PART THREE - Camino research

Like I said I read A LOT of Camino-related books. Here is a list of just a few that I read:
Walking Home by Sonia Cho
Every Scene By Heart by Peri Zahnd
Restless Hearts by Roy Uprichard
Fumbling by Kelly Egan
Walk In A Relaxed Manner by Joyce Rupp
Camino Lingo by Reinette Novoa and Sylvia Nilsen 

One book I especially enjoyed was "Every Scene by Heart".  It felt like being along for the journey... each day is described with the right amount of detail and mixture of experiences, descriptions of places and people, while sharing her honest thoughts. It was entertaining and inspiring in equal parts. These type of books get me excited about the journey. I couldn't stop thinking about it... It consumed me. I would read on my lunch break and also at home at night. If you are a kindle unlimited subscriber there are many books you can read for free.

In addition to reading about the accounts of others' journeys, my brothers and I shared practical information back and forth. A good bit of the info coming from the FB Camino groups - American Pilgrims on the Camino and Camino de Santiago 2019. There is a wealth of information out there and plenty of  people who have walked the Camino to give advice on what does and doesn't work. 

I have to warn you... once you decide to walk the Camino you will become obsessed. And once you start researching your FB feed and IG feed and Amazon searches will be bombarded with all things Camino related. You will get ads for everything from merino clothing to foot creams. You will become informed about everything from how to prevent blisters to packing your rucksack. There is so much information out there you may become confused. Everyone has an opinion and everyone is different. There are no perfect shoes, or perfect socks, or perfect recipes for what should go in your rucksack. It all comes down to trial and error. Better to make the errors now before you begin the Camino!

 And so the training continues... primarily on the weekends.

The rocky path - MARYLAND

My older brother, Edward lives in Maryland and has access to parts of the Appalachian Trail so he trained on much more difficult trails... and more frequently. He would be walking the full 500 miles so he would need the most training. My younger brother, David lives in Birmingham and also has access to some nice mountain hiking areas. But, like me, he did a lot of walks through urban areas.

From what I'd read the trails are varied along the Camino - some soft pine forest, some rocky mountains, some pavement, and a lot of hills! So as much varied terrain as you can train on the better.