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That was a bad heat wave. When I walked between Roncevalles and Zubiri last July it was way hotter than I expected. Even though I must have drank 3-liters of water, by the time I got to Zubiri I was very dehydrated. The worst I had ever been on the Camino. I underestimated the heat and I'm always preaching not to. After I checked in at the albergue, I went in the kitchen there and stood by the sink drinking glass after glass of water until I finally felt better. I probably drank another two liters.Thanks @jo webber that's really great info. I was walking in 40 degrees last July for 2 days on the Primitivo during the heat wave (declared a civil emergency across Spain). That level of heat is deceptive: I did not realise at first how hot it was, because the body can't really sense the crucial difference between about 36 and 39 degrees. You are unaware if you are sweating much or not because it evaporates so quickly. I just thought 'why do I suddenly need to lie on the ground?'. So I did. I felt like an idiot, but I had to do it, I lay under a tree, right by the path. I carried on and had to lie down several times more, thinking I was losing the plot. Only later I got to Lugo, spoke to people and realised how hot it had been.
Thank goodness for large bushes along the way...Just a small point, I am absolutely sure it is physiologically impossible to reabsorb fluid from your bladder. And it is very uncomfortable to walk with a full bladder. The rest of the information is excellent.
Performed very well in stromg winds.To add a good solution to walk with walking poles and an umbrella is this one:
http://www.euroschirm.com/schirm/Swing_handsfree/index.cgi?session=Cyfwj30LTq8F7&sprache_land=usa
A littlebit more weight, but handsfree.
If somebody has first hands on experience in stormy weather please feel free to comment
Perhaps this thread should be moved to another sub-forun than the Frances as h2O is not much of an issue there but a great one on other routes, like Via de la Plata. A lot of good tips I would not want to see lost on a Frances sub-Forum.
I suspect there are some pilgrims who abstain from drinking enough water because they don't want to pee in the great outdoors. They would would rather risk dehydration.Just a small point, I am absolutely sure it is physiologically impossible to reabsorb fluid from your bladder. And it is very uncomfortable to walk with a full bladder. The rest of the information is excellent.
I consider about 30 deg as hot. Above 35 deg is very hotI hope this isn't a silly question, but when pilgrims says it's "hot," how hot are they talking in degrees? I'm guessing hot is relative, depending upon what you might be acclimated to already? What is typical for the Camino Frances in June/July? (Understanding that "typical" is never a guarantee!) I live in Florida, so I'm trying to get a feel for what it might be compared to what I'm used to. The heat doesn't usually bother me as much as it might for someone who is used to a cooler climate, as long as I make sure to hydrate.
I walked with such a peregrina on my first camino! Nightmare. And she wore no hat until I found her one....I suspect there are some pilgrims who abstain from drinking enough water because they don't want to pee in the great outdoors. They would would rather risk dehydration.
I consider about 30 deg as hot. Above 35 deg is very hotIt is all rather subjective.
I only encountered very hot temperatures on the Camino francés in July/August 2012. 2013 was much cooler and last Summer was just hot at times, cool at others.
This morning I walked with a starting temp of 58F (5:45am), ended my walk at 80F (8:45am). Took about a 30 minute stop for a small breakfast. It felt hot by the time I got home. I get much warmer carrying my 13lb pack. It's just more work to get yourself from point A to point B.but when pilgrims says it's "hot," how hot are they talking in degrees? I'm guessing hot is relative
This morning I walked with a starting temp of 58F (5:45am), ended my walk at 80F (8:45am). Took about a 30 minute stop for a small breakfast. It felt hot by the time I got home. I get much warmer carrying my 13lb pack. It's just more work to get yourself from point A to point B.
When I started I wore 2 shirts and warm socks. LOL
Humid heat feels hotter. Dry heat feels cooler, but will dehydrate you much faster as sweat dries before it drips and you don't notice the fluid loss.
I live in Florida, so I'm trying to get a feel for what it might be compared to what I'm used to. The heat doesn't usually bother me as much as it might for someone who is used to a cooler climate, as long as I make sure to hydrate.
In Florida you are also contending with higher humidity, which makes it much easier to be aware of the heat. I grew up along the central Gulf Coast, so I know...! On one backpacking trip in southern Mississippi I went through my entire one-gallon supply of water in about 3 hours, and needed still more. Thank goodness for the abundance of small streams and my water-filtration unit.
I have also hiked in low-humidity heat such as is common in the American Southwest. It doesn't FEEL hot because your perspiration is almost instantly evaporating, but it IS, and you can become seriously dehydrated before you realize that anything is wrong.
I have not yet walked the Camino - any Camino - but the common descriptions of said heat, and its impact on their bodies, strongly suggest a lower humidity than that to which you may be accustomed.
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