What am I packing?

This post presents a shift back to the practical and responds to Peter's question regarding just what I am carrying on my back.

The quick answer is "Too much..."

The Camino infrastructure provides both a place to lay one's head and places to eat great, reasonably priced food. So I carry neither tent nor cooking gear.

In my 48 liter backpack I do have a very light sleeping bag, a pillow case and what amounts to clothes for three days.  This is light weight hiking pants and tee-shirts, 6 pairs of socks, a pair of outrageously expensive shoes that hurt my feet and a pair of Birkenstock EVA sandles that I have worn about half the miles as well as all the plane, train and bus miles and the week in Morocco.

Other clothing items include a FrogToggs poncho, a fleece jacket I wear almost 24 hours a day and a warm-up suit I bought here as a thermal layer and a high-visibility item for walking near traffic.

Zip-lock bags carry chargers, memory chips, cables, an eyeglass repair kit and some small tools. A medical kit includes a first aid kit, a course of ampicillin (just in case), and Voltaren gel that I use for everything.

Another bag has the standard Benadryl, Ibuprofen, and motion sickness stuff. I have not used any of that so far.

The foot care sack is huge and I should give it all away, as since I started wearing the sandals I have had no problems. I do rub the feet at night with Voltaren gel and in the morning with Vaseline.

There is a small day pack that I use walking around in the cities and as a carry-on for air travel.

I routinely carry snacks like Chocolate Extrafino Negro (what you know as 85% chocolate) that is dirt cheap here, salted nuts and often a chorizo sandwich, two half liter water bottles, refilled at fountains in most towns, and some granola bars for quick sugar boosts in the afternoon.

A camping towel, toiletries and glasses about wrap up the list. I have an old iPhone which has a very useful Camino app and I use a very low end Moto E to do this writing, make phone calls with a Spanish SIM, some mapping and to take photos.  I have a tiny camera as well but don't use it much. I have a map, a journal that you get to see sometimes, and pencils.

If I had to do it again, and I am pretty sure that will happen, I'd bring two changes of clothes, no foot care stuff, better shoes and a new pair of Birkenstock EVAs in a 30 liter pack.

TMI? Well, I am hoping that some of you feel called to have this experience and that you might learn from my choices.  I will be writing about the whole trip after I get done. Right now I cannot imagine anything on earth nearer to whatever heaven promises. I am continuously amazed by the people, sights, food, time to think and the true joy of just walking down the path.

Janice,  Julie and Pilar

Tonight we are in Portomarin, less than 100 km (60 miles) from the end in Santiago de Compostela. Ann will be meeting me there on October 8, and we will explore the region together. Hopefully some of my Camino family will be able to meet her as well.