Tag Le Puy

Top Ten Retirement Adventures: No. 8

Reg Spittle Leave a comment

If the most satisfying times in life are hard, then my retirement adventures would have left me content. But within a few weeks, sometimes just days, of returning home, I want more. Sue is more patient, keeping me more grounded than my heart yearns to be. But, I’ll grudgingly admit, probably better off in the long run.

Our feet have carried us more than 2,000 miles over seven distance trails, six in Europe. Our latest backpacking trek began in August 2023 and continued into October. It fills the number eight spot on my top ten retirement adventures.

Its name? It has at least three. The French Camino, the Via Podiensis, or the Le Puy Route. We battled heat like we had not seen on any trek, but when it was done, we celebrated like conquerers.

It was our longest backpacking trip yet—more than 600 miles, including sidetrips—and it transported us through beautiful French countryside, ranches, and farmland along with more villages than we could count–or pronounce. The trail has been around for more than 1,000 years and is known for the thousands (millions?) of pilgrims who have walked to Santiago de Compestella in Spain.

Our steps began in Le Puy, France, a bustling tourist town with history around every corner and a grand cathedral that has welcomed pilgrims for centuries. More than six weeks later, we arrived in St. Jean Pied de Port, at the foot of the Pyrenees mountains. St. Jean also serves as the starting point of the most famous pilgrimage in the world: Spain’s Camino de Santiago. Some, including a few we met in France, walk from Le Puy, though St. Jean, all the way to Santiago, more than 1,000 miles. There are even pilgrims who begin the traditional way, from their front door.

At a trailside stand, above, we sipped refreshing drinks on one of the few flat sections of the Camino, which snaked through valleys and over hills and mountains that tested our resolve.

When we first glimpsed the Pyrenees peaks in the distance, our reaction was disbelief. Was it really nearly the end? Had we really walked that far?

The French Camino: The First 8 Days

Reg Spittle 4 Comments
  • OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
  • Nap time
  • Waiting for a water refill.
  • Trailside break

Greetings from France’s Via Podiensis, a nearly 500-mile pilgrimage from Le Puy to St. Jean Pied de Port in the Pyrenees Mountains.

Eight days out of 42 now behind us, a roundup of happenings:

The stats: Guru Pro says we have come 129 miles (including some sidetrips) and have climbed 13,199 feet.

The place: The High Elevation Massif Central, undulating between 2,500 and 4,500 feet.

The weather: Hot! Highs between 85 and 95.

The land: Dense forests, ranches (cattle and sheep), farms.

The people: Lots! Each morning is a stampede out of villages, reminding me of the crowds on the Camino de Santiago during the final 100 kilometers. The crowds are supposed to thin considerably in a few days. We have met no one planning to walk the entire way. Most are here for five or six days. We hear that this is the most popular section of the French Camino.

Camaraderie: Yes! Pilgrim meals and wayside stops are where it grows. The vast majority of trekkers are French, but we have been surprised at how many people are willing or even want to speak English with us. In addition to many French people, we have gotten to know a couple from New Hampshire, two women from Sweden, a couple from Ottawa, Canada, an Irish woman, among others. A French philosophy student wanted to chat with me over dinner about political philosophy and American politics. (Poor Sue)

More about language: French, French, and more French most of the time. Sue and I do passably with a few basics, like ordering beer and food.

Our backpacks: At the last minute, we canceled our luggage transfer service, opting to carry everything in the same packs we have used for 10 years. I had a tough start, but I jettisoned some stuff, changed my packing strategy, and adjusted my straps differently, leading me to be able to walk more upright 🤓. Carrying all our stuff adds to the simplicity and is empowering!

The food: Tasty, but the dinners at mostly pilgrim meals have been heavy, served around long tables. Lots of meat (huge sausages, veal, shepherd’s pie, meat lasagna) and cheese everywhere. Some salads, but I long for a plate of steamed veggies. Croissants, yogurt, jam and baguettes for breakfast. We have found some yummy ham sandwiches (with veggies) to pack for picnic lunches.

Routine: The rhythm of the trekking life is addicting and such a live-in-the-moment existence. But boring? Just look at the slide show above, which represents just a sliver of what we have experienced.