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Pilgrim rescued on Camino de Madrid

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Pelegrin

Veteran Member
Time of past OR future Camino
2019
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
A pilgrim was rescued yesterday by Guardia Civil in Navacerrada mountains. He was lost in the snow for 3 hours and had symptoms of hypothermia. No more details on the news.
Thank you for posting this news. I am glad to read that the pilgrim was rescued and is now safe without major harm in Cercedilla.

I'm always curious to understand how such a situation came about, as I hope to learn from it and will never get into such a situation myself. This agency report, based on a tweet from the Guardia Civil, made me think that the man was walking in the snow for 3 hours. However, it apparently took the Mountain Intervention and Rescue team 3 hours of walking through difficult terrain with lots of snow and subzero temperatures to reach the pilgrim, counted from the time the pilgrim sent out an alert late in the day at 17:30. Luckily, he was able to do so! An article in La Vanguardia has more details on times and also mentions "inappropriate clothing". One thing I am always aware of when I set out is the time when the sun sets, ie when it gets dark and much colder. The pilgrim was found at 20:45 at night. He had started walking at 9:00 in the morning.

 
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The news says that he was rescued in Navacerrada (puerto, because 1750 m). But it is not easy to get to Navacerrada area from Las Dehesas. So I think that when he was at Puerto de la Fuenfria he went East instead of going North to Valsain.
 
This highlights one of the risks of walking with snow falling or already on the ground. It does tend to obscure the yellow markers, and camouflage even some mojones.

My practice in such conditions is to walk facing traffic on the nearest parallel road that gets me to the next village town destination. I do not like road walking, but I can handle the wet slop on the verge / shoulder much better than hypothermia in the middle of nowhere, with no one around.

Also, walking up and out of the 'bowl" at Cercedilla and beyond before Segovia, is similarly no picnic either. Coming out of Cercedilla is very steep, then the forest walking beyond was not the best marked I had ever seen.

All lessons learned...
 
A pilgrim was rescued yestarday by Guardia Civil in Navacerrada mountains.
He was lost in the snow for 3 hours and had symptoms of hypothermia.
No more details on the news.
I did this Camino for three days and I could not believe how lonely it was. After for days, I decided to take a bus back to Madrid because the trains or bus buses could not take me to Sahgon because the system works like that so I then took a train from Madrid to Sahgon and started the Camino Frances. I trust the pilgrim recovers, my prayers go out to him.
 
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I drove from Burgos to Madrid a couple of days ago. Lots of snow and very cold! Be careful
 
My practice in such conditions is to walk facing traffic on the nearest parallel road that gets me to the next village town destination. I do not like road walking, but I can handle the wet slop on the verge / shoulder much better than hypothermia in the middle of nowhere, with no one around

But here the road alternative through Puerto de Navacerrada to La Granja is really unpleasant.
The best if you don' t have good boots, gaiters, poles and some experience in walking on snow is to take the train in Cercedilla to Segovia.
 
If you suck it up and made it as far as Segovia, you might have taken the high speed AVA train direct to Leon. From there, you could pick up the second half of the Frances...

I put a similarly disappointed German pilgrim on this train after a similarly depressing episode.

Just sayin...
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
If you suck it up and made it as far as Segovia, you might have taken the high speed AVA train direct to Leon. From there, you could pick up the second half of the Frances...

I put a similarly disappointed German pilgrim on this train after a similarly depressing episode.

Just sayin...
Yes but that road is dangerous for a walker.
There are 7 very strong curves down to Segovia known as the "siete revueltas" with the snow covering the verge/shoulder and cars no expecting walkers. I don't recommend anybody to walk there.
 
But here the road alternative through Puerto de Navacerrada to La Granja is really unpleasant.
The best if you don' t have good boots, gaiters, poles and some experience in walking on snow is to take the train in Cercedilla to Segovia.

That also works in extremis. I walked in early April 2016. There was still a fair amount of snow at the pass just before Segovia. This is yet another example of smart days versus brave days.

There is no sin to hopping ahead by local train to continue under more favorable / safer conditions. It is only those final 100 km before Santiago that rule a Compostela in or out.
 
This is where you use wikiloc, komoot, whatever it takes etc to keep on the path in the safest way possible.
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
Thank you for posting this news. I am glad to read that the pilgrim was rescued and is now safe without major harm in Cercedilla.

I'm always curious to understand how such a situation came about, as I hope to learn from it and will never get into such a situation myself. This agency report, based on a tweet from the Guardia Civil, made me think that the man was walking in the snow for 3 hours. However, it apparently took the Mountain Intervention and Rescue team 3 hours of walking through difficult terrain with lots of snow and subzero temperatures to reach the pilgrim, counted from the time the pilgrim sent out an alert late in the day at 17:30. Luckily, he was able to do so! An article in La Vanguardia has more details on times and also mentions "inappropriate clothing". One thing I am always aware of when I set out is the time when the sun sets, ie when it gets dark and much colder. The pilgrim was found at 20:45 at night. He had started walking at 9:00 in the morning.

I always carry matches in a sealed metal container (to build a fire) and extra food for such cases. Fire will attract help. … and maybe a multa.. a fine.
 
I always carry matches in a sealed metal container (to build a fire) and extra food for such cases. Fire will attract help. … and maybe a multa.. a fine.
This happened so long ago that I didn't remember the case nor the fact that I commented on it. I now see that it happened in winter in the mountains near Madrid and that the rescue team had to move through "lots of snow" to get to him. I guess this old thread turned up because someone asks about walking the Camino de Madrid right now in August?
 
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