Tag Archives: camino

the way of the lightweight backpacker

07 Saturday Jan 2012

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As the temperature fluctuates from freezing to balmy here in Toronto (today was 7°C, and just 5 days ago it was -27°C with the wind chill!), I’m relying more and more on my merino tops, both long- and short-sleeve. They’ve become a multi-seasonal staple. And if there’s one thing I regretted about the Camino, it’s that I didn’t have more merino wool clothes with me.

Not that I wish I’d packed more clothes. Gosh, no. The trick to walking the Camino is to bring as little as possible – one set of clothes to wear and one set to change into when you get to the hostel – and do laundry daily.

Witness what’s in the photo above – that’s all I packed! Literally, one set of clothes, my sleeping bag, a teeny quick-dry towel minimal toiletries, sandals and my water bottle!!! Lesson: The best gear will multitask, performing well in different weather conditions.

My merino wool staples: an Icebreaker Retreat tank and Meridian T-shirt, and a Smartwool long-sleeve zip T (which I bought in Ponferrada, Spain).

And that’s why I wish I’d bought more merino before going (instead of buying along the way). Merino wool would have kept me warm and cool. Since it’s odour repellant, it doesn’t need to be washed often; and when you do wash it, it air-dries in a couple of hours. That would have saved me the hassle of trying (unsuccessfully) to dry clothes overnight or on my pack while walking.

So I present to you my list of clothes that I brought, what I could have done without, and what I wish I’d had instead (mainly, merino). It’s my go-to packing list, whether I’m on a weekend ski trip or backpacking through Europe. I switch things out based on the activity, but they’re my travel basics for a reason: they wear well and dry fast. And they’re perfect for the Camino.   Continue reading →

best purchase ever no. 2

15 Thursday Dec 2011

Posted by in bike, fashion, gear, travel

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Last month I wrote about my favourite travel shirt. Now let me introduce you to my favourite lightweight travel shirt: the Icebreaker Meridian, shown here in Jungle, a lovely mossy green. (Let me confess that I also own this top in Mystic, a bold shade of cobalt I adore, and Fiesta, a true bright pink. I just bought the latter on a Black Friday online shopping spree. Yay!)

My new go-to shirt – year round – is Icebreaker's Meridian Superfine 150.

I originally wanted to buy this T-shirt for a family camping trip to Algonquin in early July, but couldn’t commit to the hefty $70 price tag. I could justify spending 60 euros on my beloved SmartWool tee because it was versatile – a heavier weight with long sleeves and a zipper – and, heck, I bought it in Spain when desperate for an extra layer of warmth at night in the uninsulated pilgrims’ hostels on the Camino. But $70 for a short-sleeve shirt seemed ridiculous. Yet still newly in love with merino wool and all its benefits, I scored the Meridian for a midsummer cycling trip along Ontario’s Lake Huron. Again, in case you missed the head: Best. Purchase. Ever. No. 2.

The Meridian is surprisingly perfect for summer’s humidity, as merino wool is breathable and has natural wicking properties. Though lightweight (Superfine 150), it’s also quite warm in cool conditions, ideal for chilly summer nights. Believe me, I wore it under my SmartWool every night, and it kept me warm as a base layer. And being merino, it didn’t smell from continuous use, and it dried in an hour when I did wash it. With a feminine cut, deep V neck and short raglan sleeves, the Meridian is flattering on a petite gal with curves, as the hem sits just under the hip bones and is slightly longer in back.

One caveat: The fit of my first Meridian T-shirt is better than my more recent purchases. Rumour has it that Icebreaker switched manufacturers, so this year’s Meridians fit looser than the 2010 ones. That would explain why my Jungle tee is shorter and more fitted than my Mystic and Fiesta ones, though they’re all supposedly the same size. Keep that in mind if you’re it ordering online. I can’t wait to see what juicy new colours Icebreaker rolls out next year!

And in the meantime, check out my Best Purchase Ever No. 1, a shirt I’ve worn through spring, summer, fall and now winter.

Another advantage of merino is that it packs small. The Way of the Lightweight Backpacker reveals how, thanks to merino, I’ve narrowed down my packing list to 18 things.


going the distance

27 Sunday Nov 2011

Posted by in film, gear, travel

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So the movie The Way is now in theatres, and of course suddenly lots of travel articles are coming out about the Camino. And that has me thinking about my preparations for walking it. Granted, I didn’t do the full 800 km, having only time for the last 256 km plus a few days in Santiago plus a car trip to Finisterre. (Yes, I felt like I cheated by hitching a ride there instead of continuing on foot. Next time, I’ll walk the nearly 800 km plus the 100 km to Finisterre, I promise!) And to be honest, I don’t know if the distance I walked from Astorga to Santiago really was 256 km or more or less: any distances are suspect because every guidebook says something different. I feel like it was at least 256 km – it was a good enough distance to get in a rhythm, to lose myself in walking and the daily routine of the pilgrim’s life, and to have the time to really learn about myself, experiencing what the Camino is about. And one of the first things I learned as I took those initial steps out of Astorga was that I hadn’t trained properly.

Whether you’re walking the entire trail or a small part of it, you should train for the trek. Here are my top five tips for prepping for the trekking.

  1. Wear proper hiking boots. You’d think Step 1 would be to walk, but when you start walking, you should be wearing the boots you will be walking the Camino in, i.e., well-fitting boots that have been broken in. Walking in new boots is a surefire way to get blisters. You’re trying to avoid getting blisters!
  2. Start walking. Walk everywhere, whenever you can – as far in advance as possible. If you’re blessed to walk all of the Camino (or a big chunk), start walking seriously at least 6 weeks before to condition your muscles, and increase the distance a couple of kilometres every week. (I bike everywhere, and only took to my feet 2 weeks before my trip, so it’s no wonder I was having problems with my Achilles tendons before I even left for Spain. My body was so conditioned to cycling, it was fighting me on the walking!) And don’t forget to hoof it up and down hills and go off-road.
  3. Wear your backpack. Make sure it has good support, with a hip belt to remove the weight off your shoulders. And think small – it’s all too tempting to fill a large pack with nonessentials you’ll soon be desperate to give away along The Way. Trust me. You’ll be surprised at how little you really need.
  4. Fill the backpack with gear. Start with lighter things like clothes, then build up to heavier items like toiletries and your sleeping bag.
  5. Wear the clothes you intend to walk in. And I mean wear layers. Mornings in the mountains can be frosty even in late spring, so you’ll need to figure out what layers are suitable for hiking. Because it felt like winter, I’d bundle up, then promptly unzip my convertible pants and remove my jacket and fleece because I was sweating within minutes. Imagine you’re cross-country skiing – you should be cold when you start out, or you’ll overheat once you get moving. Walking in soaked clothes in cold climes is no fun.


best purchase ever no. 1

17 Thursday Nov 2011

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Friend and blogger Brooke Stevenson of My Bike Myself and I turned me onto merino wool last winter, when we were away on a ski weekend and all she had in her teeny day pack was a small compression sack stuffed with a handful of clothes. Merino, of course. She raved about how fast merino dries, while I was unsuccessfully trying to air-dry that day’s sweat-soaked recycled-polyester long johns and undies.

Amazed by her multifunctional, minimal weekend wardrobe, which was pressed into service during and après XC, I gave in a few months later and shelled out for two Icebreaker merino undies (a whopping $32 each, and worth every penny) and three pairs of SmartWool hiking socks ($20.50 each at MEC) for my Camino trip. The socks aren’t merino, but Brooke swears by them, so I rationalized that my feet would thank me after walking at least 20 km a day for weeks. But even with liner socks, I immediately got blisters, having erroneously bought a size up. Fortunately, in Ponferrada there’s an awesome hiking/camping gear store a mere minute from the Templar castle, and it was with relief that I eagerly stocked up on three pairs of extra-small SmartWool socks and much-needed flipflops (and promptly shipped my too-large socks and blister-irritating Keen sandals ahead to Santiago!).

And that’s when I got greedy. I scoured the shop for merino anything, settling on a SmartWool NTS Midweight Zip T in Purple Heather. Best. Purchase. Ever. At 60 euros, it was a splurge, but boy did I get my money’s worth over the next two weeks! I wore it day and night the rest of the trip, washing it only once. You’d think it might smell, but nope. You’d also think it was totally stretched out. Also no. You’d think I’d have to roll up the long sleeves and tuck the hem under, as I have to do with most tops, which are always too long for my 5’1″ frame. Gladly, no. A nice medium weight and with a half zipper and mock neck, it also kept me cool when hiking, warm when sleeping – the perfect multitasker!

So when I returned home and readied for a 10-day camping trip, I immediately ran out to buy Best Purchase Ever No. 2.

No, this isn't me, but the SmartWool model wearing my favourite travel shirt. Though it seems to fit her long limbs, the body and sleeves are actually the perfect length for a petite frame.

 

Another cool thing about merino is that it packs small and stays relatively wrinkle-free. Learn how merino helped me pack light in The Way of the Lightweight Backpacker.

for the love of life

13 Sunday Nov 2011

Posted by in inspiration, travel

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Finisterre, Spain. A moment of solitude at the end of the Camino de Santiago.

I started November with a new perspective. After being given the “restructuring” speech at work, I cleared out my desk and walked home – for three hours – breathing in the crisp, fresh air of early November, soaking in the unusually warm autumn sunshine, frolicking in the kaleidoscope of glorious carmine, rusty red and golden yellow leaves as they fluttered to the ground. Yes, frolicking. Despite being thrust into the uncertainty and panic of the suddenly unemployed, I felt a definite lightness: the world had opened up before me, and my options where limitless.

It was the same sense of calm and optimism I felt when walking the Camino in May. With every step, there came a rhythm, and with that, a sense of peace. And the ability to be present and in tune with my surroundings. Instead of feeling lost, I made every step with purpose. And I paused. After that first step in Astorga, Spain, many a time on that long walk to Santiago, I’d pause and simply thrill at where I was. Because no matter how hard it was to cross those mountains, I couldn’t deny the absolute awesomeness of being there.

To pause and just be. The Camino taught me that. And as November continues to fall upon us, I find myself back there – a little exhausted by the challenges of the days before, not knowing what lies behind the next peak or valley, but excited about the possibilities of adventure that lie ahead.

So as the pilgrims wish one another on The Way…

Buen Camino!