Hikingdan Begins Tomorrow by Crossing the Pyrenees!

My Rest Time is Over, I Start Hiking Tomorrow!

Tomorrow morning, we begin our 2 day crossing of these Pyrenees Mountains!

I am sitting here in the early evening enjoying myself in the town of Saint Jean Pied de Port, France.

I met Helen and Angela from Australia this afternoon and we shared much joy and laughter!
Together, the three of us, will head off up the mountain and begin our journey tomorrow morning.

We will meet Allison ( Helen’s other daughter and Sam, her granddaughter) the following day. The five of us will continue to cross the Pyrenees mountains.

I’m very happy I had a couple of days here just to sit, think, reflect, and take some magnificent photographs.

My mind is now on the task ahead of me which is to hike, walk, and enjoy all that the Camino de Santiago has to offer. There will be some tough times ahead both physically and mentally, but I’m looking forward to them.

El Camino gives you lots of time to think and ponder. It allows you to be able to explore your mind, thoughts, and feelings and sort everything out.

Even though I am walking with friends, there will be lots of time for solitude and walking alone. We will meet late each afternoon when we complete our journey for the day and share our experiences.

There is a lot of the time you walk alone, with your thoughts, cherishing everything that you have in your life, and pondering what lies ahead for you.

Then there are the physical challenges that you endure. This isn’t just hiking and walking 20 km per day. This involves multiple elevation changes, up and down hills, hiking on all types of terrain in a matter of hours, surviving the heat, surviving the muscle pain, always remembering to hydrate, but most important of all, is savouring each moment!

I look around me and I see beautiful mountain scenery and I am totally in awe at how gorgeous these mountains are. But I have done this before, and I know that tomorrow I will Face and many extreme challenges both physically and mentally.

I am going to be climbing one of these mountains. I will then traverse across the top, crossing the French / Spanish border, and bring myself into Spain. Finally, I will then have a steep descent to the bottom on the other side.

From start to finish, this is a 23 km crossing of the Pyrenees mountains. Normally people do this in one day. We are taking as much time as possible to enjoy it, savour each amazing bit of scenery, and make certain that we don’t injure ourselves. It will be two days for sure, and possibly a third.

Last time I did this I just strapped on my pack and off I went alone. I was not really thinking about the challenge of doing this and I survived, but it was really really tough.

This won’t be any easier even though I know the challenge that faces me. What I do know is that it’s a spectacular experience worth every bit of physical pain. I look forward to it, I welcome it, and I really hope to enjoy it. I won’t be alone this time as I will be with some of the best friends a guy could ever want to have.

It will still freak me out every time I pass a grave marker of someone who has died crossing the Pyrenees for various reasons. The weather conditions on these mountains can change in an instant and can become quite treacherous. These paths deserve a great amount of respect from those crossing them.

Slow and steady wins the race, and slow and steady we shall go. We will take care of each other, encourage each other, and together enjoy this amazing experience of crossing the Pyrenees mountains!

I highly doubt I will have any cell service over the next three days. If I do, I promise I will keep you posted on how we’re doing. If I don’t have cell service ( I won’t ), I can promise you that I will take my time, listen to my body, rest when I need to, and take hundreds and hundreds of pictures all while laughing and enjoying time with wonderful friends.

Wish us well, keep us in your thoughts, as we begin our hiking of El Camino to Santiago, starting with the crossing of the Pyrenees mountains!

My hiking journey begins at 3:30 am, Toronto time (July 31)!

Allons y, nous sommes partis!

More Pics of Saint Jean Pied de Port

Total Tracker Steps Today = 20,465

KEEP WALKING!