a few day hikes  
around LePuy, Saint Privat, and Saugues, as well as taking the motor  
safari at the wildlife refuge at Margeride. If I had done the GR 65,  
I would have stuck with schlepping my full gear. We had considered  
the possibility of using one of the baggage services for my wife's  
luggage, but she was not ready for any more than a few kilometers of  
walking in a day. The alternative of her riding along with the  
luggage was possible, but we were deterred from trying that. Too much  
likelihood of misconnections and lack of communication. A couple of  
cell phones might have solved the problem, but we didn't try that.

Regards,

Bob S.