At Last, I Walk

Two weeks in Saint Jean Pied de Port, and now my time has come to cross the Pyrenees. I arrived in a fog on 31 August. I mean that quite literally: the Pyrenees mountains were obscurred by fog and I could see no farther than the end of the street. Then the fog cleared and I had my first glimpse of that mighty mountain range. Uh oh.

When I walked the Camino in April 2007 I began in Saint Jean. The "high road" over the mountain was covered in snow, and the people at the pilgrim's office advised against taking that route. Too great a chance of missing the trail markers in the snow. Just the week before, a 50-year old British man had died after becoming lost. The low road for me! To be honest, I was relieved. The high road requires a 3600 ft elevation change - up and down - in 18 miles. No.

Tomorrow I take the high road, but in two stages. First I will go to the not-even-a-town of Orisson (9 km/5.5 miles) and stay at the refuge there. The next day, Monday, I will cross into Spain. I have been anticipating the start of this journey for almost a year, and now it is here. To say I am excited is such an understatement.

I have very much enjoyed my time at the Pilgrim's Office, but for the past five days I have been "extra", meaning the office is fully staffed and I have been allowed to stay on to...well, I'm not sure why, really. I have punched holes in and inserted strings into more than 500 pilgrim's shells, the official symbol of the Camino de Santiago. I have personally stamped more than 350 credentials and wished scores of people "Buen Camino." I have eaten French cheese, drunk French wine, and have discovered a new favorite French cake, chamantais. I think now I need some exercise, so over the mighty Pyrenees I go.