Allison Cowie

Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Roncesvalles / 15.8 miles

My first day on the trail was wet, cold, windy, wonderful. I left SJPDP at 7:10am, while the sky was still totally dark. I walked alone out of the town and started walking up – an incline that would only increase for the next 15 or so kilometers. As I left my hostel, rain was lightly falling, but it was supposed to clear up around 9am, so I didn’t put on my raincoat. It proceeded to rain with increasing intensity for the next 5 hours, and by the time I reached the Orisson rest stop 2 hours into the hike, I was soaked through: every layer down to my underwear dripped, and my shoes squelched with each step. Already wet, though, I chose to carry on without my rain gear, deciding to stay the course in the hopes that I would dry off more quickly once the rain stopped. By the time I got to Roncesvalles around 2pm, my clothes were mostly dry, though my boots needed to be stuffed with newspaper to be only damp the next morning. The past two days, I’ve kept my raincoat more easily accessible so I can throw it on at any sign of bad weather. It also doubles as a great windbreaker for the colder mornings.

More on the trail… This first stage is supposed to be the toughest out of the entire Camino, and it is at least in terms of elevation gain. I think adrenaline and excitement make it easier, though. I walked alone for the first hour or so as the sun vaguely rose behind a thick blanket of mist. I walked along a country road bisecting pastureland, and I could always hear bells ringing as they swung from the necks of cows and horses grazing. At one point, I walked through a group of pigs who were grazing on either side of the road, and saw many herds of goats on the hillsides when the fog faded a bit. Often, though, the fog was so thick that I couldn’t see more than 15-20 feet beyond me in any direction. The blanket of quiet gave the trail an ethereal quality that was quite special.

The path continued constantly upward for nearly five of the seven hours I walked that day. Once it flattened out, I realized I actually preferred going uphill because it had been keeping me warm (I was soaked to the bones wearing a thin hiking shirt and shorts, and the temperature was around 12C, and the wind was no joke. I made poor choices regarding my outfit that morning but kept in good spirits all day nonetheless). By the time I got to the steep descent into Roncesvalles, the sun was peeking out in places, and the clouds cleared such that it was sunny and considerably warmer at the monastery albergue where I stayed.

Other thoughts:

• I learned quite quickly that I prefer to walk alone on the Camino (big shocker). One gentleman from my hostel the previous night joined me for most of the way, and while I enjoyed our conversation for a bit, he didn’t get my hints that I wanted to continue solo, and I felt awkward being explicit about it. Since then, I’ve found most people are kind but blunt about telling people if they prefer to walk alone, and I’m inspired to do so next time.
• I need to be very careful about how I stuff my backpack so I keep the bulk of the weight near my hips. I accidentally packed too much weight on one side of my pack, causing strain on my right shoulder. The past two days I’ve done a much better job distributing weight evenly.
• Snacks are essential! I packed a massive sandwich for lunch and ate it all by 10:30am. I stopped for hot chocolate at the cheese stand/food truck at km 16 and it was life-giving. I’ve stashed some emergency power bars in my pack so I’m never caught without food.