Day 31: Arthez de Béarn to Navarrenx (32 kms)

Fritz, one of the owners of Domaine de la Carrère, our lodging last night, offered us a 4 km shortcut for today's walk. You can't get lost he assured me. He even drew a map that Long John Silver would have appreciated. We set out in 49 F weather with steady light rain falling. The shortcut was becoming an even more brilliant idea. We made the first turn on the map, and after that a certain vagueness of where we actually were going started to worry us. There were similar houses, horses in fields, but not all in keeping with our treasure map. So we plowed on relying on a general sense of direction until we were well and truly lost. We finally decided we needed some adult supervision, and knocked on a door. I humbly announced that we were lost to the two men who answered the door. They turned out to be Pierre, and Michèle. Michèle as it turned out owned the corn fields we had been Inspecting for the last couple of hours. He was visiting Pierre to share some photos of his new grand daughter. They knew immediately where we needed to go. Perhaps the backpacks tipped them off. There was much map drawing on a steno pad, and then Michèle, sensing a more practical solution was needed, offered to show me to where we needed to go. His car was a hatchback and only had one passenger seat. Robin stayed with Pierre while Michèle showed me how lost we were. It became clear that somehow Robin would have to be brought to me rather than me going back to her. Michèle got my drift, and was ready to head back to Pierre's to pick Robin up when a car honked behind us. Here was Saint Pierre, with Robin. We offered our profuse thanks to these two great guys, and walked across the bridge leading to Maslacq. Happy to be on the GR 65 once again. No complaints regarding the rain were forthcoming. Adding blessing upon blessing, there was a very nice, and warm, hotel in Maslacq that was open for coffee. We hauled over and rested a bit, and thought about how far a little kindness goes in this world. A tip of the hat to Saint Pierre and Saint Michèle. Thank you for your kindness.

The day was forecasted to dry out, but it took its time getting there. At some point this morning, before one climb or another, our rain jackets came off and umbrellas carried the day whenever a shower came through. It was mostly a chilly day with temps never breaking 55 F. The nice thing was that once the rain stopped the humidity took a dive and by mid afternoon, there was an almost autumnal feeling to the cool breeze drying our damp shirts. Walking today was surprisingly challenging, as we found ourselves going up and down quite steep climbs and descents a good part of the day. The morning was a bit flat, but by the time we reached the Abbaye de Sauvelade some serious interval training began. It only flattened out in the approaches to Navarrenx. It was a very tiring day, but on the plus side we got a few glimpses of the Pyrenees once again. They are oh so close, and beautiful.

Navarrenx is bustling with pilgrims. I don't know how we lost track of so many people after Aire, but here they all are. This town, today, is all about pilgrims. They fill the bars, restaurants, and what few shops are open (it is Monday in France after all). By Thursday all this group will have arrived in St. Jean Pied de Port, ready to celebrate. It has been fun walking with this group. Some will carry on to Santiago, and those friendships will deepen with each passing kilometer. Those who head home from St. Jean will be missed, but most will return at some point, for the call of Santiago is hard to ignore. Robin and I are tired but happy. We got through the day with no greater adversary than fatigue, and that is easily remedied. So with dinner and some nice Bordeaux wine inside us we are ready to crash. More tomorrow, as this leg of our journey starts to wind down. Three days to go to St. Jean. We have been so blessed. All is well.

Where all pilgrims stop for lunch

What's behind that gate

Pilgrim shelter

Robin descending (steep isn't it)

I just like old buildings

Something old, something new

Mountains in the background

Bench in a pilgrim rest area

Clouds

Navarrenx city walls

Old fortifications

 

 

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Day 30: Arzacq-Arraziguet to Arthez de-Béarn (30 kms)

Wet start to the day

We had an early night last night, and slipped into bed at 9:00. This morning we pushed the shutters open to find the rain that had been forecasted to fall, actually falling. We through on our rain pants and jackets, and our gaiters. The gaiter issue gets a lot of ink on various forums as to wether you need them or not on the Chemin, or on one of the Spanish Caminos. This is what I have learned. If you are hiking in long pants, in muddy conditions, gaiters will help keep your pants clean. Mud frequently finds its way up to your knees so short gaiters keep you clean up to the limit of their height. I prefer to hike in my rain pants when the path is muddy, as they clean up easily and dry quickly. If it is just muddy conditions then I usually don't use gaiters. I just rinse off the pants at night, and let them drip dry. However, if it is raining (good steady rain) then I wear gaiters, but put them underneath my rain pants. This allows the water running off the rain pants to run off onto the gaiter instead of down through the top of my boots. My rain pants are just a bit shorter than I would like them to be, so this takes care of that. I am using Versalite from Montbell and its lightness makes it an easy choice for hiking even when it is not raining. While I am on the subject of gear, one of the best pieces of clothing both Robin, and I brought with us was the Montbell plasma down jacket. These jackets weigh around 4.5 ounces, and we have used them daily for evening wear. They have been perfect for the Chemin. We will see how much they are needed once we get to Spain.

Okay, back to today's walk. We left town with surprisingly fewer pilgrims compared to yesterday's departure from Aire-sur-l'Adour. Maybe they were all sleeping in after yesterday's efforts. The rain was falling gently, but steadily. The wind was just about calm. We popped open our umbrellas and set off. Just before we started our first uphill I ditched my rain jacket, Robin shed hers shortly thereafter. It was fine walking in long sleeve shirts, rain pants, while using our umbrellas. The rain eventually let up around 11:00, and shifted to light, widely scattered showers. Actually, we had pretty dry weather for most of the afternoon. The rain started falling only after we reached Arthez at 3:30.

The terrain today was a split between hill climbs, and descents, and flat valley floor walking. It did seem we had a lot more hill climbing today than we have seen in the last couple of days. We could have done just fine without the final chug uphill into Arthez. We did have some muddy sections, but we never did hit a real bog. We always found at least semi solid ground to squish through. We also caught a fleeting glimpse of the Pyrenees today as the cloud cover opened up for just a bit before closing in again. Once again there was a significant amount of road walking, on fairly quiet rural roads. Both Robin and I seem to be adjusting to these 30 km days. We have one more tomorrow before the stages shorten. The stage distances on the Norte and Primitivo is another story, for another day. Let us just get to St. Jean first. Overall, it was a very quiet day. We only met a handful of fellow pilgrims, found a coffee spot open, and were somewhat surprised to find a drill rig prospecting for oil just a stone's through from the GR 65. We have splurged and are staying at a very luxurious Chambre d'Hôte in Arthez, that just happens to be right next door to the communal gîte. Dinner will be served in 30 minutes, and then it is off again to an early bed. All is well. Thanks for checking in on us.

Still a happy pilgrim

The drill rig

And now the wildlife report

Yes!!

Unsettled sky

Road walking

House hunting

The sun peaking through

Cloud hunting

Lunch break

Home for tonight

Dinner for two

 

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Day 29: Aire-sur-l'Adour to Arzacq-Arraziguet (34 kms)

Pilgrims departing Airet

Rested after a good night's sleep, we set out for Arzacq at 8:30. One of the things we did not expect was the number of people walking this part of the Chemin. It is a bit hard to estimate, but I would guess we have 60-70 people walking with us each day. They just pour out of their lodgings, and suddenly the street is filled with departing pilgrims. Today we had a new donkey in the mix, bearing a flag that stated the man leading the donkey was walking in support of medical research. He also had a box on the donkey's back to receive a coin in return for a photo. We passed on that and made our way through the early morning pilgrim chatter and out onto the GR. Today's forecast was for a clear morning followed by a 60% chance of showers in the afternoon. The air temp today was a bit cooler hitting 65 F by early afternoon. I walked in a long sleeve t shirt, and Robin wore a short sleeve shirt and a rain jacket to start. We both had on our rain pants. We climbed, refreshed, out of Aire and kept a pretty good pace most of the day. Early on we walked quite a nice path alongside a lake, that led us to climb into the world of massive corn fields on the other side. All morning it was nothing but corn. The terrain was flat, and the fields extended as far as the eye could see. Way in the distance we could see the colorful backpacks of those who departed early moving through the fields. There was a lot of road walking today. It seems the GR 65 followed farm, and other rural roads for the better part of today's walk. We fell in line with other pilgrims and marched our little conga line through miles of corn. We arrived at Miramont-Sensacq for lunch, and flopped down at a public table where two Frenchmen were having their pilgrim lunch. We introduced ourselves, and tucked in. Food before conversation was the order of the day. We were starved. We had walked 18 kms, and still had 16 more to go. But, Robin was doing very well, and it seemed we had the steam to make it to Arzacq. So, off we went. The one big difference in the afternoon walk was leaving the flat cornfields behind and entering rolling hills once again. The afternoon was just a series of ups and downs as we made our way across this changing terrain all the way to Arzacq, where arrived, footsore, at 4:30. We checked into the Hotel Vieille Auberge. The rain never fell while we walked, but now with dinner behind us light rain is dampening the streets of Arzacq. We will see what tomorrow brings. Saint Jean Pied de Port is now another day closer. All around us pilgrims are feeling the anticipation of arrival day. Many are continuing on to Santiago, while others will be returning to their homes and jobs. For Robin and I, the pilgrim road still stretches to Santiago where we hope to arrive in early July. For now, we are off to bed. Another day on the Chemin with all its wonders and challenges. Bon nuit.

Saturday market in Aire

The new donkey

It's all about corn

Pilgrim shelter

Part of the GR today

My favorite pellerine

Lunch stop at Miramont

Our lunch table

Changing terrain

Up she goes

Almost home for the night

 

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