Stationery for Hiking

Hiking

Four weeks from now, I’ll be on the Meseta in Northern Spain. Over five years, I plan to walk the Camino Francés, from St Jean Pied de Port, in the French Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. This is year three, and thus far we have covered 179 miles of the 492 total. My walking buddies and I will, this year, be walking between cathedral cities, starting at Burgos and ending in Leon. 112 miles or so in six days. I have blogged about the camino on my personal blog at stuartlennon.com. Just select the category ‘camino’.

Even though we will be staying in hostels, we will be walking in all weather, which is likely to be both hot and sometimes wet. Naturally, I keep a journal, which I want to keep dry. Additionally, like all pilgrims, I have a Credencial, or Pilgrim’s Record. Here, I collect stamps from churches, bars and hostels, ostensibly to prove that I have walked the route. In Santiago, the record will be inspected before I am issued with my Compostela, the formal record of my pilgrimage. It would be nice to keep that in good shape too.

Last year, I carried my journal in my back pocket and my Credencial in a neck-worn money pouch. I nearly destroyed both with sweat on a long, hot, walking-day.

Enter the Seed from Nockco. The Seed will contain my passport, my two Credencials, a notebook, pen and my ‘pharmacy’. Receipts and other ephemera will be stored in the pocket on the front, beneath the Nero pin.

Stationery

The notebook is a 407 by Story Supply. Lovely paper for any writing instrument. I’m tempted to take a small fountain pen, but for hiking, I usually settle on an EDC pen. In the Seed will be this Schon DSGN in stainless steel, and my backup will be a Fisher Space Pen Backpacker, which lives on a clip in my pack.

Having everything contained in the Seed will make it easy to find in the pack (the bright colour helps too), and the case will afford another layer of protection from moisture.

After a long day hiking, there’s enormous pleasure in sitting in a bar, a beer or wine to hand, jotting down some reflections on the day.

Then, I’ll zip up the Seed and concentrate exclusively on the serious business of re-hydrating. 🍺