In 2015 at the age of 60 - six weeks after getting the idea to go - I got off the couch and walked the 500 hundred mile Camino de Santiago in Spain, also called The French Way or Way of St. James. I went alone but was rarely lonely. This is my story. Perhaps one day you'll tell your story too.

Here’s a link to my Camino Pinterest - I didn’t use everything on this list, but I’ve made notes about what I used and why - www.pinterest.com/musewarepottery/camino-de-santia…

Post Camino gear thoughts:
1. Next time, no pants with a waist band and zipper. Stretch pants only.
2. Poncho vs rain pants and jacket - I paid a small fortune for my Gortex jacket and still got soaked to the skin. Stefanie chose a poncho and got soaked to the skin. There is no such thing as waterproof. Next time I’m going poncho.
3. I’ll ditch my polyester long underwear top and bottom and bring a second wool set. They don’t get cold when wet and don’t hold odor.
4. My Salomon trail runner shoes were awesome. Instead of tying, they had a synch mechanism which allowed easy incremental adjustments. I bought another pair but they aren't the same.
5. Tieva sandals seemed extra, but sometimes the dogs just need to breathe. Socks with sandals is high Camino fashion.
6. Two pairs of wool socks only. Ditched the others.
7. About layers: Lightweight wool base, that purple jacket, a thin, lightweight down jacket, my rain jacket. Mornings were cold in early October. I started out wearing them all, de-layering as the day warmed.
8. Even though I started walking in late September, I brought gloves and used them all the time.
9. Mosquito net for my head on the Meseta - for sure.
10. Next time, I’ll bring a tiny clothes line with lightweight plastic clothes pins.
11. Bed bugs are a thing on the Camino. I sprayed my silk mummy sheet (which I always used) with permethrin prior to going and it did the job. Left my backpack out in the garage over the winter, just in case. I didn’t bring a pillow and never needed one.