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Been from Lisbon to Barcelona, I can tell you one thing: buy rain shoe covers!!
I still have frozen big toes, almost 2 months after my trek. Shits real. I had a thorn in my big toe all day today and. Didn’t even notice till I got home kek.
Also don’t preoccupy yourselves with exact routes and trying to create a perfect .gpx file on your Garmin. Ain’t happening. Speaking of which, don’t overly rely on automatic route finders either. They will sometimes lead you to impossibly steep roads, or even unmarked shit trails (I’m a tourer). For food, bring dark chocolate, cliff bars, candy, whatever makes you tick. I had the luxury of stopping through towns and cities everyday, so I always had bakeries and grocers at my disposal.
As far as sleep systems, get a 5c quilt and a R value 3.2 pad (I’ve got Nemo tensor) for year-round coverages (minus super cold climates). Try cowboy camping before you decide to take a tent. I was out for a month, ended up only using my 700 gram Lanshan 3 times, the first 3 nights. That worked until Northern Portugal, at which point I opted for albergues. Bring patches for tent/ pad.
There are tons of other things to discuss regarding gear, it’s almost impossible to say within the character limit.
I would just say, be open minded, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. So many kind strangers out there. Also, don’t predicate your success on KMs travelled. In Canada, I could do 300km in one day. My first few days in Portugal, could hardly do 40km, due to the shorter late fall days, set ups, and baggage weight. On my last day, I did 180km from Llieda to Barcelona fully loaded, got a flat and broke a chainring tooth on a national highway (A-2), fun!
You will have stories for the rest of your life, that’s one of the main reasons I undertook such a trip. Lots of fond memories, and you will be ever thankful for everyday things, like hot showers, a warm bed with clean sheets, fridges, microwaves and cupboards of food. GL anons
