18.5

Well, to paraphrase the US national anthem, by dawn's early light. I left home for my final training hike yesterday. I love the dawn over the Guadalahuce Valley and it always excited me as I pull on my rucksack and boots. The temperature is rising now in Andalusia but at 7.30 it feels cool and comfortable. I'm up to full carrying weight of 5kg now. I've tried to learn from our Camino last year and I'm keeping the weight manageable. There is a wonderful book called "3 men in a boat" that tells the story of a river trip in Victorian times. There is a fantastic piece of advice as relevant today as it was in 1890, don't pack what you think you could do with, pack what you can't do without! Anyway, my new rucksack is much better than the one I used last year, the weight is distributed up and down rather than laterally so less stress on your back and more through your core. Anyway, the hike went well but after 5 hours, the temperature had risen to the mid 20s!!