It is nice to have time to prep for a trip. Over the past few days, Friday and Saturday, we have pondered each aspect of our upcoming walk, reviewed each item of clothing and gear and calmly contacted friends and acquaintances who have walked the Camino de Santiago about details and specifics. With 24 hours before we fly out of Seattle, we are both content with our preparation.
Yesterday, I got into the thick of TSA regulations as to what you can and cannot take on a plane. We are not checking our packs, saving us $60 a bag, yet, Sally was hoping to take walking poles. I searched to see if they could be carried on. The TSA website said no. While wading through their list of what is and is not allowed I noticed that camp stoves can be carried on. This surprised me as they are made of metal and I suspected could be wielded as a weapon. Of course, the fuel is not allowed, but the stove itself was. We were not going to carry a stove due to the need to check it in a bag, but this new information changed my mind. I stuffed my pot and stove in my pack. Later in the day I texted my PCT friend Derek from Ireland to get his opinion about carrying a stove. He had walked the Camino de Santiago earlier this year, and is currently walking all over Ireland. He came back with an emphatic not necessary. So out of my pack it came.
It is fun to communicate with Derek because he uses the voice recording feature of Facebook Messenger. I enjoy hearing his Irish accent and the positive tone of voice. For this communication he was walking down a road in Ireland about midnight, explaining details about the food and coffee available on the Camino and giggling about how dark it was as he walked. It is always good to hear from him.
Where are we off to? Northern Spain to walk the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrim route for Catholics dating back centuries. Why? Well, it is a perfect fit for us. Exercise, someplace we haven’t been, long distance-long term trip (25+ days) and lots to see and do along the way with tons of people for Sally and I to interact with. The weather will be a little bit warm (mid 80’s in the afternoons) but we don’t mind rising early to beat the heat. We mapped out days with about 10-15 miles of walking, allowing us to cover about 350 miles in our 28 days on the road. We are not carrying a tent or stove and will sleep in alburgues (hostiles) each night, subsisting off food we buy along the way (bread, meats, cheeses, eggs and fruits and vegetables where available) with a meal out each day. No camping gear nor food makes for a light pack and pleasant walking. We are excited to get started.
Today, we drove to Jeff and Jackie’s house to play with Juno and Robby for the day. However, it didn’t all go quite like that. Yes, we did play with Juno and Robby for a time while Jeff and Jackie went to Home Depot to look at a temporary carpet for the living room in their house, but when they returned Jeff got the bug to remove the brickwork in their living room that the pellet stove they sold on Market Place had stood. This fire protection edifice consisted of a brick wall 5’ high and 6’ wide anchored to the stud wall with 4 - 16d nails and a 4’ x 6’ brick base. We grabbed some of the cardboard boxes from the wood flooring we installed last week, folded them accordion style and placed them in front of the wall. With a little coaxing, we were able to pull the wall down in one piece. Instead of slamming onto the floor, it gently crushed the boxes as it settled to the ground. Once again, I found myself wishing we had a sledgehammer. With a claw hammer, we pounded on the wall while prying on it between the bricks with a crow bar until it broke into pieces we could carry up to the pickup. Once the wall was out of the way we broke up the base brickwork and lugged it up the stairs. A quick going over with the shop vac and Jeff was ready for carpet. They hope to have it measured on Friday with installation next week.
We spent a little time rearranging Sally’s pack, getting everything organized and in place for easy access. We have to be at the airport at 5:30am, so we were in bed in the van by 8:45pm.
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