St. Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalle and Over The Pyrenees

St Jean Pier du Port to Orisson August 31

             Leaving El Camino De Santiago Peregrino office

Fog, Hot Spots and Splendor

We discovered that the French drink their coffee from a bowl in the morning. Now that is civilized. Our first day of walking began with fellow pilgrims and a light breakfast. Once on the way, we were weaving through the fog and some beautiful scenery.

         My boots. The Way marker. Off we go. 

A steady stream of walkers, and some bicyclists, were our company. We passed a few and we were passed by many more. At the many places we stopped to catch our breath, we met others who were also panting. The path Napoleon goes from 165 meters in St Jean Pier de Port to Orisson 800 meters. This climb is accomplished in 8 km. It's steep, challenging and humbling. For those who were not lucky enough to have a reservation, their hike continued. The next Refugio is on the other side of two passes and 18 km away.

Our walking for the day was over around 11:30. We checked into the only albergue in Orisson. Honestly, Orisson is only an albergue. There is no other reason for this place other than serving the pilgrims. John and I were lucky enough to learn at the French tourism board yesterday, in St Jean Pied du Port, that the refugio in Orisson was book, except for some tents. We grabbed a tent. Initially, we were a bit disappointed but after setting up,were very pleased. We had been treated to a night alone, with no other pilgrims around us. 

The assent to Orisson left my feet tender. The boots are not broken in enough. I realized that almost all of our walking was on flat land. With these mountains, I am using my feet in a completely different way and blisters formed on each heal. We treated them with a Teflon type spray, but it was too late. The forming blisters, along with sore hamstrings, marked our day of of only 8 km, but a steep 635 meter climb.

The fog cleared enough for the pilgrims to see the view from our perch on the side of a mountain. The sheep dot the mountains, as do ancient, beautiful Basque homes. 

Our dinner was consisted of soup, slices of ham and a delicious bean dish and was accompanied by plenty of water and wine. An early bedtime proved successful, as there were no dormitory noises to prevent us from just falling asleep. 

Our hope is that we continue to be blessed by no rain.

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Orisson to Roncesvalle September 1 

We Crossed the freakin' PYRENEES !!!! On foot! With a backpack.

      Part of the level walk was still a challenge with the muddy conditions. 

We crossed over the Pyrenees today, into Spain. This was no stroll in the park. The highest pass we crossed was over 1400 meters. Nearly 5000 feet. It was usually quite foggy and visibility was nil. We could hear the livestock bells so close to is, but couldn't see more than 10 feet away. Once over the three passes, we had a steep decline to get down. As we shared the path with sheep, cows and horses, I marveled at their stamina. More than once we had to stop to let a herd cross the way.

We left Orisson at 7:30 AM, and began our daily walk. In the chill of the morning, I opted for having long johns under my shorts. Those, along with the long sleeved shirts came off in less than 1/2 kilometer. Many others were stripping down also. As we climbed higher and higher, we were rewarded with a view of the ever present fog sinking into the valleys and seeing the Pyrenees, alive with sheep and cattle. And the glorious sunshine.

Just before we crossed into Spain, at a pass, we were greeted by a wonderful Basque man, serving coffee. It was so cold and the coffee was so good. This was our opportunity to put on our coats, hats and gloves. He was a wonderful surprise as we struggled, panted, paused and began again.

I thought about, and prayed for Woody, during portions of my struggle over the Pyrenees, who turns 25 today. I have done something that makes him need to dismiss me from his life. If he thinks I may figure it out on my own, he gives me too much credit. I reach out, but don't know where he is, what he is doing or if he is well. He may have no feelings for me, but I continue to harbor the tremendous love that mothers have. I pray for his health and some form of communication. Happy birthday son, where ever you are.

     John is again in charge of filling the water bottles. This time, just over the border into Spain, at the fountain of Roland. 

A group of women is beginning to form a friendship that I am included in. For the sake of my feeble memory, I am compelled to write their names. From Canada Alayne and Chris, from NZ Min and Haley, from Norway Cecilia. John has been included as an honorary woman, I guess. He always gets along with women well, so it's a good fit. I am afraid however, that my quiet time is being compromised, so my plan for the next few days is to seek a place of solitude for reflection before dinner.

There are SO many people on the Camino. We were passed by many people today. We arrived at Roncesvalle at 2:30 and stood in a que to get our room at the albergue. Again at dinner, a long line for the pilgrims dinner. There must be a reason. I thought by September, the number of people walking would be considerably fewer.

My weakness has become my heels and dastardly blisters. This evening John purchased some Compeed, a European blister cure. I've applied it and will see how things are in a few days, when the patch is supposed to fall off.