France. Hiking across the Pyrenees.
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| Orisson, August 26/L Herlevi 2019 |
Dawn in Orisson. I spent the night in a room underneath the deck. We each got a coin that ensured 5-minutes of shower time; there's limited water availability. I hadn't been sure I would be coming this way when I left home, but I put in a reservation request just the same. When I was able to access email, 2 days before my request date, I found I had an invoice to pay and a reservation. Between that and the G-7 closing the French border up near Irun (my original destination), that sealed the Pyrenees hike. And it's a tough crossing, but I probably could've done it in one day. As it was, I split it into two, Orisson, 8 kms up from St Jean Pied de Port. Hot, and 100% humidity; with air so thick that morning, you could barely see 20 feet in front of you. The Refuge at Orisson suddenly appearing out of the mists. The picture below is how it appeared later in the afternoon, once the mists had burned off. There was a family dinner at 7 pm, where everyone introduced themselves and what brought them here. At night, we'd left a window open, and moths and other insects attracted to the bathroom lights, collected inside. Ones you'd probably never see otherwise.
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| Orisson, August 25/L Herlevi 2019 |
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| French Pyrenees, August 26/L Herlevi 2019 |
The second day was more dry, with a lot of wind. Full of herds of horses (which I'd hoped to see, and made the walk worth it), crowds of people walking, jeeps of armed security driving down the road, and a very steep descent into Roncesvalles, the first village in Spain. I was tired and happy to get a bed when I arrived. I got a top bunk, but a woman I'd met in Orisson, remembered that top bunks were hard for me, and traded with me, without my asking.
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| French Pyrenees, August 26/L Herlevi 2019 |
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