{"id":159198,"date":"2020-05-13T12:05:04","date_gmt":"2020-05-13T19:05:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=159198"},"modified":"2025-01-10T12:53:17","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T20:53:17","slug":"babys-first-thru-hike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/babys-first-thru-hike","title":{"rendered":"Baby\u2019s First Thru-Hike"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A version of this story appeared in the summer 2020 issue of Uncommon Path<\/a>. <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ever since they met while studying abroad, REI members Pablo and Rachel Muldoon talked about trekking the Camino de Santiago<\/a>, a network of trails established by religious pilgrims in the Middle Ages. Of the many routes\u2014all leading to the saint\u2019s purported tomb at Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain\u2014the most popular is the Camino Franc\u00e9s, a 500-mile jaunt over the Pyrenees through vineyards, villages and the ruins of ancient monasteries. \u201cIt sounded like a fun, romantic journey,\u201d Rachel says. Then they found out they were expecting their first child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early in her pregnancy, during a text exchange about possible baby names, Rachel wrote that if they named him Santiago, they should walk the Camino with him. \u201cI thought Pablo was going to say, \u2018That\u2019s insane,\u2019\u201d she says. Instead, he replied, \u201cAbsolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At home in Chicago, they trained for three weeks for their first extended thru-hike. \u201cI was walking around with this enormous 70-liter Osprey backpack, pushing a baby and looking ridiculous,\u201d Pablo says, laughing. Certain equipment\u2014like the backpack Pablo borrowed from a friend and had fitted for free at REI\u2014is standard on the Camino. But the Muldoons also had to account for baby gear, which, as many parents know, can add up quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deciding what to pack and what to leave behind proved challenging. \u201cThere are not a lot of resources online for parents who want to do [the Camino] with children,\u201d Pablo says. So they sought out friends and family members who had completed the hike and asked for advice, including whether or not they should bring their Thule Urban Glide 2 Stroller<\/a>. On the one hand, the couple argued, it would give their son a reprieve from being carried in a pack. On the other hand, the terrain in Spain\u2014rocky and with far more hills than what they were accustomed to in the Midwest\u2014would make navigating with a stroller more difficult. Ultimately, it made the list, along with a travel crib and REI Co-op packing cubes<\/a>, which helped them stay organized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five months after Santiago was born, the Muldoons flew to Spain, where, despite their preparations, doubt crept in. Rachel wrote in her journal, \u201cWe start tomorrow. I\u2019m already sore. I have a blister. I don\u2019t know how this is going to go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Photo Courtesy of Rachel Muldoon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

They spent the next 14 days navigating the trail and their new role as parents. Once, they opted for what they thought was a shorter route only to be met with a steep incline that took hours to conquer. On day six, a rock punctured their stroller\u2019s tire, stranding them in a rural area. Help came in the form of three Spaniards and a patch made from a blister bandage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen Santi would cry, I would feel self-conscious and worry people thought we were being irresponsible for taking him on this crazy journey,\u201d Rachel says. At one point, she apologized to a fellow pilgrim, only to be reassured. \u201cShe said, \u2018If you were home, he\u2019d be crying at home.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along the way, the Muldoons learned to let go\u2014of unnecessary gear, of their pride and of preconceived notions. \u201cI had a fear that, once we became parents, the adventures would end,\u201d Pablo says. \u201cI think we did this pretty extreme adventure to subconsciously prove to ourselves that, in fact, the adventure is just beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Camino de Santiago By the Numbers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

9<\/strong>: Number of routes officially recognized as part of the Camino de Santiago network<\/p>\n\n\n\n

482 miles:<\/strong> The length of the most popular route, the Camino Franc\u00e9s or \u201cFrench Way\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

251,281<\/strong>: Average number of pilgrims who complete the trail each year<\/p>\n\n\n\n

347,578<\/strong>: Number of pilgrims who completed the trail in 2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11\u201315<\/strong>: Average number of miles walked per day<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4\u20136 weeks<\/strong>: Average amount of time it takes to complete the full Camino Franc\u00e9s<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A version of this story appeared in the summer 2020 issue of Uncommon Path.  Ever since they met while studying abroad, REI members Pablo and Rachel Muldoon talked about trekking the Camino de Santiago, a network of trails established by religious pilgrims in the Middle Ages. Of the many routes\u2014all leading to the saint\u2019s purported tomb […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":159200,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[387,388],"tags":[2006,552,131,12,1934,2024],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-159198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hike","category-travel","tag-issue-3","tag-rei-members","tag-spain","tag-travel","tag-uncommon-path","tag-uncommon-path-issues"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/hike\/babys-first-thru-hike","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Baby\u2019s First Thru-Hike","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/babys-first-thru-hike","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/babys-first-thru-hike"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/05\/Copy-of-Camino-2019-34_hero.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/05\/Copy-of-Camino-2019-34_hero.jpg?fit=2000%2C1000"},"articleSection":"Hike","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Flandreau"}],"creator":["Michelle Flandreau"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["issue 3","rei members","spain","travel","uncommon path","uncommon path issues"],"dateCreated":"2020-05-13T19:05:04Z","datePublished":"2020-05-13T19:05:04Z","dateModified":"2025-01-10T20:53:17Z"},"rendered":"