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<P>Having walked twice in Setpember-October, I can attest that it is a very good time to walk. The summer crowds for the most part have gone home, almost all of the seasonal refugios are open until at least mid-October, and the weather is quite moderate. On each 30 day walk I had one serious day of rain, down from O Cebreiro to Triacastela the first time and up from Villafranca to O Cebreiro the second. There was light rain on a few other days, but my poncho hardly left my pack on either trip. About the only weather problem was in the form of chilly mornings, and a light pair of gloves is a good idea if you plan to start walking early, as most pilgrims do.</P>
<P>Indeed, on my second walk in 2001 I was about 10 days later than on my first, and the weather was actually better. In Santiago and at Fisterra it was actually warm and sunny on the holiday weekend around All Saint's Day (1 November)! Our (informal) group had a farewell picnic on the Obradorio on our final evening together, and it proved aperfect evening for it.</P>
<P>If anyone is interested in my September experiences, I have posted fairly detailed daylogs for both walks at <A href="http://groups.msn.com/CaminoSantiago">http://groups.msn.com/CaminoSantiago</A> Go to the left column and click on documents.<BR><BR></P></DIV>
<DIV>E. O. Pederson</DIV>
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<DIV>Seattle, WA</DIV>
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<DIV></DIV></div><br clear=all><hr>Add photos to your e-mail with <a href="http://g.msn.com/8HMJENUS/2746??PS=">MSN 8.</a> Get 2 months FREE*.</html>