7 Must Haves for El Camino de Santiago

If you’re reading this, you’re likely thinking about journeying across Northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela. For me, it was an incredible experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything. (You can read more about my journey in previous posts).

I packed things I was thankful for and other items I could have gone without. To help with your packing process, I’ve compiled a list of MUST HAVES for your travels.

• 50-liter Osprey Aura Backpacking Backpack

  — I made the mistake of getting a 65-liter backpack and it was entirely too big. It had all that extra space that I mistakenly filled to the brim which made it WAY too heavy.

• Adjustable Aluminum Hiking Poles

  — These saved me more times than I can count. I’ve experienced multiple injuries over the years and these helped to elevate excess weight from my knees and ankles. It takes some time to find your stride with them but it’s worth it. You will also wear the protective tips down throughout the journey but there are plenty of places along the way to buy replacements. Also, make sure you get the right height range for yourself. You wouldn’t want to get them and they’re too short or too tall.

• Ultra Thin Sleeping Bag or Sleeping Bag Liner

• Compact Hanging Toiletry Kit

• PackTowl Personal Quick Dry Towel

  — BEACH size

• Darn Tough Merino Wool Hiking Socks (3 pairs)

  — This brand comes with a lifetime warranty so if you ever get a hole you can send it back for a new pair.

• Trekking Shoes with GOOD tread

  — This is entirely up to you and your comfort. I started with hiking boots and got so many blisters. Halfway through I bought Teva Hiking Sandals and it was the best decision I could have made!

To check out my Amazon Camino Necessities List click SHOP AMAZON LIST below. Hopefully, this will help you get started with your packing. Like and comment if there are any questions you have about The Camino.

There were a lot of things I didn’t know before I left so if I can help, I’d be happy to.

Buen Camino!

Santiago

It has been three weeks since I completed El Camino de Santiago. I needed time to digest everything I went through, and process what I achieved. I walked nearly 800 kilometers. Me. The same girl who has torn multiple ligaments, broken bones, and damaged tendons in both legs. The amount of pride that I feel being able to do something as strenuous as the Camino after such injuries is astronomical. And there wasn’t just the physical component either.

Before I began, I wrote a lot about fear and how I was worried that the experience that I built up after so many years would let me down, but I, of course, was worried for nothing. This experience was more than ANYTHING I could have imagined. The people I met, the strength I found within myself, the bonds I formed; they were all worth each kilometer I walked. Now, the food wasn’t always great, and some albergues (hostels for pilgrims) were better than others, but overall, I wouldn’t trade what I just did for anything.

My main goal was to gain a richer understanding of myself, and I did. I processed trauma I didn’t even expect to come up. I gained skills I always wanted to have. I trusted my instincts and was dubbed a wayfinder. And in the end, I got that deep breath and many more, walking through shadowed woods and underneath the big blue endless sky.

Finding my way to the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, through the rain and cold and completely alone, was one of the best feelings of my life. The cathedral was beautiful with its marble columns, imposing arches, and golden statues. But it was the feeling of accomplishment when I stood in front of the tomb of Saint James that brought me to tears. There’s a saying on Camino. “The Camino provides.” And often times, it did. It guided me in the right direction, leading me to where I needed to go. It found the right people for me to come across. And it got me safely to the end.

Some people took the straightforward road, while others took detours and alternative routes. Both ways lead to the same destination and hopefully to a better version of ourselves than the ones we arrived with at St. Jean so many weeks ago.

Arrow.

Navarrete, España

Day 13 on El Camino de Santiago.

This journey began in St. Jean Pied de Port. The fact that pied de port means “foot of the pass” is fitting considering what we’re all doing here. We peregrinos have each walked underneath protective arches, through forests that look to belong in fairy tales, over mountains, and on top shifting rocks. We each intend to make it to Santiago de Compostela either this trip or the next. This particular route I'm on to Santiago is Camino Francés. It's 790 km long. (490.9 miles for us Americans who never learned the metric system like the rest of the world).

To date, I have walked 178 km, and it has been quite demanding. With the sun beating down because it’s still in the 80s in Spain even though it’s mid-October, it adds another layer of difficulty. So, we have the heat, the terrain which changes damn near hourly, and then there’s the act of actually walking for up to 8 hours a day.

On top of all that, there’s navigation, which is primarily achieved by following painted yellow arrows. Most of them are painted along the way on rocks or trees, but if you’re really lucky, it’ll be on an official stone waymarker.

These arrows are pivotal. These are the ONLY things keeping us on the right path because believe me, there are scores of forks in the road that look like the right path and are without a doubt not. There have been times I have been on autopilot, deep in thought, and I’ve looked up JUST in time to see an arrow veering off the path I’d been on.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned during my two weeks on pilgrimage is that there has to be a balance between reflecting on life and the direction it’s going and paying attention to your physical course. We gotta be sure not to lose our way on this path or the one we call life.

“Follow your arrow wherever it points.”

— Kacey Musgraves

Breathe.

St. Jean Pied de Port, Francia

About six years ago I heard about el Camino de Santiago and immediately knew that I wanted to do it. But with life being as it is, other things got in the way. So now, after all the ups and downs, here I am in St. Jean preparing to embark on this pilgrimage.

I’m excited. I’m nervous. I’m scared. And there are all these fears and “what ifs” whirling around in my head. Fears around getting injured or sick. Fears around safety. And the biggest fear of all, what if this thing I’ve been working so hard for isn’t everything I’ve imagined it to be.

But I’m pushing through all those feelings and holding on to the one thing I know to be true. I KNOW that I’m supposed to be doing this right now. So even though it has been a tumultuous journey, it is one of exploration that is being created through spaciousness in my life to dive deeper into uncovering a richer understanding of myself.

I’m so incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to create that time. I’m grateful for the people in my life who have shown their support. And I’m grateful that I’m strong (or foolish) enough to take such leaps of faith.

I just have to feel the fear and jump anyway.

And I can’t wait to take that first deep breath of assurance on top of a mountain or maybe just a primal scream at the top of my lungs. We’ll see what happens.