Climate Impact

 1st August 2022:  'The Express'

Europe heatwave: Fire alerts hit swathes of France as dangerous 40C plume heads to UK

FIVE parts of southern France have been put on an "orange alert" as temperatures soar again to potentially record-breaking levels. 

This is in addition to 25 departments along the Mediterranean coast which are at risk of another heatwave hitting in the coming days. The five dubbed most at risk of adverse weather effects, such as the outbreak of wildfires, includes Ardèche, Gard, Drôme, Pyrénées-Orientales and Vaucluse. 

Thermometers have exceeded 40C in France on many occasions this summer, with temperatures sustaining a hot 35C throughout July. In June it was one of the European countries to experience an early heatwave, where some regions were banned from outdoor activities in the interest of health and safety.

Well ... that should test the ventilation system of my new Osprey backpack!  

My plans are still progressing, but my training is not. The heat is such that training during daylight hours in Malta is difficult. Nevertheless, I am determined to make more of an effort. As a minimum, I need to wear-in my new boots, which, I must say, are exceptionally comfortable. I could also stand to lose a few kilos of body fat - as that is just as difficult to carry on the trail as the same weight sitting in my pack. If I want to lighten my load, I should consider the entire package - and not just the back pack!  

In my defence, sometimes life simply intervenes in one's plans.  We are trying to sell our home in Malta, and the last eight weeks have been heavily consumed in undertaking maintenance projects aimed at making it as presentable as possible for photography. That was completed this week, and so I must now look with greater determination at a training regimen, no matter how brief or how early that may need to be. Every hour of preparation will make a difference. This will also give me the chance to put some of my new gear through its paces, so that I am completely comfortable with it on the trail, and I'll know instinctively which items to select for each occasion.  

That's the theory, anyway. But as this blog is already showing, theories don't survive for too long. My pack and my itinerary no longer look like I had initially anticipated. But good planning is always iterative, making heuristic changes as circumstances demand adaptation.  For example, I'm now looking for a light parasol umbrella!