Actually this was the plan from the very beginning as I expected it would not be easy to cross the mountains on foot carrying everything I brought for the entire trip on my back, as most pilgrims do.
Sometimes the plans we make differ from what actually occurs. That usually results in a more interesting, and sometimes more challenging, situation.
For our stay in St. Jean Pied-de-Port I had booked a room in a local bed and breakfast. Upon arriving there and asking the helpful volunteers at the pilgrims office for directions their reaction was puzzlement. One helpful volunteer, a friendly British man, confessed he didn't know where it was and asked a fellow volunteer, a woman, for assistance. She examined the address for a moment and gave it some thought. As it turned out, the B&B was in a neighboring town about a half hour away on foot. This created some logistical complications we hadn't counted on. One of the other volunteers called the B&B on the phone and spoke with the person who runs it. She told us that the lady was coming to pick us up.
We met Madame Pascaline when she arrived and were surprised to find her to be a very
spry 90 year-old and to drive stick shift as well as she did. She drove us and two pilgrims from Canada, a British man and his grandson, to her home (and our B&B) where we found ourselves with a tranquil view of her garden, surrounded by fields and the foothills of the Pyrenees.
Here's a photo I took with Eneida around 2200 hours and it was still light out.
Yesterday we awoke early to a heavy morning fog, prepared our gear and by 0630 Mme. Pascaline had our breakfast laid out neatly on the dinner table.
After breakfast she drove us back to St. Jean along some lovely roads I recognized from having watched the Tour de France years before. Mme. Pascaline confirmed that Le Tour frequently came to this area but that it's been several years since they came to St. Jean for the Pyrenees stages. This year Le Tour was to visit Pau and its environs, also in the region, but a little further afield.
Once in town it was time to begin our first stage of El Camino de Santiago. In Tour de France terms, this was the queen stage. The hardest, most grueling and perhaps most spectacular stage awaited us.
The weather was ideal: pleasant and sunny with little chance of rain or storms although storms can be unpredictable here.
Our journey on El Camino started with a quiet walk out of St. Jean through the gate in the city walls (Porte Notre Dame), across a bridge and onto a street that eventually became a rural road which rose up the hills very quickly. We chose to follow the Route de Napoleon, the nicer and more scenic but more exposed way across the Pyrenees, not recommended in bad weather. This is the same route Napoleon's army followed into Spain and also traces part of the route used by Charlemagne's forces during their invasion.
Along the way we met a couple from Norway and walked with them for a few kilometers, chatting along the way as we all adjusted to the increasing altitude.
The climb out of town became a steep climb through foothills with sheep and goat farms surrounding us and with lovely views of the valley below.
Even the graffiti was encouraging the pilgrims to go on.
After 8 km and more than half of the ascent complete, but with most of the stage still ahead of us, we arrived at the refuge in Orisson, a welcome resting place, a nice feeding and watering spot and the very last one before Roncesvalles. This is the place where every pilgrim needs to make their go/no-go decision before proceeding. The only shelter after this point is an Alpine hut near the top of the pass.
Following a hearty lunch we made the decision to push on. There was no turning back now.
The landscape transitioned from pastoral to mountainous as we climbed above the tree line above which trees refuse to grow.
Several times we came across a memorial of a pilgrim who had perished along the way.
The higher we climbed the rockier the landscape became. Rocks were now replacing shrubs as shrubs had replaced trees before.
A scenic spot on the way up is the Pic D'Orisson where a rocky promontory has a statue of the virgin, Vierge D'Orisson.
Here I am at the Pic D'Orisson.
And here is Eneida.
I noticed these mysterious structures in the high region of our crossing. They seem to be useful as wind shelters or perhaps as a place to feed sheep. What they are really used for is still unknown to me.
Here's the Alpine hut I mentioned earlier. It has a barrier, presumably to keep large wildlife outside and four large wooden pieces which can be used to block the entryway and keep the person sheltered inside safe from the elements. My trekking poles resting on the hut give an idea of its size.
Another typical view in these parts.
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| Only 765 kms. to go! |
Along El Camino, near the border with Spain, we saw the Fontaine de Roland, dedicated to Charlemagne's beloved nephew Roland who was killed near here.
On the descent into Roncesvalles, the weather suddenly changed: it became cool and windy and we were engulfed in the clouds.
Following a long, steep descent on tired legs, we arrived in Roncesvalles around 2200 hours with no reference points visible due to the fog until we heard the church bells tolling and thankfully found the refuge, which was already closed for the night, and our hotel nearby. There we ran into another couple from Puerto Rico we had met in St. Jean by chance. They had arrived before us and had a similar experience during the grueling crossing.
The staff at the hotel was amazingly accommodating and even though the kitchen had already closed, they served us a warm pilgrim's meal and then checked us into a very comfortable room.
We were very grateful we did not need to use the Alpine hut today.
P. S. - After this stage, a rare heat wave hit the region with several days of clear weather and high temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius). Due to the consequent long days of hiking and fatigue I am running a few days late in my posts. I finally published this from Estella a few days later.
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