A lazy Saturday after Christmas

So I was keeping this under the radar for a few weeks so that there would be a little content (even if it is superfluous) before letting people know that it was here and could be followed. Seems Rachel is very observant and noticed that I added a link to it on my Facebook page. Kudos to my one reader. :)

Yesterday, bought a pair of trail runners...running shoes made for unpaved trails. Given that most of El Camino is well marked, well trodden, and even paved, I'm thinking the ankle support offered by boots isn't needed. I won't be carrying more than 20 lbs if I can at all help it, so again, hiking shoes/boots not needed. I'm hoping these are lighter, better balanced, more comfortable, and more breathable. Cheaper, they were not. Either way, this pair will be shot training. I'll need a new pair to break in a month before I go anyway, so we'll see how I feel about these after doing some long hikes in them. I stationary cycled 90 minutes in them today. They're a little weak in arch support, so I put orthotics I had in them. Otherwise, they're comfortable so far.

I'm going to add some bold-faced sections intermittently with questions or issues I think of in case anyone can comment with an answer/solution.

Questions
Will I be able to find LITHIUM AA batteries along the way? They last a LOT longer in my camera than alkaline batteries. Of course I don't want to carry a lot of batteries.

Will my AT&T (more specifically, iPhone) be useful? Or will it mostly be dead? I have an extended external battery (4400 mah vs the 1150 mah the factory battery holds), so I should be able to go a week without charging it if I turn it off between towns.

Issue
I guess I don't bother shaving much? I'm not carrying the weight of an electric shaver or shaving cream. I have *really* spotty facial hair...this should be interesting. I'll gladly pay for a nice shave at a barber shop upon arrival in Santiago de Compostela!

I found a nice forum at http://www.caminosantiago.com which is very active, including posts by people currently ON El Camino. One thing that I hadn't thought about but I see in the forums (though some people say they see no evidence of it) is bedbugs. YUCK! I'll have to figure something out (e.g. permetherin) before I go!