Seventy Kilometres from Finishing The Camino De Santiago – Virtually

Byrichard
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Now that I am seventy kilometres from finishing the Camino De Santiago virtually I have less than a week of virtual walking left. I walk in the real world, but the distance is mapped onto a virtual Camino. This is advantageous for two reasons. The first is that it makes walking around in circles near home less boring, but also because it means that there is less one less individual on the Camino De Santiago, so one less person contributing to population stress. I am doing this via the Pacer app.

According to their schedule I have 111 days in which to complete the walk, so I will complete it with over one hundred days to spare. I wasn’t even walking that much compared to this summer. Their target for walking 800 kilometres was too long for me. My habits are faster. At the same time I do not walk 30-40 kilometre days like thru-hikers do.

For years and years I have had points via a card, and for years I have never used them because I never had anything that tempted me. I saw someone that had a Sigg bottle I was not familiar with so I looked at it, and then I was told that I could get it with those points. Of course being the individual that I am, what I am looking for is something that can replace my Camelbak forge.

CamelBak Forge

For years I loved using the Camelbak forge, until, eventually I overtightened it too many times, and so the top became loose, and dangerous. Imagine freshly boiled water, carried via the cap rather than the base, and you have a painful accident waiting to happen.

Sigg Travel Mug

As I browsed through a variety of options I found the Sigg Travel Mug. It comes in 0.27L and 0.47L versions and I chose the larger version. The difference is 5 CHF. When I worked 4am shifts one winter I really liked having such a drinking vessel. I then used it constantly for long enough for it to fail on me.

It is nice to have hot drinks on demand when you’re fighting to stay awake, and when you’re outdoors working in cold weather. It is also nice when sitting at a desk.

Environmental Reasoning

The kettle I have requires me to boil at least 800ml of water at a time, but if I prepare just one cup then I waste a lot of energy and water. My solution, for a while, has been to boil that volume of water, but to pour it into a thermos, that way the drinks stay warm, and I can drink the hot drink hours later, or even the next morning.

Horizon/Neso Niche

If you’re sitting at a desk, or at home, unscrewing a top is not an issue, but when you’re driving anything that allows you to remain focused on the road is good, and that is where the Camelbak forge and travel mug are good. The Camelbak Horizon and Sigg Travel Mug Pure ceram could also be considered except for one serious flaw. They need to be upright to keep your drink from leaking. Although named Horizon the Camelbak Horizon prefers to be vertical. If you shake or lean it then it leaks. If you have a car with cup holders then this isn’t an issue. I don’t, so I anticipate a mess.

Purchase justification

The Forge failed months ago and I was looking for a replacement. I finally see that I can replace it for 15 CHF so I am seizing that opportunity.

Similar Posts

Melissa The Frustrated Bee

Melissa The Frustrated Bee

Byrichard

Imagine, you’re a bee. You stop off at the local watering drinking hole but you fall in. All the pollen that you collected in the morning is now lost. It is now in the swimming pool where you had stopped for a quiet sip.

Life would have been over, if not for a human being noticing movement in the water. A pool brush came from underneath and lifted the bee out of the water and then shook violently so you hang on. The brush is no longer shaked. Instead it is put down in a sheltered spot, away from prying bird eyes.

I don’t know if the bee will survive but at least it had a chance at not drowning. If it goes back to the bee hive it may go empty leg pouched.

Hiking And Tea

Hiking And Tea

Byrichard

This morning, as I was doing laundry, I found that I couldn’t focus so I started to look at all the teas that are available at a local shop. I saw that they had herb teas, mint teas, nettle teas, weed tea and more. I also noticed that tea is cheap. You can get twenty cups worth of tea for 0.95 CHF if you’re not picky about the tea you drink. What I find interesting about the broad selection and choices of tea is that it is so cheap compared to water, soft drinks, fizzy drinks, juices, coffee and more. Not only is it cheap, but it is light and easy to carry.


If I was setting off on a multiday hike I think I would transport several bags of tea, and I’d make tea. If it was in the middle of summer I would use the sun to warm up the water in which I would then put the tea, and I’d have a warm cup of tea within a few hours. If you carry fuel with you then you can boil the water, kill any bacteria and viruses and then drink it. Of course this may involve carrying more fuel than you’d like.


I noticed that some teas are cold brew, just put the bag in, wait, and within a certain period of time it’s ready. As you can tell, I have not read the instructions.


I will spend more time looking at different types of tea and I will experiment. It is easy to store, transport, and prepare. Easier than hot chocolate. This morning motivates me to be more adventurous with tea, and to find one or more that I like.


I ran my coffee experiment. I put four espressos into a single cup, and drank it, to see if I like the taste, to determine whether I would buy the grains, and a grinder. As the experiment was a success I can move ahead with that plan.


You see, pandemic life makes us eccentric. Months of solitude has that effect on our well-being.


A few months ago I walked by some nettles and I thought “it smells of mint” and today I looked up the taste of nettles and I saw that they taste of “spinach and cucumber, with a hint of mint.” I don’t mind mint and cucumber, but Spinach puts me off. Shame. It has health benefits.

A fear of mountain trails – a healthy concern
|

A fear of mountain trails – a healthy concern

Byrichard

In Switzerland you grow up walking on mountain paths that are narrow and steep. One one side you have the mountain and on the other you have a steep slope. I remember having a fear of mountain trails once or twice in the German part of Switzerland. I think it was in Kandersteg. You walk along a path high above a lake. If you fall and slip in the grass then you may be unable to stop. You could fall off the cliff. Fear or concern are normal in such circumstances.

A week ago we went climbing as a group of friends in the Jura near Vallorbe. One person was scared. I was not there to witness this person’s fear but a year ago I did accompany someone who was afraid. I slowed down to that person’s speed and provided a hand when needed. I also provided moral support. These trails are an integral part of Via Ferrata. When I was still a child I did slide on the way up to La Dole but stopped within metres of where I fell. I climbed back up with no problem. Ironically last week someone did slip when we were walking back at night. He did not slide far. Luckily the person who was afraid missed this incident.

If you want to do the Via Ferrata du Rocher de Naye you walk on narrow trails with a steep drop on one side. Experience keeps us sure-footed. Experience tells us that if we do slip or fall we can recover. We know how to avoid slipping and falling in the first place.

The reality of the mountains is that we do hear of people slipping and sliding to their deaths when hiking in the mountains. In summer the stories of people killed by avalanches are replaced by the stories of older hikers sliding to their deaths. The dangers and threat are real and it is for this reason that experienced hikers need to help less experienced hikers. We need to keep those we are with both safe and comfortable. If they are uncomfortable we must turn around and find a more appropriate route.

When you complete the Rocher de Naye Via Ferrata you can either go down with the train or you can hike down via this route. This route takes you via a scree field where rocks are loose. You could slip and slide or you could loosen rocks that hit people below you.

Either you can walk up to the Tour D’aï or you can enjoy the Via Ferrata. If you enjoy the via ferrata you must keep in mind that you are walking down an alpine trail to get back. These are marked by the blue and white trail markers. There is a sheer drop to the side of this trail. Wearing the right shoes and being sure-footed is key. The landscape is beautiful from this vantage point but experience is key to staying safe.

 

From Grächen to Zermatt via the longest suspension bridge: part one
| |

From Grächen to Zermatt via the longest suspension bridge: part one

Byrichard

Hiking from Grächen to Zermatt via the longest Suspension bridge is an interesting two-day hike. It provides you with views of glaciers, boulder fields, scree slopes and more. It also provides you with the opportunity to cross a suspension bridge that takes six minutes.

Hiking up from Grächen

The hike up from Grächen takes you up through a forest. You go through a forest and there is a stream to your left and the nice landscape to your right. The hike up is easy.

As I hike with a water filter I like to get water straight from glaciers when I can. I gathered water from the glacier. It tastes good and it’s fresh. Gathering water from this point is easy.

From this cirque you climb up through some more trees and eventually you get to a nice view point from which you can see the landscape. This provides a good point for a snack and rest.

[vrview img=”https://www.main-vision.com/richard/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/export_1503909534859.jpg” width=”500″ height=”500″ ]

Use mouse to look around image above. (360 image)

Many years ago the glacier reached down into the valley below. You can clearly see the depth of the former glacier. At this point you are above the tree line. You begin to walk on bare rock. The slopes get steeper and you are more exposed.

One segment of this hike crosses a zone of active rock falls. When we were walking here we heard a loud noise that sounded like thunder or a jet. After a few seconds we saw large rocks falling down the slope and bouncing. Where they hit the ground clouds of dirt and dust erupted. It was too far away for me to get good video footage. At this moment we were more attentive. If you look up you see that massive rocks get loose and fall. Look at the contrast between the sign post and the boulders. You need to scramble and climb over rocks and navigate your way towards safety.

The dangerous zone in context

The dangerous zone takes a few minutes to cross and there are big rocks behind which you could try to shelter during a rock fall but the best option is to spend as little time as possible in the dangerous section. Rock falls are usually due to hikers, rain and ice formation. When rock falls are common you see that there is no moss and no trees grow. Later we crossed over boulder fields where trees and moss were growing. The Europahütte is built in an old boulder field overlooking the bridge.

Fractals

In one of the Coastline documentaries I watched a while ago, they said that if you measure the coastline to within one metre you get one distance and if you measure the same coastline to within 30 centimetres or less you would get a much higher figure. During the last few kilometres, this was clearly evident. On the GPS the two or three kilometres were the last two or three kilometres for a long time. The terrain undulates quite a bit and there are many nooks and crannies. In a straight line the distance was 1.6km but in real terms, the distance was closer to three or four kilometres.

Until this hike, I was used to circular rather than linear hikes. Most of the hikes start in one point and go around to another. When you look at the route track for both days of hiking they go in a relatively straight line.

 

 

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.