We're still walking, adjusting gear, and acquiring new gear. Buying new hiking gear is part of the fun of the Camino, of course, and we sometimes feel we're overdoing it. Nevertheless, walking the Camino over the years has changed our understanding of what constitutes comfortable and functional clothing, and more and more hiking clothes are becoming our new everyday garb. A sad event, a memorial service for a friend, had brought us to northern Virginia and Maryland, but the walk along the Rappahannock helped to soothe our spirits.

Here we are (above) in 2008. Peg's pack holds about 60 liters, and Russ carried a smaller one--about 38 liters. Both were lightweight, but fully packed.

In 2011 the large packs and belly packs remained.

In 2012, there are new, lighter and smaller (50 liters for Peg and 55 liters for Russ) packs, and NO belly packs.

In 2013 we carried the same packs as in the previous year, but noticed that they were almost always less than two-thirds full.

So, the question for 2014 is whether new, quite light, 32 liter packs will be enough. We think they will be, but stay tuned for the verdict, sometime in June.

It is less than a month to go before we begin the Via Portuguesa, and the training continues. Today we were lucky to see many plants and wildlife. All in a day's training for the Camino!