Finally Made It To The Starting Line

I have finally arrived at the starting line for my hike and I”m already exhausted. One morning flight and two afternoon trains and I’ve made it to SJPP. If you don’t know what the stands for then you’ve cheated and are reading ahead without reading the past posts. Remember, cheaters rarely win. Except in sports. And politics. And pretty much life in general. Fine, it stands for Saint Jean Pied de Port. Yes, that d is supposed to be lower case. Look it up.

Along the way I met a wonderful Brazilian couple who told me stories of their son who lives just outside of Portland. As a matter of fact they were in PDX about three weeks ago. Eduardo told me about his son becoming a pilot while Eva fed us chocolate and prunes (a surprisingly good pairing) and refused to allow us to turn them down.

SJPP is a beautiful little town and is bustling with tourists and pilgrims on a Saturday. I got my last few supplies (sunscreen and walking sticks) and some guidance on how to find the trail in the morning. Tomorrow is supposedly the hardest day and involves going over a mountain pass. it’s called the Napolean Route so I assume I have to walk it on my knees and lose any battles I might have with British pilgrims. History jokes are awesome. I’m ready though and plan to attack the pass fueled by cappuccino, Muesli and the fierce determination of a middle aged man who knows he can call an Uber if it all goes wrong.

A river runs through it

See above

This cat hung out with me while I wrote this post.