- Time of past OR future Camino
- Too many and too often!
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Similar situations sometimes happen on the Primitivo along the Hospitales route, too. A man we'd met a few times arrived one day later after our glorious day going up and over. He told us he walked it in total fog and eventually lost sight of the standing wooden markers and became quite disoriented and fearful. I was surprised as our day had perfect weather. I have read a few times of others who nearly fell off the side of the mountain near the Alto de La Morta (1146m).We don't know where the pilgrim got lost; why she was too tired and too disoriented to continue
Funny - NOT! In the film The Way, this is exactly - how Tom's son Daniel managed to lose his way and walk off the mountain - in the fog - and died in the fall. This occurred on his first day out of SJPdP. That is how the film starts.Local news websites are reporting that the Burguete bomberos were called out yesterday to locate a peregrina disorientated by fog on the Route Napoleon. Fortunately she was found exhausted but otherwise in good health and she was taken to the albergue in Roncesvalles. A useful reminder that adverse weather conditions can cause problems even in mid-summer.
Localizan a una peregrina desorientada por la niebla en Roncesvalles
No requirió asistencia médicawww.pamplonaactual.com
Thank the universe. Rest up dear fellow peregrina.Local news websites are reporting that the Burguete bomberos were called out yesterday to locate a peregrina disorientated by fog on the Route Napoleon. Fortunately she was found exhausted but otherwise in good health and she was taken to the albergue in Roncesvalles. A useful reminder that adverse weather conditions can cause problems even in mid-summer.
Localizan a una peregrina desorientada por la niebla en Roncesvalles
No requirió asistencia médicawww.pamplonaactual.com
One year, Joe and I walked together with our group, composed of two married couples and some singles.
I looked at the weather the morning in SJPP we were supposed to walk.
It said snow.
I made the decision we would NOT walk but would taxi to Roncesvalles.
The rest wanted to walk and walk they did! Joe agreed to accompany them.
And what a walk it was! They had fog, rain, sleet, hail, SNOW, and over 75 kph gales!
One gal lost her glasses and had to walk blind
the rest of the Camino as it was impossible to get a prescription for glasses filled without waiting.
We four were safe and snug in front of a fire at La Posada,
watching as frozen wet pilgrims slogged in.
There we met two pilgrims from Las Vegas, Ralph and Toni Marie. They made the nearly fatal mistake of leaving Orisson the day before at 4 pm. Much too late!
By 9:30 it was getting dark.
Toni used her iPhone for light, but after half an hour the batteries were gone.
It was so dark they couldn't see their hands in front of their faces.
It was snowing and hailing and the wind was howling.
They were shivering, wet, and cold.
They huddled together under their small fleece blankets next to a bush and said the rosary to stay awake.
Tonie, a nurse, knew that falling asleep could mean they would die.
Seven long hours later, at dawn, they limped down into Roncesvalles, leaving their gear behind.
They actually had a room booked at La Posada and the staff had left out a bocadillo for them.
Here they are, next day, with a story to tell their grandchildren about how they almost died on the Pyrenees!
Our pilgrims came in late with their own stories.
After a nice trout dinner we all slept soundly.
Roncesvalles albergue was quieter than I've ever seen it.
Moral #1: If the sky looks threatening, do not attempt to cross from Orisson to Roncesvalles. The views are not worth your life!
Moral #2: Do not leave too late. Better to arrive early than not at all!
Off topic ...I have been looking for a Brierley guide to the Primitivo, but have never seen one. How old is yours?Similar situations sometimes happen on the Primitivo along the Hospitales route, too. A man we'd met a few times arrived one day later after our glorious day going up and over. He told us he walked it in total fog and eventually lost sight of the standing wooden markers and became quite disoriented and fearful. I was surprised as our day had perfect weather. I have read a few times of others who nearly fell off the side of the mountain near the Alto de La Morta (1146m).
Here is what John Brierley's guidebook says...
"Be warned that fog settles quickly in this area overnight and can restrict visibility in the morning. Although waymarking is excellent on the Hospitales route, pilgrims are strongly advised to walk through Pola if the weather is bad."
My guidebook for the Primitivo was "The Northern Caminos" by Dave Whitson, and he is the one I quoted in my post #4....so sorry, I got my books mixed up. I will correct my other post; I appreciate that you asked!Off topic ...I have been looking for a Brierley guide to the Primitivo, but have never seen one. How old is yours?
I'm taking it as a compliment.My guidebook for the Primitivo was "The Northern Caminos" by Dave Whitson, and he is the one I quoted in my post #4....so sorry, I got my books mixed up. I will correct my other post; I appreciate that you asked!
It is! Your guide book was extremely helpful to me!I'm taking it as a compliment.
If you aren’t positive about the path, sit down and get comfortable. Waiting it out is safer than falling off a steep drop.I was thinking as I walked, what would I do on the Camino in a thick fog. ...
Any suggestions?
Yes, and when I described a whiteout in a past discussion, the sarcastic comments were unpleasant and it was closed down. Now maybe I will be believed when I reiterate that whiteouts are at any time of the year and best to stay put as it usually only lasts a short time. Anyone doing the Napoleon leg of the French Way should have food and drink and something to shelter under such as a poncho. You just have to wait it out as you can’t see! As I’m a skier I know about these things and many people are not aware about mountain conditions. I hope she’s recovered well and continues her Camino.Local news websites are reporting that the Burguete bomberos were called out yesterday to locate a peregrina disorientated by fog on the Route Napoleon. Fortunately she was found exhausted but otherwise in good health and she was taken to the albergue in Roncesvalles. A useful reminder that adverse weather conditions can cause problems even in mid-summer.
Localizan a una peregrina desorientada por la niebla en Roncesvalles
No requirió asistencia médicawww.pamplonaactual.com
Numerous people on the way to Santiago do loose their way for a few minutes or even half an hour every day, fog or no fog. It happened to me. It happens when you don't pay attention because you are chatting with a companion, because you are in your thoughts, perhaps because you get distracted by what you are listening to on your earbuds. They soon notice their mistake and turn around and go back to the point where they know they were on the right way.as I walked, what would I do on the Camino in a thick fog. Pretty easy to navingate on the shore line with the dunes on the other side and bright beachy colors in between.... Any suggestions?
Not moving til sure of the way. Good advice in fog! Thanks.When the fog rolls in thick, it is almost impossible to get one’s bearings. We were walking very early in the morning one hot September morning our way to Burgos from Ages, when the fog rolled in. We were on a path and climbing when suddenly we could not see 6 feet in front of us. Approaching a crossroad of some kind…somewhere in the area of alto de Atapuerca ( I Think). we had a hard time finding any markers! It took us at least 20 minutes, with powerful lumen headlights to find the marker, which turned out to be stones on the ground making a giant arrow! Naturally, we kept looking for the markers on the sides of the road. I was adament about not moving until we were sure of our way.
I know what you mean about shopping centers. LOL Good advice. Thank you.Scary. I walk in 10 days and I can get disoriented in a shopping center. I have been caught out in whiteouts skiing, and walking. It's surprisingly difficult to gauge anything useful even the slope. I think the standard advice if you are lost is to stay out of retrace your steeps, rather than blundering on ??
If you aren’t positive about the path, sit down and get comfortable. Waiting it out is safer than falling off a steep drop.
Having a good map on your smartphone with the camino tracks would be wise to have in foggy conditions.
Be comfy while waiting it out. Thanks
I had the pleasure of said snow on Jun 7th 2019 at the Cruz... not horrible, but colder than what i would have expected for June in Spain...We did CF in 2019. Started in the last days of May but it was basically a June (summer) Camino. We had snow Orisson to Ronces. We later looked like cooked (sunburnt) lobsters on the Mesta and although we missed it, many we walked with had snow again around Cruz de Ferro. Always have storm gear with you. Unlike we are told in 'The Way', "The locals would have warned him", locals can be wrong! The albergue manager at Orisson told us it would be a fine day and thick dark clouds rolled in 10 minutes later, then it got colder and rained, then it rained sideways, then it snowed. We had rain the first 4 days of our Camino - my 11 year old almost quit. I'm pleased he did not.
I always take a compass,they’re cheap to buy and a helpful tool in all weathers.Scary. I walk in 10 days and I can get disoriented in a shopping center. I have been caught out in whiteouts skiing, and walking. It's surprisingly difficult to gauge anything useful even the slope. I think the standard advice if you are lost is to stay out of retrace your steeps, rather than blundering on ??
If my GPS battery was dead and I was in danger of hypothermia, I would go downhill until encountering water, and then downstream until encountering a village. Otherwise, either wait for the fog to lift or keep going in the direction I think is right. (Paying close attention to what I can see, and if that doesn’t include my own feet, don’t move!)I was thinking as I walked, what would I do on the Camino in a thick fog. Pretty easy to navingate on the shore line with the dunes on the other side and bright beachy colors in between....
Before I walked the Hospitales route, I asked local advice, which for a lot of caminos seems to make the best sense? I was blessed with a day of glorious weather and visibility, which made It then, and still, in my memory, one of the most wonderful day's walk I ever had on my own. It made up for the fact that 4 years earlier , I walked, with others on the Francés, over the Pyrenees in a total fog.Similar situations sometimes happen on the Primitivo along the Hospitales route, too. A man we'd met a few times arrived one day later after our glorious day going up and over. He told us he walked it in total fog and eventually lost sight of the standing wooden markers and became quite disoriented and fearful. I was surprised as our day had perfect weather. I have read a few times of others who nearly fell off the side of the mountain near the Alto de La Morta (1146m).
Here is what Dave Whitson says in his "The Northern Caminos" guidebook...
"Be warned that fog settles quickly in this area overnight and can restrict visibility in the morning. Although waymarking is excellent on the Hospitales route, pilgrims are strongly advised to walk through Pola if the weather is bad."
(Edited for a correction.)
Walking on the Primitivo in dense fog, I realized that it shifts, so you must stay still until you get a break in the landscape to see a marker. Never move from a marker until you have a clear brief view of the next step or you will be over the mountain.Thank the universe. Rest up dear fellow peregrina.
This brings up a good question though.
I was walking the beach in RI yesterday when a thick fog rolled in unexpectedly. Soon we wer caled out of the water and then a storm came on. None of this was predicted in the forecast.
I was thinking as I walked, what would I do on the Camino in a thick fog. Pretty easy to navingate on the shore line with the dunes on the other side and bright beachy colors in between....
Any suggestions?
I walked 37 days from Le Puy (on the roacamadour varient) and arrived in SJPdP two days before my train left. The arrival in SJPdP was so disappointing and I had heard so much about hiking the pass to Roncevalles, that I decided to strike out the next morning.Local news websites are reporting that the Burguete bomberos were called out yesterday to locate a peregrina disorientated by fog on the Route Napoleon. Fortunately she was found exhausted but otherwise in good health and she was taken to the albergue in Roncesvalles. A useful reminder that adverse weather conditions can cause problems even in mid-summer.
Localizan a una peregrina desorientada por la niebla en Roncesvalles
No requirió asistencia médicawww.pamplonaactual.com
It nearly happened to me. I blame my being tired, of course. Approaching the top of the Route Napoleon it was thick fog and a yellow curved arrow pointing right appeared on the path in front of me. What did I do? I immediately left the path and walked right onto the grass and immediately became lost and confused. Of course, had I had my wits about me, I should have waited for the path to appear on my right instead of immediately leaving the path for the grass. I imagined being near a precipice and falling down it so I was quite scared. It was only by chance that I found the path again and then very gladly joined a group of three young women and made it to Roncesvalles safely.Local news websites are reporting that the Burguete bomberos were called out yesterday to locate a peregrina disorientated by fog on the Route Napoleon. Fortunately she was found exhausted but otherwise in good health and she was taken to the albergue in Roncesvalles. A useful reminder that adverse weather conditions can cause problems even in mid-summer.
Localizan a una peregrina desorientada por la niebla en Roncesvalles
No requirió asistencia médicawww.pamplonaactual.com
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