Serpentine, Shelly

To date, last night was my worst hotel experience along the trail. I'm not bemoaning that fact as much as recognizing it. I was up long before the alarm this morning, and since there was no breakfast at this establishment I was out the door by 7:45 a.m. 

Originally, I had planned to loiter until the grocery store opened up at 9:00. There was no point staying in an uncomfortable room. My new plan was to get to the next town and find something to eat. 

According to the highway sign near my accommodation, Espalion was four kilometers away. Via the circuitous route of the Camino trail, it was closer to eight kilometers. But, I made the decision that walking on the road wasn't for me. I could see along the path where I could cut over and join the Camino trail again. It was on the other side of the river and there were no bridges that seemed to join up. I learned my lesson about shortcuts the other day. Besides, walking west with the sun coming up over my shoulder, in the eyes of oncoming drivers, wasn't a great idea.  

It was a short day, so I took the scenic route, and there were some awesome views. There were also many awesome hills. As I went up and down at lower elevations the trees were already shedding leaves. All that material on the ground made it a bit more slippery, and also covered up some of the protruding stones. I slammed my toe a few times and it gave me an opportunity to appreciate my footwear selection once again. My Altra Lone Peaks have a wide and protected toe box. No damage done as I continued down the path. At higher elevations the trees changed to pine and the path was clear except for rocks that the rain had exposed over time.

It's an interesting feeling to wake refreshed and feel like you've got all the spring back in your legs, only to find that you still suffer from muscle fatigue when you hit the first hills. It's also difficult to sightsee when you have to measure all your footfalls going up or down those hills. I appreciated that I didn't need to rush today so I could pause and enjoy the view from several locations.

On the way out of town I saw about six people on the trail in front of me. I overtook a couple, while others outpaced me and disappeared in the distance. There was no portion where I walked much distance with anybody today. That doesn't mean I didn't chat with people.

Espalion was probably the most crowded portion of the trail I've seen. As you arrive in the city, you pass a medieval church and then pass through a park area. People park their campers or set up tents on the other side of the path from the river. Folks rode bicycles as families pushed strollers and took the opportunity to get pictures of the beautiful city. 

I did get my breakfast about two hours in—a simple slice of quiche, served cold, and a cafe au lait. My next planned stop was to find a grocery store to load my pack in case I didn't come across any other options for the remainder of the day. I searched for the closest one and followed directions, only to find it didn't exist. So I pressed on. 

I took the opportunity to pause on the bridge and ask a gentleman to take my picture. He was very kind and actually stepped back into the roadway to get a better frame. I thanked him and walked away. I saw him and his wife a few minutes later, when I realized I was walking in the wrong direction. As I passed them on the bridge, he asked me if I was back for another photo. We all laughed together when I told them I got lost. 

The trail followed the Saint-Lô River out of town, and briefly passed through a residential neighborhood before climbing the hills for a gain of about 1,000 feet. When I look up at the surrounding hills, I always wonder exactly where the path will take me. It was more than two hours later when I reached the stone wall that I could see from the city, and looked back down on Espalion.

Just before starting up the hill, I found a perfect shaded bench to take a break and remove my shoes for a couple of minutes, to swap to dry socks. As I was doing this little maintenance routine, a couple of French women paused and seemed curious as to what I was doing. It was a brief and friendly conversation. Happily, along with others, I would wind up joining those women for dinner this evening at one of the few open restaurants in town.

There was absolutely no drama on the trail today, just lots of hills and opportunities to take pictures. There were times when the hills became more challenging in the heat, and because of the angle of incline. I remember learning back in Spain that if you can't go straight up the hill, to cut back and forth. It increases the number of steps you need to take, but cuts way down on the exertion for each one climbing the hill. When I'm doing it, I always think back to the original movie, "The In-Laws," where the Peter Falk character yells at Alan Arkin to run back and forth to avoid gunfire. "Serpentine, Shelly … Serpentine!"

I had run into Benedict and Giles twice the day before. About halfway through the day I overtook them on the trail when they were looking for something to eat. Then, again, as I left the cafe in Saint-Come-d'Olt, they were on their way to eat there. It turns out they, like me, had ordered the chicken burger and wound up surprised by what arrived at the table. Shades of Saturday Night Live.

The total distance today was just under 13 miles.  Even facing the heat and all the hills, I was still going to arrive at my destination too early to be admitted to my room. I was very happy to make another stop at the only other open place along the trail—just a little building run by a husband and wife. He worked the tables and she did the cooking. I had an omelette with a full carafe of water. To my surprise, the gentleman actually brought me a glass of ice. That's the first time I've seen such a thing on the trail. 

While I was packing up to leave, I saw a peach and apple tart pastry delivered to a couple at the table next to me. I figure I had earned one, too. Besides, it allowed me another ten minutes to sit in a chair with a solid back and prepare to finish the last hour of my walk.

All of the walking for all of the days up until this point were rewarded today by the view as I arrived into Estaing. I would attempt a description, but in this case I think the pictures do serve it justice. 

As I crossed the bridge into town, it was time to find a spot to get my celebratory beer. There I ran into Anna, one of the women I had seen hours prior while walking. I sat at the next table and we had a good conversation. Her English is better than my French, but we managed. She is a nurse, a singer, and an aspiring actress who definitely has a presence. Although her choice of food combinations, beer and ice cream, was a little unusual … all of us do the Camino as we please. 

Tonight I've got a great room. I couldn't be more excited when I walked in and saw that I actually have a fan. I'm feeling very civilized. Then, I looked out my window at the premier view of the bridge into town. It's a one lane bridge built between 1501-1529, long before there were automobiles. There is a sort of societal cooperation where drivers figure out who gets to cross in which direction first. It's a small village, so if there's much of a delay, the traffic backs up in either direction for dozens of cars. Somehow it all seems to work. 

I engaged in my normal routine upon getting to my room: Wash some clothing, get a shower, and get out to the grocery store before it closed. There wasn't a dedicated food store, but I did manage to find some things. The best part is the fresh fruit. The first thing I did when I got back to my room was sink my teeth into another perfect peach. I think I enjoyed that more than the beer. 

Later, it was arranged that a number of travelers would get together for dinner. I was a little nervous about meeting at the restaurant because I had checked out the menu earlier. Happily, the online menu was incomplete, and it was easy to find something to eat other than pig's feet. Dinner was chicken tandoori, rice, and ratatouille. The company was very pleasant. At our table was an Austrian, a German, two French women, and myself. I was fortunate that most of the discussion, for my benefit, was in English. They are all much more skilled multilinguists than I am … Even the waiter spoke mostly English to us.

There were four other trail walkers at the restaurant at the same time. We got together for a group photo, the shared experience making us all a "tramily" (trail-family).

As we finished our meals, it was obvious that folks around the table were beginning to fade. There's one sure way to bring on the need for sleep: A full belly.

Tomorrow is scheduled to be a pretty long day for me, showing eight hours on paper. The terrain will be more forgiving, but there is a 50 percent chance of rain.  In preparation, and to avoid stress (after all, this is my vacation), I purchased a bus ticket that will take me to my next destination in the event weather gets too nasty. I've got all the rain gear I need and I've used it several times before, but the thought of walking about 20 miles in a plastic shroud in the heat is not at all appealing. I'll sleep better tonight knowing I have the option. 

I did have a surprise visitor in my room when I returned after dinner. I wish I was faster to get my camera out. Sitting on my pillow was a 6-inch-long, bright green grasshopper. It had come in through the open window, and departed unceremoniously the same way.

Today was a very good day. I spent time with interesting people, ate good food, got a great room for the night, and went to bed knowing that tomorrow I'll be in another beautiful city.

My thoughts go out to those who are walking some sections of the Camino in Spain right now. Wildfires have closed the trail, destroyed several buildings, and at this point, taken four lives. The heat across Europe this year has been oppressive. Still, we are all out here walking everyday. As a general rule, as it's been said many times, the Camino provides.