Not only for Via de la Plata pilgrims:
How to get through this heatwave as unscathed as possible and still enjoy your Camino!
Not only the Via de la Plata pilgrims have to struggle with the high summer temperatures!
I had already published an article on this topic in May - but back then it only applied to pilgrims on the Via de la Plata.
As every year, high summer sometimes brings very high temperatures - not only on the southern Caminos - also in the Meseta, the camino aragones and other areas. Especially this year the temperature can make pilgrimage even more challenging.
BUT - there are many things that a pilgrim should almost inevitably keep to, or pay attention to, in these temperatures. It's not just walking at night ;)
Everyone is different - one person falls over at 25 degrees and another can go on a pilgrimage in high summer without any problems. The important thing is to know how and what supports your body to cope better with the high temperatures and the mileage of the stages..
I myself have always gone on pilgrimage in high summer and have been able to gather my own experiences and I am happy if they might help you.
Therefore, here:
My recommendations:
(The tips for the Via de la Plata are a bit different again!!) See if you can still spare or dispose of something from your backpack or dispose of it or send it ahead in a parcel.
See if you can still spare or dispose of something from your rucksack or dispose of it or send it in advance with a parce
Weigh up whether, if you haven't already done so, you should have your backpack transported in this exceptional temperature wave. This is not about
Really take enough water with you on the stage and take every opportunity to refill and drink to refill and drink on the way. (there is NO water on the Via de la Plata in summer, every is dry! )
Don't drink the last sips until you're sure you've got the "supply" of fresh water in front of you! Sometimes the village is a bit further away than you think, or the only bar is closed just then.
When you arrive at the stage destination, after the enjoyable beer, be sure to drink plenty of water.
If you're sitting in a bar, ask for an extra ice cube and rub your hands, wrists, arms, neck, and anything else you find pleasant with the ice cube. It cools the body down a bit, and you feel much fresher... at least for a while afterward.
Also at night, when you wake up, drink a few sips to refill the body. Please bear in mind that the body has a lot of substances to flush out due to the high muscle performance, for which it needs water, and "unfortunately" not only wine, beer and cola can be used. Otherwise, it comes to sore muscles, tendinitis and else.
Before going to bed, take a cool shower.
If you can't get to sleep at night because of the heat in the bedroom, take another cold shower.
Another well-tried method is to wet a cloth or piece of clothing with cold water and cover the body with it in bed. This way the body can cool down and it is easier to fall asleep.
In the morning, between getting up and starting on your way, if possible first row of water, so that your body has a water depot and you do not have to start you don't have to start drinking the water you took with you until later.
Put a few of the water bottles and hydration bladders in the freezer in the evening - if there is one. This way the water stays cool much longer and the effect on the body is greater than that of water that has been completely warmed up by the sun.
Use rivers, rivulets, small lakes, etc., if available (on the Via de la Plata in summer everything is dry), to take a break and put your feet in the cooler water. This makes the feet swell down, cools the body down so that you also feel fresher afterward. In addition, the body absorbs fluid through the skin of the feet. Also, hold your hands in cold water up to your wrists and put a cool, damp cloth on the back of your neck and, if necessary, on the back of your neck, and if you don't feel uncomfortable, dampen your hair well.
Make sure you take enough minerals and vitamins (magnesium and Co). Too much is lost through sweating and the body then gets into a state of "emergency" with extreme muscle performance. The extreme muscular performance into a "state of emergency".
Always allow for a little more water, so that you can help your body through to better compensate for the unusual temperatures. Temperatures. You can do this as follows:
- Dampen a cloth (handkerchief if necessary) and place it around the neck or
on the back of the neck.
- Heat often accumulates under the hat. Help your head by making your hair
damp under the hat.
- if you are sensitive, do not go on the slopes with your arms uncovered, or
only for a short time. Bare skin evaporates a lot of body water
very quickly!
- Moisten the sleeves of the long-sleeved shirt
16. Bear in mind that on the southern Caminos the sun has its highest temperature
in the evening between five and seven o'clock. So under no circumstances should you So never take a "lunch break" and think that it will be cooler afterward.
17. In the hostel, make a foot bath of at least 20 minutes (water, container, such as a bucket or wash bowl) with cool water and salt or vinegar. (NO cleaning vinegar!), or, if the hostel has my footbath mix in stock, this. A footbath detoxifies, cools and helps the feet to regenerate more quickly.
18. Wearing headgear that allows air to pass through as far as possible and suncream is probably a self-evident
PLEASE !!
Take the temperatures seriously if your body is not used to them!
ry my suggestions.
In an emergency, don't be afraid to call for help! (Call a taxi, ask your hostel parents to pick you up on the way, or even call
Guardia Cevil 062 or emergency 112
Camino walking, as every frequent pilgrim knows, also teaches us to learn to listen better to our bodies!
I hope I can help you a little and wish you all the best as always:
BUEN CAMINO!
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Other useful things:
– CAMINO-ANGEL-SERVICE für die Via de la Plata
Guidebook, practical tips, information