The Way to Land's End

• Starting Point: St Jean Pied de Port
• Ending Point: Orisson
• Daily distance : 4.78 miles (7.7 km)
• Total distance: 4.78 miles (7.7 km)

Note: The internet connection is very slow. Uploading pictures takes a long time and is sometimes not successful. So I’ll probably only post a few. It is a shame because the hike has been gorgeous. I will post more when I get better connectivity. 

The sound of angels awoke us this morning. Our albergue host played a  CD of angelic choir music to arouse us from our rest. We made our way down the stairs to a beautifully laid out breakfast. It was a serene and peaceful way to begin the day. 

I officially weighed my bag in the Pilgrims Office before heading out. It came in at 22.5 lbs with water!! That really surprised me as my scale back home had me around 19 lbs with water. I have a feeling I’ll be offloading some items in my backpack soon. 

As we headed out of town, we crossed paths with a military processional of some sort. The members of the processional were in traditional garb and sang songs. 

The hike was challenging, but not too hard. There were several quite steep sections and I had to stop frequently to catch my breath. I did notice my heel slipping some in my shoe which caused a hot spot. As soon as I felt it, I stopped and taped it up. It’s a good thing I did because it was red and it would have blistered. My hypothesis is that my shoes are looser here than in Florida due to the humidity. I trained months in these shoes and they fit me very well. Perhaps my feet swell more in heat and humidity. Or perhaps it’s just the incline. At any rate, I need to watch it closely and keep my heel taped. 

The views on the hike were gorgeous – green mountains, expansive skies, sheep and cattle. The temperature was perfect on the way up, cool with a slight breeze. 

When we arrived in Orrison we met a couple from Ormond Beach. We came all the way to France and met people 20 minutes from our home. What a small world! We had a bowl of soup on the terrace overlooking the Pyrenees and then made our way to our bunks. 

We are sleeping in a room with 5 bunk beds. We set up our bedding and then the rain started coming in and the temperature dropped. We layered on some clothes and went to the main room for coffee. We shared a table with a man from Germany with the most sparkling blue eyes. He is a roofer who works six months of the year in North Germany and travels the other six months. He usually visits warm places in Asia and likes quiet retreats. One year he spent weeks in a silent retreat at a temple and we talked some about meditation and our busy minds. 

Afterwards, I laid down for a nap and to write. The Orrison stop consists of just one building, so there is not a lot to do or see here. It is a highly suggested stop though as the next stop is another 10 miles in some tough terrain. And it’s good to take the first few days slow to allow the body to adjust. I am glad I heeded the advice as I can already feel the muscles in my legs getting tight. I popped a couple of Advil to hopefully head off the pain. 

After my nap, I showered and got ready for dinner. I sat next to a family of three hiking together. The mom is British, the father Scottish and they live in Germany. The daughter grew up in Germany but now lives in Switzerland. We talked about the different regions in Germany and their thoughts on the current refugee crisis. 

Dinner was roasted chicken, pea and potato medley, bread, wine and Basque cake for dessert. Basque cake is a speciality of the region and tasty, though I’m unsure how to describe it other than it has a soft texture and almond flavoring. Next, we went around the table to introduce ourselves. Again, many folks from all over the world – USA, Britian, Germany, Canada, Australia, Korea, Signapore, Switzerland, Holland, Italy, Brazil. 

Earlier in the day, I sort of clammed up around my Korean bunk mates. Most of my 10 bunk mates tonight are from Korea. I’m not quite sure why I didn’t open up to the group …though if I’m honest it was because I’m not as familiar with their culture. They seemed shy, so I was shy. As one Korean woman’s turn came around, she ended her introduction by saying,  “Please talk to me”. It nearly broke my heart. I realized that we had both been scared to talk to each other and that I mistook the group’s shyness as guardness and so had put up my own defenses. As we settled in for bed after dinner, I struck up a conversation with the woman next to me. We talked about our training for the hike and discussed the terrain in Korea and Florida. Then, I told her about my CPAP machine and how I wear a mask at night to breath. From under her pillow, she pulled out her own mask. She needs to wear one for her allergies. We shared a laugh. When it comes down to it, we are all so much more alike than different.