I have so far completed two major pilgrimages. The first was the 800 Km Camino de Santiago. This pilgrimage started in France and ended on the West Coast of Spain. The second was the the Henro Trail, a 1400 Km hike around Shikoku Japan. The following are a few tips that I picked up on my experiences.
1.- Buy Bigger Boots - Your boots or shoes are possibly the most important part of any long hike. The most common mistake made when buying boots is buying boots that fit the current size of your feet. When you hike a long distance, your feet are going to swell. If your boots fit snug before you leave, buy new ones. I personally will buy boots that are at least a half size bigger than my normal shoe size. In Spain, my girlfriend did not do this and ended up with blisters bad enough that she ended up in the hospital. They cut out the infected area, and put her on a serious round of antibiotics. In Japan, I made sure my friends took this into consideration, and none of us had serious blister issues.
2.-Fitness Doesn’t Matter - Don’t let being in bad shape dissuade you from going on a pilgrimage. If you leave for a pilgrimage in good shape, your first week is going to be much more enjoyable. Regardless of your fitness level, the first week or two are going to be painful. The only way to prepare for walking 20 - 30 km a day, with a full pack, is to walk 20 or 30 km a day. On the Shikoku Pilgrimage, the four of us arrived in Japan with varying fitness levels. By the second week, everyone was in good enough shape to finish the day with minimal struggle. If you want details on the struggles of the first week check out the post, “Okay Zach, this time I promise. It’s only 1.5 more KM.”
3.- Don’t Stress, but be Smart with Pack Weight - I am a firm believer that if something is going to provide you with more comfort, you should bring it. I also carried a pack around Japan that weighed 55 lbs (25 kilos) with extras like a laptop, two extra pairs of shoes, three novels and more. I barely weigh 150 lbs. It was excessive. I think somewhere between my method, and minimalism is a good idea. A 10, 20, 30 or 60 day hike, is a long time. You will miss home, you will get bored, you will be sore. If you have something you can bring to minimize these symptoms, bring it.
4.- Extra Shoes - Two Extra pairs of shoes is probably excessive. For Japan, I brought Hiking Boots, Trailer Runners, and Birkenstock's. If I were to do it again, I would probably leave the trail runners at home, but I would for sure bring the Birkenstock's. They work really well as a camp shoe. At the end of the day, all you want to do is get out of your boots. They are also sturdy enough that you can walk in them for shorter periods of time. I found that the trail runners were too soft for the amount of weight I was carrying. It is amazing how good it can feel to switch out of your boots and walk for even an hour. Shoes inherently have pressure points and changing shoes will change the pressure points.
On these hikes, I met or traveled with some amazing people. If anybody else has ideas and advice, please add them in the comments below!