I did write my "following" sentence in a confusing way - I wasn't on the trail until April, but was watching the facebook and instagram postings of people who were out in March, as well as following the weather in general since late February. I wanted to pop back in to thank Mick and Alan for weighing in and provide a couple of updates. Here are Ender's wikiloc tracks for that day, and you can compare them with mine, showing some of the times I missed the path. The other mountain alternatives (Boñar to Vegacervera and La Pola de Gordón to La Magdalena) are equally beautiful but much easier to navigate. It was an astonishingly, jaw-droppingly lovely day - at one point I found myself at 5000' looking down on a pair of circling eagles - and I'd recommend it to anybody but, as Mick says, treat it with respect. Also, at the time there were very few yellow arrows, although when I met Ender the following week he said he was planning to do some marking soon, so it might be better now. According to the mayor of Caminayo, I was the first person on that route in over a week, so getting lost or injured would have been inadvisable. I'm quite sure I would have had to give up if I hadn't had them to follow - between Velilla del Río Carrión and Caminayo last November, for example, I lost count of the number of alternative possibilities for getting lost in beautiful thick woods, and without the umbilical cord of Ender's wikiloc (he uses the wikiloc name of enderjace) I undoubtedly would have done. "Ender", the "Angel of the Olvidado" without whom the upland bits would effectively still be uncharted, has made wikiloc tracks for both upland and the former paths of the Olvidado. For the section between Guardo and Puente Almuhey they are especially necessary. Strongly agree with Mick and Laurie that some form of GPS tracking is virtually essential for the highland sections of the Olvidado. Also start doing NOW all the techy stuff with the GPS and Tracks using the free software - it takes a long time. Don't be scared of the mountains just give them respect and you will thoroughly enjoy this Camino. So to summarise, in my opinion, GPS tracks are ESSENTIAL FOR THE MOUNTAIN SECTIONS ON THIS CAMINO. The GPS Tracks also helped me when the weather changed for 30 minutes and visibility was very bad, in the mountains between ARROYO AND OLEA, (YOU'LL BE WALKING THROUGH THIS SECTION) where, when the clouds came down it was like pea soup. It is possible you could do the mountain tracks without a GPS but I wouldn't do it.The trails in the mountains with a GPS as a backup gives you that added confidence. ( Even in the smaller mountains in England you can experience all the seasons in 1 minute ). Highest peak is just short of 1700 metres. The mountain sections on this route are a different kettle of fish, you don't want to be lost here at all. Nowadays using a GPS now and again is a great aid in this matter if you are having doubts about a route. You deduce this by instinct or by a local telling you. My analogy for getting out of this is the 3,4,5 right-angled triangle, where we should be walking the 5 units of the triangle but we miss a sign and end up walking the 3 and 4 units of the triangle. Being lost on some of the more common Caminos at times is part of the adventure, ( or for me it is ) where, for whatever reason, we miss a sign. The signage on the Camino Olvidado in general is good. Guides and info sheets are not maps and by maps I mean good quality detailed maps like the Ordnance Survey Maps I have in England. Saying that it is still recommendable to bring a map and compass in case there is a problem with the GPS. Modern technology now allows us to use a Track on a GPS. When HIKING in an area that you don't know a map and compass is necessary. See my photo signature that shows one of the two patches of snow I encountered. This is to indicate where the edges of the road are when there are heavy snow falls. Some of the roads have 4m high posts painted red and white either side of the road. That's why I left Bilbao on the 2nd of May. Click to expand.Hello Heather, I'm a bit confused, are you on a Camino now following some Spanish pilgrims or are you following some Spanish pilgrims on their Blog? And if the latter are you still planning to do this Camino in early April?Ī knowledgeable person told me after the 15th of April it should be snow free.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |