Buses

[Felipe Sanchez]

From: "jim allen" <jallen08aTAMPABAY.RR.COM>
Subject: Re: Buses
> Speaking of deadlines, help me here.  I biked the Camino in Sep 2000 with
my
> son (I am age 66) from Pamplona to Santiago.  He had to go back to work,
> hence the deadline.  My daughter wants to walk "some" of the Camino in Sep
> 2003.  Burgos to Santiago.  She has a deadline.  At my age, this is it.
> This will probably be my last Camino.
Mr. Allen:  I met an 82 year old who walked faster, better, and farther than
I and I am 66 also.  May I politely suggest that you avoid the mind-set
involved in "This will probably be my last Camino."  Wolf, a German
hospitalero along the route, had sufferred a stroke some time ago and he was
intent on "doing" the Camino again.  The true and total meaning of "Ultreya"
most probably involves setting your sight on Santiago and putting one foot
in front of the other until you arrive.  Or, in the parlance of modern,
informal America:  "Keep on Truckin' ".

  > >Should I go early and begin from
> SJPP?  I could walk to Burgos, train to Madrid and pick her up for her
> portion.  What do you think?
Great plan but remember that July and August are the hottest two months
along the Camino.  You run the risk of heat exhaustion unless you comply
with the advice of professionals in this regard:  start early at first
light, stop early before the heat becomes intense and you feel the full
effect, hydrate before you need to--if you wait to drink when you are
thirsty it is already too late, drink at every opportunity, carry two liters
of water and keep them full, and wear a hat that protects not only the head
but the neck and shoulder areas.  Finally, reduce your pack weight to the
bare minimum--10 pounds if able.  The lighter the better all the time but
even moreso in the heat.  By the way, in May of 2001 we experienced a week
of unseasonal heat.  I sufferred heat exhaustion.  I spent the first night
in the refugio in Estella and the second one in a hostal on the main plaza.
I drank copious ammounts of liquid, stayed cool, rested, and bought a hat.
No trouble the rest of the way through June.  Good Luck...Felipe