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overnight on col de lepoeder?

malingerer

samarkand
Time of past OR future Camino
cf (2), de la plata, cp. (2003 -2018)
has anyone ever camped or bivvied overnight here? its my last camino due to lung condition and have a fearful urge to do this just for the hell of it but obviously weather permitting!!!!!

the malingerer.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
I've seldom heard of anyone making the decision to camp on the Lepoeder, rather than move on to Roncesvalles. At nearly 5,000 feet at this elevation you are subject to rapidly changing temperatures and serious weather conditions. During the assent from SJPDP, should the temps already be cold...you can expect a drop of 3+ degrees for every 1000 feet of elevation. That could be very cold. If you continue on to Roncesvalles, the opposite drop can not only warm you up...it could save your life. I would be interested to know the reason you would consider this option.
 
has anyone ever camped or bivvied overnight here? its my last camino due to lung condition and have a fearful urge to do this just for the hell of it but obviously weather permitting!!!!!

the malingerer.

Look at google earth ... you can see the remains of an old fort ... so yes ... people have camped or bivouacked here. Often.
 
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has anyone ever camped or bivvied overnight here? its my last camino due to lung condition and have a fearful urge to do this just for the hell of it but obviously weather permitting!!!!!

the malingerer.
This sounds like a wonderful idea ... to do just for the hell of it. Weather permitting, I can think of all sorts of reasons why it can work, and none why it can't. I walked that col in a blinding snowstorm; camping there in decent weather should not be a problem, provided you have proper equipment. And if the weather does not cooperate, well, Roncesvalles is not far away. I say definitely give it a go .... and let us know how you progress. I'll be rooting for you!
:):):)
 
In 2003 I met four young women in Roncesvalles who had spent the previous night on the mountain - but not through choice. They hadn't realised how long it would take to walk from SJPDP and got caught in the dark. Luckily the weather was fine, if cold, and they all had sleeping bags. They used ponchos as ground sheets and huddled together. It was harrowing, but they survived. From their description they were near the border and not that far from Roncesvalles.
 
thanks 2 all of you! i am ex forces and was in a mountain rescue unit for two years in the cairngorms and do not consider myself a greenhorn :) i was, sadly, in St Jean when the four froze to death. I know all too well how fickle the mountain can be as i have carried the dead off in Scotland. This is a personal matter but nevertheless will welcome all comment as i shall not finalise my decision until the very last second!! one drop of rain,one hint of anything adverse to this bag of bones and believe me, this notion is OFF!!!!!!!! Besides, at 76, I am allowed to dither!! tis the dotage! :)
yours aye,
the malingerer whomay not be lingering!! heh! Heh!
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
Hi Malingerer , Good luck with your plan. With the right conditions it would be super to overnight-getting a bit jealous of you to tell the truth:oops:
But just in case anyone else, perhaps without the benefit of you experience and wisdom, is thinking of camping out up there I saw two stunned young Americans been brought off the mountain by a shepherd in early April. They'd been camping out but been caught in a bad snowstorm when the shepherd, who'd gone up to bring in some of his pregnant ewes, found them-they were so lucky. He drove them down to SJPP in the back of his little van cuddled up to a few somewhat surprised sheep!
The key here is that they hadn't asked the locals advice and had also set out later the previous evening giving themselves no time to 'reconsider' the decision to overnight. The couple were from Colorado, experienced hikers with 'top end' kit but they'd underestimated the mountain and overestimated the 'busy trail' image of this part of the Camino. Though they continued their Camino, well at least as far as Pamplona, due to a leg injury the lassie was having to bus ahead of her boyfriend.
Happy and safe camping;)
 
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:D Love that!
Please, please, please ... just be sure to have your warm, woolies with you, and your contingency plans locked down.
Best wishes,
winter woolies? us ole mountain men simply let our beards grow and apply hair restorer to our armpits and nether regions! this encourages evolution to run shrieking backwards and put us in yeti mode! contingency plan? why, tis simples! convenie ntly forget to pack the tent! as im waiting to buy this on ebay and wont take delivery till approx end august could be a case of many a true word spoken in jest!

gracias
 
New Original Camino Gear Designed Especially with The Modern Peregrino In Mind!
winter woolies? us ole mountain men simply let our beards grow and apply hair restorer to our armpits and nether regions! this encourages evolution to run shrieking backwards and put us in yeti mode! contingency plan? why, tis simples! convenie ntly forget to pack the tent! as im waiting to buy this on ebay and wont take delivery till approx end august could be a case of many a true word spoken in jest!

gracias
May I join you? This sounds like a fun exercise! I'll bring my own tent though; I'm not really into the hair restorer stuff. :D:D:D
 
winter woolies? us ole mountain men simply let our beards grow and apply hair restorer to our armpits and nether regions! this encourages evolution to run shrieking backwards and put us in yeti mode! contingency plan? why, tis simples! convenie ntly forget to pack the tent! as im waiting to buy this on ebay and wont take delivery till approx end august could be a case of many a true word spoken in jest!

gracias

You don't have a tent? May I suggest your first camping trip shouldn't be more than a couple of hours from any given trail head and that col de Leopolder doesn't qualify for that. If you don't have mountain camping experience route Napoleon probably isn't the best place to get it.

Evolution also includes the natural selection process ... and you'd look silly getting a Darwin award on the camino.
 
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The first edition came out in 2003 and has become the go-to-guide for many pilgrims over the years. It is shipping with a Pilgrim Passport (Credential) from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
You don't have a tent? May I suggest your first camping trip shouldn't be more than a couple of hours from any given trail head and that col de Leopolder doesn't qualify for that. If you don't have mountain camping experience route Napoleon probably isn't the best place to get it.

Evolution also includes the natural selection process ... and you'd look silly getting a Darwin award on the camino.
Are we talking apples and oranges here? If you look at the col de Lepoeder on Google Earth, you will see the road. This is the road I walked during the snow storm, and Roncesvalles is just a short ways down this road. This is the area of the col that I am thinking of. If there is another area of the col on the Route Napoleon track that is under consideration then, yes, I may want to rethink my position, because I don't know where that is, nor do I know how difficult it will be to get out of such an area if need be. Please enlighten me; I'd like to know. :)
 
Are we talking apples and oranges here? If you look at the col de Lepoeder on Google Earth, you will see the road. This is the road I walked during the snow storm, and Roncesvalles is just a short ways down this road. This is the area of the col that I am thinking of. If there is another area of the col on the Route Napoleon track that is under consideration then, yes, I may want to rethink my position, because I don't know where that is, nor do I know how difficult it will be to get out of such an area if need be. Please enlighten me; I'd like to know. :)

If you are not experienced in mountaineering ... proximity to the route Napoleon or Roncesvalles (unless you are starting out from Roncesvalles) does not qualify as a place to start learning. People do die on this route ... and my observation is that just like everywhere else its people who are underestimating the mountain and overestimating their ability.

You're going to be tired and low on energy. That will make you susceptible to hypothermia. If you don't have the right gear for the conditions, particularly if the conditions are extreme, or if you don't know how to use it then you will be in trouble deep.
 
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Be aware that both French and Spanish rescue services may decide to retrieve you from the col, ignoring your opinions and intentions.
 
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