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<DIV><FONT face="Courier New" size=2>Tony,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Courier New" size=2>I walked from St. Jean last May... can't
help with weather. As for gear, I just took what I absolutely couldn't do
with out and nothing really professional except some good boots (and that all
depends on one's particular feet anyway).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Courier New" size=2>Some of the guys with whom I met up and
walked to Suso (a days walk off the camino). As we walked this way (via
paved roads using a road map), I noticed road signs that said something to the
effect of that joining on a wine trail -- a driving tour of wineries, I
assumed. Also, at Yuso, just by Suso, also a monastery, there the oldest
known Spanish writing. At Suso (they both go together, basically), there
is a (5?) star hotel, in case you are wanting a little luxury at that
point. I actually slept on a cememt floor for free in someone's garage,
but. . . if I were a wealthy pilgrim, I might have splurged.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Courier New" size=2>Peace,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Courier New" size=2>mpb</FONT></DIV>
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style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A href="mailto:agsustraCHARTER.NET" title=agsustraCHARTER.NET>Tony
Schuster</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
href="mailto:GOCAMINOaPETE.URI.EDU"
title=GOCAMINOaPETE.URI.EDU>GOCAMINOaPETE.URI.EDU</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, April 29, 2002 10:12
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> New member</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Hola!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I joined the Friends today because I am walking the Santiago trail with
my wife in September/October. I am a reasonably experienced backpacker but
this will be our first exposure to trekking. We are in the process of
defining the gear to be carried, and the like. We expect to follow the
Napoleonic Route starting at St. Jean Pied de Port in mid-September. Advice on
gear, weather and the like would be much appreciated.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>This is an exercise in cultural and physical adventure. We have been to
Spain a couple of times, have dear friends there and have greatly enjoyed the
people and the country. We hope to become acclimatized to the culture and
maybe even pick up enough of the language to stop our continual reliance on
English. If we can also get some impression of the history in a real, rather
than book, sense and renew an old friendship with the wines of Rioja it
will be a great time.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> Tony</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>