Day 1 St Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles

On Friday June 3rd we set out from St. Jean. Our goal was to reach Roncesvalles, a journey of 26 km. Only problem is that 17 of the 26 km were uphill.

Upon leaving town we quickly separated with one of our group Mike who was on his second Camino. Mike had some physical challenges that slowed him down on hills. Mike’s destination was Orrison which is 7 km out of St Jean and the only hostel between St Jean and Roncesvalles. The elevation gain on the climb was challenging for us and we could but wonder how Mike would handle it.

After a short break at Orrison for lunch and espresso we set out for Roncesvalles. We were fortunate to have great weather, quite sunny. Michaela failed to put on sun block early enough and developed a bright red sunburn. Crossing the mountains was challenging but we were rewarded with spectacular views.

After a long day of walking we arrived in one piece nearly free of injuries. No blisters, but Joe seems to have twisted his knee on a difficult decent into Roncesvalles.

At the hostel we took up t tryhe new tasks of the Camino: Laundry. In an effort to save money we all passed on paying the 4 euros for paid laundry… which was a mistake as most of our clothes were still wet in the morning.

So to answer any questions about sleeping in an Albergue, it’s interesting and noisy. I am hoping I can get used to it. LOTS of snoring!