The first week of the Camino is notoriously tough. Not only are there dramatic increases in elevation over the first couple of days, but people are usually not in prime Camino shape, even if they’ve been training. Nothing prepares one for days upon end of 12 to 15 miles hiking. The added factor of this week is the heat. If you’ve seen the news at all, you’ll see that many parts of Europe right now are under an extreme heat wave. Northern Spain is getting hit particularly hard. Today it was over 100° with no clouds in the sky. While some of the walk was through some shady forested areas, a significant portion was out in the unrelenting sun.

By the time I reached my lunch stop at about 12 km in, I knew that I was not doing well. Even though my glutes and hips are adjusting nicely and I’m generally feeling like my muscles are getting more more used to the daily walking, the factor today was the heat. I sat for an hour and drank some Aquarius electrolyte drink (basically the Spanish version of Gatorade) and tried to eat as much of a sandwich and chips as I could, just to get some salt and carbs in me. I was feeling slightly better after that so decided to continue on. Two more kilometers down the road and I got to the next little town where I realized that the upcoming 8 km were just not going to happen today. The last 8 km were through a pretty hilly and remote area, and I knew that I risked heat related illness if I continued on today. So, I called a taxi to take me the last 8 km into Zubiri. There is no judgment on the Camino, and if someone told me that they had to take a taxi, I would completely understand. However, I am disappointed in myself that I had to. I checked into my room about 3 o’clock and lay down for an hour, completely unable to move to even go take a shower. After that, I felt a bit better and was able to take a shower get settled in and then later in the evening go get some dinner. Tomorrow will be only marginally cooler, so I will see what the day brings.