Tag: hiking

Into La Rioja Wine Country

Lee Hausman

Today, I’m cooling my Hokas in Logroño, capital of the La Rioja wine-growing region. There are plenty of other pilgrims here, although those who stopped in Viana last night, as I did, often carry on further along The Way.

Since my last post, from Zubiri, I’ve passed along to Pamplona, then on to Puente La Reina, Estella, Los Arcos, and Viana. These are all hikes in the neighborhood of 22 kms, or 5-6 hours. I’d forgotten how much of my trail time would be spent going up tough climbs or picking my way down steep descents. These early weeks on the Camino never fail to put the lie to my supposedly successful summer conditioning efforts! But it’s knocking me into shape.

Pamplona’s famous bull statue
Casting a long shadow
Sunrise outside Los Arcos
One way to do it
First Rioja Camino marker
Logroño’s cathedral

I’ve met some great people out here, par for the course on the Camino. Andreas, from Munster, Germany, who I met early on, has moved far ahead of me now but sends back the occasional encouraging text. Peter from Brighton is about a day ahead of me, as I presume are Kelly and Annette from Austin, TX. Leigha and Allison, charming retirees from Fort Worth, have been trail and lunch companions several times and are now ahead of me but I’m pretty sure we’ll meet again. True small-town Texas natives, they shared some good stories with me about Country & Western dancing (did you know I taught C&W dancing in D.C. during the 80s?). Buen Camino, cowgirls!

As usual, once I’ve settled into the Camino routine, I’ve begun to think about all the blessings I have in my life. Not the least of which is my lovely French wife, who is currently in Nice, basking poolside with friends. Every day, as I hike through the gorgeous Spanish countryside, I marvel at how wonderful this life is, and how lucky I am.

It has been hot, however, and the lodgings I’ve had that featured air conditioning were extremely welcome. How hot? 95-100 degrees F. Usually, the heat doesn’t come on until midday or later, so getting out early helps. I anticipated the heat and came equipped with a “Koolgator”, a neckerchief filled with beads that, after soaking, retain water and provide evaporative cooling for hours. I also brought an aluminized sun umbrella that clips to my backpack strap and provides hands-free personal shade in the wide open spaces.

Pretty bowers on the trail
Creative clothesline work
Spanish olives galore
Roasted sun flowers, anyone?

Tomorrow I’ll be able to sleep in a bit in order to have a later start for my short 13 km hike to Navarrete. It’s supposed to rain overnight but end around 6:00 am. Which means I cooler temps (yay!), no rain on me directly (yay!), higher humidity (boo!), and a possibly muddy trail (boo!). Whatever, still I progress along the Camino.

And I thank you for coming along and for your kind comments. Cheers!

Hello from Zubiri

Lee Hausman

I’m writing from Zubiri, my fourth stop. All systems have been Go: the weather has been absolutely beauiful, my legs and feet are doing well, and I’ve met some interesting pilgrims to walk with.

On my way to Valcarlos
In Valcarlos
Leaving Roncesvalles
Walking to Zubiri
Things found only in Camino town vending machines

My first day on the Valcarlos route was fairly easy but there isn’t much to the village. From there to Roncesvalles on my second day nearly killed me! It was really quite hard going uphill but, luckily, other pilgrims walking with me were were supportive. Here’s a shout-out to you, Andreas (DE), Angelo (IT), and Peter (UK).

Roncesvalles provided a nice respite, with good cold beer and AC where I stayed. The next day I clocked a short 12 Kms to Bizcarret-Guerendiain and today I made the even shorter trek to Zubiri. The downhill last two Kms into town are really hard on the knees.

I have seen very few others on the trail, which is nice at times but also disconcerting for the health of the Camino. September is supposed to be busy, so maybe traffic will pick up on the coming weeks. At which time I’ll probably complain about it. Nonetheless, there are plenty of folks here in Zubiri.

Tomorrow I head off on my first long trek, 21 Kms to Pamplona, about 6.5 hours of walking. I’ll have a rest day there and will probably need it. I’ll keep you posted.

So thanks for coming along. Cheers.

Ready to Set Off

Lee Hausman

I’m writing from my hostel room in Saint Jean Pied-de-Port, on the eve of my trek. It’s nice to be back in this tourist town and to mingle with the other pilgrims from all over the world.

I’m glad I was just a spectator to this downpour this morning

After breakfast I stood, coffee cup in hand, outside my hostel and wished those pilgrims setting off a buen camino as they trooped by. Some of them were carrying everything but the kitchen sink, even one guy I swear had a portable typewriter lashed to his pack. There’s a rule about not carrying more than 20 percent of your body weight and I’m sure these folks were over that. Well, they’ll likely be finding the local post or DHL office soon, to ship stuff they haven’t abandoned home. That’s what I did back in 2019.

I do love good writing and, as much as I try to do that here, I often find others who have put the Camino experience into words so much more eloquently than I. With that in mind, I’d like to direct you to this, from the Wall Street Journal of all places:

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/travel/camino-de-santiago-pilgrimage-walk-6f611461?st=gDxJch&reflink=article_email_share

So tomorrow I set off, and instead of the Napoleon route over the Pyrenees I’ll be taking the lower Valcarlos route though the surrounding valleys. This is the only route open in the Winter and is said to be “easier but not easy” compared to going over the top. Having done the top route three times, I chose the lower one this time for completeness sake; something new.

My morning station, where I wish departing pilgrims a good walk

Saint Jean PdP remains a touristy place and there are now three hiking outfitter stores on the main drag, where there had been only one – a reflection of the large increase in the number of pilgrims in recent years.

Espelette pepper beer! Happy days!

Tonight I will pack my backpack and review my plans and tomorrow I’ll head off after breakfast. Pray for dry weather, please, and good company. I already have that in you; thanks for coming along.

Now THAT Is A Pilgrimage

Lee Hausman

In an earlier post I inaccurately said that the Via Francigena pilgrimage starts in Canterbury. That was wrong; it actually starts in London. I was reminded of this one day when I was halfway to Chartham on a training walk, all decked out in my Camino gear, and I encountered a dozen people hiking to Canterbury, from London. They were a group of young Via Francigena Goodwill Ambassadors, mostly Italians, and they were delighted to meet a fellow pilgrim (even if I was heading in the opposite direction). We had a nice trailside chat and several of them had been on Caminos in Spain. Based on the videos two of them were taking, I’m pretty sure I now appear in someone’s Italian blog.

Here’s the brochure they gave me. You can see that this is a very long hike! In fact, it’s about 2,000 miles through four countries and takes three or four months. That’s a commitment. Someone else I talked to a few years ago who walked it said that it doesn’t really have the level of supportive infrastructure found on the Caminos in Spain and is quite difficult. Let’s not forget we’re talking about crossing The Alps, too. The ambassadors were very nice but I’m not inclined to do this one. How about you?

However, meeting them put my measly upcoming Camino into perspective. Now I’m raring to go.

I’m in Paris as I write this and I’ll be heading south in two days. I’m passing the time between coffee, croissants, and cafes by engaging in the time-honored, pre-hike practices: tweaking my gear and generally overthinking all my plans. Yes, everything fits in my pack. Yes, I have all the required documents. Yes, I’ll probably be able to carry it all even if I do include that Swiss Army knife. And, as I’ve reminded myself several times, they probably, almost certainly, sell whatever else I might need, in Spain. Sound familiar?

I’m lucky that the wildfires in southwestern France that temporary shut down the trains out of Paris have been tamed. And, at the risk of jinxing myself, the weather forecast for my first hiking day is very pleasant – sunny and dry. One can only hope. I look forward to my ride to Saint Jean Pied-de-Port because the train is full of pilgrims and there’s a festive and excited vibe. I confess I’m getting a little of that right now.

Thanks for coming along and carry on.

It’s Probably Best to Start with a Plan

Lee Hausman

Since you asked, planning for my Camino started last year and is fairly complicated. Let’s look at what’s involved.

One begins by deciding which Camino you’re going to walk. I’ve always walked the Camino Frances, one of the longest and hardest routes, but there are over a dozen recognized routes to Santiago from all over Spain, France, and Portugal. Naturally, the time of year when you plan to walk and the amount of time you have to do so are also factors. Many routes include optional side trips to nearby historic or scenic sites (which can add multiple kilometers/days of walking). Luckily, as a retiree, I’ve always had as much time as I’ve needed and I prefer to walk in September and October.

Once I know where I’m going and when, I create a plan that breaks the walk into manageable segments or stages, based on my personal preferences and fitness level. As you can see below, Excel spreadsheets are very useful for this.

Like many pilgrims on the Camino Frances route, I work with the Brierley Pilgrim’s Guide, the classic guidebook now in its 23rd edition. Its maps and other pages provide a wealth of information. I ask myself how far will I walk on any given day? Can I mix up short and long days? Can I take a day off periodically? This year’s walk averages around 18 kms (12 miles) per day, with a max of 24 kms. Before you pooh-pooh that mileage, consider that three mountain ranges are involved and there are many ascents and descents. For example, one day in 2024 I walked almost 40,000 steps.


I prefer to be very organized about all this; but many pilgrims are not; they take a far less structured approach, walking as far as they want/can on a daily basis and getting lodging wherever they can when they arrive at a stopping point. This gives them a lot of flexibility but no security – they may arrive in a town to find all the beds/bunks are taken and they must continue on to the next town to (hopefully) find a bed. The weather can also be a factor when winging it. Still, the capriciousness and freedom of it all are part of the lure of the Camino for many (and was for me, the first time).

Camino lodging choices range from hostels (bunk rooms) to B&Bs and hotels (private rooms). Some folks mix it up, getting the occasional private room to take a break from the bunk rooms. I’ve tried them all over the years and now stay in private rooms. Reserving private rooms is an organizing extravaganza involving online bookings, and emails and phone calls in Spanish (which I speak, luckily).

Once all that is in hand, I turn to the Brierley Guide and markup its stages to show my route, as shown in the example from 2024 above.

I keep notes year-to-year, so I know where there are good cafes and food trucks, where the necessary pit stops are, and which are the tough sections. I also break each long day into 3-4 parts, so that I can take rest breaks and possibly change socks. Once again, all this planning assumes lovely weather but can be (and often is) disrupted by storms, heat, torrential rain, wildfires, etc. (just the usual Camino events). One downside of my strict planning means I have to get to my destination each day to use my reservation.

And so it goes, in just two weeks from tomorrow we’ll see how well my planning serves me. Thanks for coming along!

Cheers!