The Camino offers an introductory experience to thru-hiking without the need to carry your own shelter, cookware or survival kit. Overall it’s a safe way to try out long distance hiking without committing months of your time.
The Camino de Santiago can make an exciting introduction to point-to-point trekking without the same level of commitment that longer routes imply.
Trails such as the Appalachian Trail (AT), Continental Divide Trail (CDT), or the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) are famously long and remote, requiring several months to complete in their entirety. This is a huge time commitment to make, especially if you’re unsure about the decision.
If you’re thinking of walking one of these famous American thru-hike trails but aren’t quite sure you can do it, the Camino offers a great testing ground to see if you really enjoy long hikes.
In this article I’ll cover some of the benefits of doing a trial run to make sure that you really enjoy long-distance hiking before setting out on an epic hike across the USA.
Benefits of Walking the Camino as a Trial Run
Walking the Camino allows hikers to get a feel for the thru-hiking experience without having to commit to a serious backcountry excursion. The mixed rural and urban trail allows you to see how your body reacts to long-distance walking with weight and to get acquainted with your hiking gear in a safe way.
…it’s sort of like thru-hiking with training wheels on.
The Camino de Santiago is quickly becoming one of the most popular pilgrimages in the world and has the infrastructure in place to support large amounts of traffic.
This famous trek across Spain is an incredible hike in its own right and acts as a perfect stepping stone leading up to more serious routes.
Using the Camino as a Field Test for Thru-hiking
The beauty of doing a test-run on the Camino trail is that you can find assistance pretty much whenever you need it. If you’re hoping to try out some of the gear you plan to take, this trail could also provide a perfect testing ground.
With regular, inexpensive places for hikers to stay as well as restaurants, cafés and supermarkets along the way it’s sort of like thru-hiking with training wheels on.
Hikers can use this trail as a training ground to test out some of their hiking gear. Adjusting your pack fit, making sure your shoes or boots are good for your planned hike, testing your rain gear and more.
Many travelers also learn how their bodies will react to long-distance hiking. I, for example, lost a surprising amount of weight as I walked across Spain. If I undertake a more serious trail I would definitely want to push my daily calorie intake to be sure that I don’t lose too much weight.
Getting to Know Your Body Under Stain
Knowing your food requirements and daily average distance covered can go a long way in preparing for your thru-hikes. I think the main benefit comes from figuring out your rhythm over a few weeks of walking. It’s easy to overestimate what you’re capable of doing when you aren’t really putting the consistent miles in and carrying the weight.
While this trek can act as training for some basic skills and practice with carrying a heavy pack, it’s important to remember that the American hikes like the Appalachian Trail are significantly longer. You’ll obviously also have to set up your own camp, tear it down each morning, carry and cook your own food and avoid dangerous wildlife.
Though the Camino offers a few convenient comparisons, it really is its own experience. My personal recommendation would be to just enjoy it as thoroughly as you can while you’re there. There is a sense of community that you won’t find anywhere else and the opportunities to practice a new language and explore a new country are invaluable.
Preparing to Do the Camino as a Trial Run
The physical training will be one of the most important takeaways from the test run. If you have a hard time making it to the end of the Camino then you will likely have a much harder time on the American thru-hiking trails.
In preparing for the Camino de Santiago it’s important to make sure that you have broken in your footwear, practiced carrying a realistic amount of weight and done regular hiking of the distances that you plan to cover each day in Spain.
Testing Your Gear
By dialing in your footwear situation you’ll save yourself from a lot of pain on the trail. Your feet need time to adjust to the stress you’ll be putting them through and you should make sure your footwear is good for hiking in wet, humid conditions.
Some people wear trail running shoes, some people wear boots and many people even do the Camino in sandals. I would recommend that you wear whatever footwear you are planning to take on your bigger hikes. This way you will know any problems that may come up before you’re on a more committed trail.
It rains a lot in northern Spain and you might be thinking that some waterproof boots would be appropriate. The issue there is that waterproof boots will also trap moisture inside, creating a damp atmosphere perfect for blisters to form.
Make sure that you have breathable boots or shoes that can let moisture escape and you have broken them in sufficiently.
I met a lot of people on the Camino complaining about their gear choices, the amount of extra stuff they brought and how heavy everything was.
Train With the Weight you Expect to Carry Across Spain
It’s not uncommon to see people with excessive amounts of gear and carrying unnecessary things with them. A little bit of training would have helped them figure this out before they arrived on the trail.
If you train ahead of time you will quickly realize what’s worth carrying and what’s not. Once you figure out roughly what your pack will weigh with your gear, food and water, you can find a weight or two to carry instead of all of your equipment.
As I trained for the Camino I wrapped some old weights in a towel to simulate what I would take on the hike. The towel is mainly there to protect your pack from any sharp edges the weight might have, but it also helps fill out your pack for a more realistic gear simulation.
Using a mixture of weights, water and gear I quickly got a good idea of how much weight would be too much for carrying on the trail.
If you decide to use a weight instead of your actual equipment, make sure that you wrap anything that might damage your pack.
Hiking the Distances you Plan to Cover on the American Trails
One of the most surprising conversations I had over and over on the Camino was about how few people had truly prepared for it.
If you plan on spending 30+ days walking an average of 8-12 miles a day, you should definitely be sure that you have walked that distance at least a handful of times with weight.
While rigorous training is not an absolute necessity for any of the popular trails around the world, it will certainly make the experience more enjoyable. Many fit people could probably run a marathon without properly training for it but they would sorely regret it the next day.
Lessons to Take Away from Hiking the Camino
Walking the Camino is an unforgettable experience in its own right, and there are several lessons you can take away from the trip.
Realistic Weight Expectations
Hiking 500+ miles across Spain should give you a pretty good idea about how much weight you’re really comfortable carrying.
After a week or two you’ll get a better feel for how your body reacts to several long days of hiking in a row. By the time you’re done with the Camino you’ll have a different perspective on how necessary some of your stuff is.
Keep in mind that you will need significantly more kit on the trails requiring you to carry your own shelter and cooking gear. The experience from the Camino should at least let you know how your body reacts to carrying weight over long distances.
Food and Water Consumption Rates
Just like the weight you carry with you, you’ll have a better understanding of your body’s requirements for food and water after a few weeks. Although everyone can expect to lose a few pounds hiking across Spain, some will lose more than others. It’s important to take note of these differences.
It’s easier to keep weight on while you walk than it is to gain weight back. If you know that you shed pounds easily keep this in mind and keep a close eye on how your clothes fit.
Especially if you are hiking in summer I would try to carry more water than you think you would need, at least at the beginning. It’s better to have a little more water than you need than not quite enough.
Learning the Importance of Socializing on the Trail
For many hikers the Camino de Santiago is a very social experience. With the numbers of pilgrims these days it’s pretty hard to find a quiet moment to yourself.
Make sure to notice if this type of conversation energizes or drains you. It can make a big difference in determining how quickly, or slowly, your days will go by. If you’re hiking with some friends or loved ones it will be a little easier to avoid particularly talkative hikers.
If you’re hiking on your own expect to make a lot of conversation on the trail. If you are not a fan of small talk, I would suggest bringing some headphones with you and downloading a few podcasts to help you find some peace.
Expect to get very close with the people you are walking with as you walk for up to 8 hours a day with them. You’ll quickly find out which of your friends have compatible conversation needs and which ones need more or less.
Applying Camino Experience to Other Hiking Trails
Spain is a great place to practice thru-hiking but don’t get too used to the comforts of the Camino if you intend to tackle more serious hiking goals. The ability to stop only a few meters off trail for your morning coffee is a delight, but this option will not be available in the US.
Adapting to New Challenges
Hiking in a foreign country comes with all kinds of new problems to overcome. New languages, different cultural norms and navigating unfamiliar trails are just a few of the challenges you’ll face.
Embracing this uncertainty and getting used to change will help you deal with unexpected issues when on the AT, PCT or CDT. Staying flexible when faced with adversity will go much further in preparing you for a long hike than you might think.
You’ll be adapting to changing trail conditions, reroutes around closed sections of trail, broken gear, lost gear and any number of other unexpected changes.
Walking across a foreign country will help build up your resilience as well as your ability to adapt to change. Both of these will be crucial in a successful push to complete one of these famous American trails.
Safety Concerns
In comparison to hiking in the US, hiking through Spain is incredibly safe. Crime rates in northern Spain are low and you’ll spend most of your time in rural towns and villages.
Most wildlife in Spain has been tamed or eliminated except for in a few remote areas. This means that encounters with bears or other dangerous animals are unlikely and bear canisters are not required for the Camino.
For example, the total number of bears in Spain is in the hundreds while the state of California alone has as an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 black bears. While black bears are not typically aggressive you do obviously need to take care with food storage, hanging any food or strong-smelling products in a tree away from your tent.
The main safety concerns you’ll have to worry about in Spain are encounters with livestock and not losing any of your important travel documents. By keeping a close eye on your things and staying vigilant in busy cities you’ll be fine.
Conclusion
Overall the Camino de Santiago is a great introductory experience for those considering some longer thru-hikes. It’s a relatively safe, welcoming atmosphere to start your point-to-point hiking journey. Before fully committing to months of backcountry hiking I think it’s best to try a month long trek to see if you truly have what it takes to do one of these larger objectives.
The camaraderie and festive atmosphere on the Camino are unlike any other hike I’ve experienced around the world. Even if you ultimately decide that you don’t want to hike one of the classic thru-hiking trails any time soon, the Camino is a worthwhile adventure in and of itself.
Whether you’re looking to build up base fitness for bigger objectives, test out some gear or want to test yourself with an exciting linguistic challenge, the Camino de Santiago makes a perfect first thru-hiking experience.
If you’ve done one or both of these types of hikes, let me know what your experience was like down in the comments!
FAQs
Do I need a bear cannister to hike the Camino de Santiago?
No, a bear cannister is not required for hiking the Camino de Santiago. The odds of you seeing or encountering a bear are slim to none.
Are there dangerous animals on the Camino de Santiago?
Overall hiking in Spain is extremely safe and you will not encounter many dangerous animals. Probably the most dangerous encounters you will have will be with livestock on the trail. As always, be cautious walking behind horses and don’t get too close to bulls, cows or donkeys.
Is wild camping permitted on the Camino de Santiago?
Wild camping is not permitted in most places in Spain. If you really want to bring your tent and set up camp, there are some ‘albergues’ or pilgrim hostels that will let you set up your tent outside for a fee. Just be aware that not all alberges offer this option and if you choose to camp anyway you may end up with a hefty fine.
Should I bring my camping equipment to Spain for the Camino?
In general I would advise against bringing it. There is such a good system of pilgrim hostels in place that it’s really not necessary to bring your own tent or stove. Especially during the summer months you will desperately need a shower by the end of the day, and for a few extra euros you can secure a bed to sleep in.
Further Reading
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thru-hiking
Thru-hiking wikipedia page
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Divide_Trail
Continental Divide Trail wikipedia page
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalachian_Trail
Appalachian Trail wikipedia page
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Crest_Trail
Pacific Crest Trail wikipedia page
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