Blisters: the Camino tradition nobody wants

Blisters are practically a Camino tradition.

At some point on the Camino, almost every pilgrim will sit down, take off their boots, and stare at their feet in quiet disbelief.

Blisters are practically inevitable — especially in the first week. New boots, wet weather, long days, terrain that changes every few kilometres. Your feet take the full weight of every decision you made back home when you chose your gear.

But here's what nobody tells you before you leave: blister care becomes a ritual. Pilgrims compare feet like war stories. Someone in every albergue always has a needle and thread. The Compeed patches get passed around like currency. And somehow, hobbling into a café with three blisters on each foot feels like a genuine achievement.

The blisters hurt. But they also mean you're doing it — actually walking, actually out there, not just planning to go someday.

Most pilgrims will tell you: the feet toughen up by week two. The mind follows shortly after.

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