To My Dear South African Friends:
We are about to embark on an amazing journey together. We have
awesome (currently the most over-used word in the American lexicon,
but sometimes it just works) leaders in Syl and Pamela.
I imagine a few of you may be nervous as your departure day
approaches. As I'm packing my pack today, I want to share some
details that might be helpful. Most of these things I learned last
year from the Camino Forum
http://www.caminodesantiago.me/. But I want to share a couple of
things I think may be of some help.
Foot Care: This is an issue for everyone. It's not a question of
whether or not you will get blisters (most likely you will); but of
how you care for them and keep them from becoming disabling. I
recommend the following:
1. Bring Compeed. It may have another name there. But you apply
these to areas of your feet that are just starting to bother you, that
is, BEFORE you actually have a blister.
2. Bring a friction-reducing substance. It's called Glide here.
3. Plan to wear a liner sock underneath your regular sock: that way
the friction occurs primarily between the two pairs of socks, and not
primarily between your skin and the sock.
My morning routine on the Camino last year was: apply Compeed to my
hot spots. Grease up my feet with Glide,including in between my toes.
Put on liner socks, regular socks and hiking shoes.
Walking Sticks: Be sure to bring a pair, not just one. As your
technique improves, you'll be using these to descend with ease parts
of the Camino which otherwise would be tricky and/or hard on your
knees. Does anyone else have middle aged knees and/or is carrying a
few (many) extra kilos of weight?
Extra weight on a downhill section is really hard on the knees. The
walking sticks relieve some of the force borne by your knees, because
each stick hits the ground just before your opposite foot does.
You'll love having them!
Syl may have additions or corrections or translations into what is
locally understood and available. More later.
Warmly,
Your new American friend, Janet
We are about to embark on an amazing journey together. We have
awesome (currently the most over-used word in the American lexicon,
but sometimes it just works) leaders in Syl and Pamela.
I imagine a few of you may be nervous as your departure day
approaches. As I'm packing my pack today, I want to share some
details that might be helpful. Most of these things I learned last
year from the Camino Forum
http://www.caminodesantiago.me/. But I want to share a couple of
things I think may be of some help.
Foot Care: This is an issue for everyone. It's not a question of
whether or not you will get blisters (most likely you will); but of
how you care for them and keep them from becoming disabling. I
recommend the following:
1. Bring Compeed. It may have another name there. But you apply
these to areas of your feet that are just starting to bother you, that
is, BEFORE you actually have a blister.
2. Bring a friction-reducing substance. It's called Glide here.
3. Plan to wear a liner sock underneath your regular sock: that way
the friction occurs primarily between the two pairs of socks, and not
primarily between your skin and the sock.
My morning routine on the Camino last year was: apply Compeed to my
hot spots. Grease up my feet with Glide,including in between my toes.
Put on liner socks, regular socks and hiking shoes.
Walking Sticks: Be sure to bring a pair, not just one. As your
technique improves, you'll be using these to descend with ease parts
of the Camino which otherwise would be tricky and/or hard on your
knees. Does anyone else have middle aged knees and/or is carrying a
few (many) extra kilos of weight?
Extra weight on a downhill section is really hard on the knees. The
walking sticks relieve some of the force borne by your knees, because
each stick hits the ground just before your opposite foot does.
You'll love having them!
Syl may have additions or corrections or translations into what is
locally understood and available. More later.
Warmly,
Your new American friend, Janet
1 comment:
Wow Janet, these are excellent tips for hikers, especially preventing blisters.
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