Rescue the pilgrims!

---

The first day of the Camino was the most difficult - walking across the Pyrenees from St. Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles. It was drizzling rain, when Ben, a pilgrim from Los Angeles, and I set out from St. Jean. The initial trek was steep and long and Ben was not acclimated to the altitiude and had trouble catching a breath. My lungs felt fine but I was dreading the downhill into Roncesvalles which has always been hell on my knees.

The scenery was amazing! There was a mist that lifted from the valley floor and hung in the air before dematerializing like a ghost. The sounds of cow bells were everywhere.

As we gained altitude the rain turned into sleet and soon we were trekking through matted leaves and mud. When we got to the top of the mountain pass, which was an alpine meadow, it got very cold.

The last 3.8 K downhill was as I expected, torture on my knees and all I could think about was getting a hot shower and a hot cup of coffee. We finally reached Roncesvalles after nine hours of walking. We were lucky compared to the Pilgrims who started later in the day and ran into a blizzard on top of the pass - they had to be rescued by Spanish firefighters and carted down by vehicle to Roncesvalles.

That night my legs felt like jelly and I could tell that walking the next day would not be a good idea, so I decided to pickup the Camino again in Pamplona. The first time I walked the Camino, I was a purist and walked every step of the way. This time I wasn´t going to be shy about taking public transport if necessary. I purposely missed the only bus to Pamplona because I wanted to check out the museum and church. Rather than stay another night in Roncesvalles, I took a taxi to Pamplona. I am waiting to find a Wi-Fi hotspot to upload photos so bear with me.

---

Photos

Resting in Roncesvalles
The pilgrim's hostel in Roncesvalles

Brasileiros
Fellow pilgrims Jose and Hozhangela from Sao Paolo

Collegiate Church
This is wher the special Pilghrim's mass is held and a special blessing given to pilgrims.

St. Jean Pied de Port
The bridge that all pilgrims leave St. Jean by.

The Famino Starts
Open countryside

Fresh Feet
Before the reality of the journey's difficulty hit me...

Fellow Pilgrims
Suzana and Marie from Denmark

On the Way
Ben from Los Angeles

The Valley is on Fire
Amazing mist that snaked through the valley

First Albuergue
Orisson on the way to Roncesvalles

Refuge from the Mountain
Some Canadian Pilgrims had to hunker down here during the night after getting caught in a blizzard

Many Miles to Go
Santiago is very far ... but spirits are very high

Worse Cold in 130 Years
Ben walked from post to post

Comments

[Kim]

YAY pictures!
Glad to hear you're taking it a bit easier (you do not have anything to prove anyway)! What interesting things did you find in the church and museum??