Heat wave - anxious

[jojo1555]

Hi everyone- so excited for my 2nd Camino. First was 5/2016. Walked entire way w/o using rain coat or fleece. Wondering if I really need them for 2 week trip starting tomorrow - Logroño to??? Concerned about heat wave carrying more than I need or leaving behind what I do. Thanks in advance - BUEN CAMINO

 

[J Willhaus]

I doubt you need the fleece right now.

 

[Corned Beef]

Start early. Finish early. Carry an umbrella for the Meseta as there's not much shade. Water too.

If you find the pack weight too much, use the excellent Paq Mochila from Correos

 

[Beth and Rodney]

We just finished the first half of the Frances yesterday. The heat is horrible. Even the local townspeople are raving about the temperature in the meseta area. It's cruel. You have a few weeks before reaching there but pay close attention to the weather.

 

[lt56ny]

You sure will not need the fleece. A silk liner or the sleeping bag liner is also all you will need. Keep your arms covered and your legs too. If not with pants with lots of sunscreen. I walked on the VIa de la Plata in October and the temperature for the first 10 days was in the low 30's. I wore a long sleeve t-shirt that had UV protection and was very light. I also wore very light pants that were also quick dry. I did not feel hotter in any of these clothes. Had a baseball cap that had an attachable hood that covered my neck and face from Outdoor Research that was great. Carried 3 liters of water as there are very, very long sections that have no towns or services. I alway started early. About 7 and i had cold water every day to drink and cool down with. Get one of those reflective UV umbrellas and carry ONLY what is absolutely necessary. You should be able to have a pack that is no more than 6 or 7 kilos at the most. Mine was 8 kilos but I had warm weather clothes as I was walking into mid December. Leave early stay hydrated and plan. Don't push yourself. Especially on the Meseta. FInd places that have shade to rest. If you think you can go another 1k or so to rest and you are tired and there is shade stop there. On the VDLP there were times I had to huddle beside one of those stone walls to find a little shade.
I think if the temperatures as as high as they are now you should be off the camino no later than 1PM.
When you stop if you are lucky enough to find a cafe with indoor air conditioning sit there and not outside.
Remember pack super light. You are not walking in a jungle or desert. If you need something you can buy it along the way.

 

[Roland49]

I will be in the Provence from mid of next week for vacay. Forecasted temperatures around 35°C / 95F.

Will get up early, take a break on the noon for 3-4 hours, drink a lot of water and take electrolytes.
On the afternoons (16:00 and later) I'll be on my way again.
Nothing bad about warm weather, you will see me wearing long pants and a T-Shirt and hat. Just beat the heat! If it's too bad, I will take a swim on the Côte d'Azure.

 

[OriCamino]

Hi, I did the Camino Frances this June and the only times I needed my thin fleece, vest jacket and waterproof was in the mountains for the Pyrenees and O Cebreiro, but when I needed them they were absolutely necessary. I had a sleeping bag liner the whole trip never needed a full sleeping bag. I second the point on the umbrella I had a reflective umbrella and used it on the Meseta to avoid heatstroke, also always finished walking for the day by 1pm

 

[Rebekah Scott]

I live on the meseta. Everyone is rising early these days, to get the outdoor work done while the breeze is still blowing and the sun is low. It's downright lovely outside in the early hours, if a little dusty. If you have a face mask left over from Covid, think about wearing that, for your lungs' sake.

My advice to pilgrims is to be sure to wear a hat, or cover your head and shade your face somehow. I am always amazed at the number of pilgrims who expose their delicate scalps to the full force of July sunshine! Crazy!

Also, please please be very careful in farm fields. Most of the grain is harvested now, but there are still standing crops of sunflowers and some rye and oats and soy, and a whole lot of straw. It is crispy dry, and a HUGE fire hazard. If you smoke, do NOT fling your butts into the ditches! If you're camping, say no to the stove... and a campfire is right out! Even if you're just taking a break in the shade, make sure your glasses are also out of the direct sun. A trashcan caught fire two days ago in Castrojeriz, supposedly from the sun's rays concentrated through a pair of glasses that were thrown away among the papers!

 

[camino.ninja]

Hi everyone- so excited for my 2nd Camino. First was 5/2016. Walked entire way w/o using rain coat or fleece. Wondering if I really need them for 2 week trip starting tomorrow - Logroño to??? Concerned about heat wave carrying more than I need or leaving behind what I do. Thanks in advance - BUEN CAMINO

It is always advisable to have enough with you to stay dry and keep your backpack dry. You will probably not experience a lot of rain except possible in Galicia. But when it rains in summer you will get soaked in a matter of minutes. A thin fleece can be good for mornings and evenings in some areas.

 

[Mananath]

Currently on the Frances... Absolutely no need for a fleece. The day I went over Alto Perdon it rained the entire day and I was thankful for my decent poncho. Other people with disposable ones were less happy.

 

[VNwalking]

A trashcan caught fire two days ago in Castrojeriz, supposedly from the sun's rays concentrated through a pair of glasses that were thrown away among the papers!

Amazing.
Not something we'd normally think about but definitely worth knowing, given the heat and dryness right now.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

bottles do that too.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

By the way, the latest heat wave in Spain has cost us two hospitaleros, frightened away by overheated news reports. Please note the heat waves are very temporary, and wild fires are very scattered and rare. I have every consideration for the concerns of my volunteers... but this, too, shall pass.
And I've lived through wildfires myself, during my long years in the trenches.

 

[VNwalking]

this, too, shall pass.

There are fires, bad ones. But terrible news is the clickbait the 24/7 news cycle loves, so things on the ground may not be as extreme as they sound. If you're worried about conditions, find someone who is closer to them than an aircon office in Madrid. Like @Rebekah Scott and other people on this forum who live in Spain and Portugal.

bottles do that too.

Wow.
Ok, everyone. Time to drink your wine from boxes and beer from tins. (Kidding!)

(You learn something every day, if you're lucky.)

 

[konnie]

By the way, the latest heat wave in Spain has cost us two hospitaleros, frightened away by overheated news reports. Please note the heat waves are very temporary, and wild fires are very scattered and rare. I have every consideration for the concerns of my volunteers... but this, too, shall pass.
And I've lived through wildfires myself, during my long years in the trenches.

I am saddened to be referred to as a frightened person or as someone who gets the news from “click/bait”.

Ivan himself posted the fire danger on the Camino and there are many posts about the extreme heat.

Although the people fleeing the fires are surely frightened and the families of those who died from the heat don’t need to get the news from a “click-bait”. I thought long and hard about cancelling my commitment to be a hospitalara in Canfranc. Part of my decision was based on knowing there will an another volunteer.

Secondly, I didn’t think I would enjoy walking a Camino after my service. Fires, heat, smoke, burned out areas, transportation disruptions. Who knows?

I had done a lot of planning, buying light weight equipment and I had a great plane ticket that I got before the prices skyrocketed. It was not an easy decision.

Take care everyone and Buen Camino

 

[VNwalking]

I am saddened to be referred to as a frightened person or as someone who gets the news from “click/bait”.

I'm very sorry you took that clickbait comment personally @konnie, because that isn't what was meant nor said. I'm sure it was an awful decision to have to make..

In saying this:

But terrible news is the clickbait the 24/7 news cycle loves, so things on the ground may not be as extreme as they sound. If you're worried about conditions, find someone who is closer to them than an aircon office in Madrid. Like @Rebekah Scott and other people on this forum who live in Spain and Portugal.

I was referring to how the media tends to feed on misfortune and how things are often not as dire as they sound from afar.

Fires, heat, smoke, burned out areas, transportation disruptions. Who knows?

Certainly all of these things are present somewhere along the way. Heat is certainly universal right now.
But smoke, transportation disruptions, and burned out areas seem quite limited to specific areas, and the first two are transient.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

Hospitalero-ing is demanding work. It's not for everybody.