Tag Via Podiensis

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.

Ten Years Later, a New Camino Calls

Reg Spittle 13 Comments

Ten years ago, Sue and I stood at O’Cebreiro, in the final phase of our journey on the Camino de Santiago.

Our arrival in Santiago was bittersweet. We welcomed the chance to rest our feet after a month on the trail, but didn’t want our greatest adventure to end.

For me, the journey was as much internal as it was a walk through Spain. My Merrill shoes protected my feet, but the Camino exposed battles my heart had fought my entire life.

When we returned home, my heart led me to the keyboard, where I told my story, which has found readers in ten countries. Many have written to me to say my book (Camino Sunrise: Walking With My Shadows) resonated, even helped them feel the hope I found on the Camino. I am so grateful that they shared their stories.

Sue and I have continued to walk, traveling on distance trails throughout Europe and on the John Muir Trail in the tallest mountains of California. I described our adventures during four treks in five countries in Trippin’ Through My 60s: When Adventure Calls, the Trails of Europe Answer.

Next week, Sue and I will put on the same red backpacks we wore in 2013 and walk another Camino that traverses a country. Another historic trail that pilgrims have walked for centuries. This time, we will walk in France. The path is known as the Way of St. James, the GR65, the Le Puy Route, or the Via Podiensis.

I will post occasional photos here and Sue will do much more on our website (carryoncouple.com) that has documented our adventures.

I have done what I can to prepare my body for its new challenge of walking nearly 500 miles. As usual, I am nervous about where my feet will take me. But I know one thing. My heart yearns to return to the trail.