Camino de Santiago Day 1
Day 1: I woke up and had breakfast with some of the other
pilgrims (Lisa and James) in the Gite De la Port Jacques hostel. I left the hostel
at 7:20 and made the short walk to the Puerta de Saint Jacques (St James gate).
After stepping through the gate, I started my journey through the picturesque
town of St Jean Pied de Port and then quickly ascended up out of the town along
the curving road (the Camino follows a road for most of Day 1 with brief
periods of trail in the higher mountainous parts). Leaving the town, the road first
passes through farmland as it winds its way up through the foothills and into
the Pyrenees. It was a very hot day—in the 90’s—and it made for an exhausting
climb. It also does not help that I have a heavy bag once again (this time I’m
carrying a drone, an old school laptop, and variety of other “necessities”). Most
people go ultra-light; I like to go against the grain and go ultra-heavy. Needless
to say, the heat and my pack drained me a bit. I was drenched in sweat. At the
five mile point, I stopped at Auberge Orisson, a hiker oasis, and ate two
salami sandwiches and drank a coffee. Without that extra energy (I needed both
sandwiches!), I do not know if I could have completed the day. In fact, I spent an entire hour at that Orisson
restaurant trying to cool down to avoid heat exhaustion. After departing
Orisson, the road continued its constant climb into the mountains. It was a
relentless, steady climb that covered 4700 ft in the first twelve miles. Luckily
for me, there was a stand set up several miles from the top and I was able to
restock my water and have a banana. After a few more hours, I finally reached
the top of the camino around 2:30 PM. Some others were taking a break there but
I immediately began my descent down into Roncesvalles, a medieval village in
Spain about 4 kilometers past the French border (Roncesvalles played a
prominent role in many battles fought between the Spanish and French during the
time of Charlemagne and is in the vicinity where the famous Frankish General Roland
died). The village has a monastery, hotel, albergues, and a couple restaurants.
Upon arriving, I checked into Hotel Roncesvalles, took a shower, and instantly
passed out. I then woke up, had dinner at Casa Sabina, strolled around the
village a bit, and then went to bed. The bed felt incredible.
Distance hiked: 15.5 miles
Vlog: CAMINO DE SANTIAGO HIKE GUIDE/VLOG: NAVARRE JULY 2022 DAY 1-8 - YouTube
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