Planning for my Camino de Santiago pilgimage continues in a scattershot sort of way. I’ve been laying things out for weeks now but without much order to it. Today I actually made a small, neat stack of the few clothes I will be taking along. It’s one of the common areas of most packing lists I’ve looked over: 2-3 pairs of underwear, 1-2 pairs of hiking shorts, 1 pair long pants, a few shirts which can be layered when necessary. This is pretty much my normal “uniform” except for rare instances of going out to eat with respectable friends. Never had a meal with me that I wasn’t dressed in hiking shorts and a running tee? I guess that makes you less than respectable and probably a good friend.

I am resisting throwing into the pack a down vest, though I may regret it on some of those upper 40s mornings. Perhaps the chill will incentivize me to get my feet onto the camino, or to find a sunny spot to sit and sip coffee. OK. Clothes. Not finished yet. Two pairs of socks, sandals for wearing once I’m off the path for the day, a hat, and because many have suggested it, a pair of light gloves and a warm cap for offsetting the chill.

There will definitely be some rainy days, so the poncho I carry will earn its keep and I will be thankful, I’m sure, for the water resistance of my boots and good quality socks. The poncho will also keep the pack dry.

Planning what to take is, I suppose, time and effort well spent. Poring over maps, lists of albergues, etc. is interesting, but to a large extent meaningless until I get there. It’s not like an orchestra tour, where every detail has to be negotiated in advance. Besides, that’s always been taken care of by management, and I’m fortunate to have always had good people taking care of such details for me. This pilgrimage will have a bit more of a follow your nose feel about it – or maybe better said, follow the scallop markers which show the way. Considering I arrive late into St. Jean Pied de Port after two days travel, I will try to make some sort of reservation ahead of time. But beyond that, I’ll hope for the best, that there are few “no room in the inn” crises to deal with over the subsequent evenings, weeks of them.

So, that’s where I am now as the final 12 days or so tick off before I present my passport and boarding pass at the airport. Those days will offer me less and less time to plan, so I’m at least glad to have wardrobe figured out and that it essentially means to carry on with the familiar clothes I wear day to day, week to week, month to month. It may seem boring, but it seems awfully comfortable to me.