When you find the shoes that make your feet sing, it’s difficult to change your tune. That’s the dilemma we all faced. Our shoes of choice were new when we left home but got chewed up quicker than expected with the volcanic rock. That wasn’t a problem last year when I put 900 km on my shoes. Too little tread and too much mud forced us to buy replacements without choice. After two 30 km days, we are all dealing with blisters and fit issues. If you are walking this route in the spring, and you wear trail runners, I would recommend carrying a second pair. The other option would be to choose a hiking shoe like Salomon with a longer lasting sole. Live and learn. The Marks abandoned their new Balance shoes and returned to their worn but trusted Hokas and Altras.
On the upside, the sun shone all day. The route was 80 percent road so mud was only a minor issue.
Miriam is the host at Gite Ami Chemin in Fichous-Riuayou. During the day, she also operates as a cafe for pelerins. We stopped in looking for drinks and were rewarded with Coca Zeros. I also has piece of her tasty apple flan.
Dana and Ian are from Australia. They have walked six Caminos over the years. This time they started April 1 in Figeac.
We have left the flats and entered the foothills to the Pyrenees. The countryside here reminds me of the Creemore, Ontario area with rolling hills, sloped fields, and really nice homes, all with lovely vistas. The Pyrenees are now almost always at our left and are growing in stature constantly.
We stayed in a municipal Gite in Arthez-de-Bearn. We haven’t stayed in many public gites like this but it is a nice change. They lack the personal relationships with Gite hosts and the home cooked meals, but they are inexpensive, and in this case, just as nice as many private gites. We once again scored a room for three. We were even able to do our laundry here for 6.50 euros. Good thing – I washed both pairs of my pants and didn’t have to hang around a laundromat in my underwear. We ordered take-out pizzas from a local pizzeria for dinner. Variety is good on this glorious food tour through France.
We are less than 100 km to Saint Jean Pied de Port, our intended destination, but plans have changed. The three of us will walk to Pamplona, Spain, three days (60km) past Saint Jean Pied de Port where Mark D and I will catch a bus to Bilbao, Spain and a plane to Porto, Portugal. We will fly home on May 5. Mark K will pursue a new pair Hokas, his preferred shoes in Pamplona, and continue on. For how long and to where? Well he isn’t sure. “Jour pas jour” has become his new mantra. And who can blame him? Let the adventure continue.