It’s not quite day one as I haven’t done any hiking today, but it gives some important background to the whole trip.

For various reasons, this past year felt a lot like a dragging myself through the valley of darkness. Recently, I’ve been so exhausted that for once, I doubted the wisdom of this kind of holiday. However, the flights were booked and I decided to go anyway.

I flew to Bilbao and spent the first night in the albergue on the French Camino in Pamplona. I took my pilgrim’s credential – once a pilgrim, always a pilgrim. This brought back some nice memories from ten years ago – almost to the day.

This morning, I found a cafe and over a cup of strong coffee, I finally decided where in the Pyrenees I was going to start. I phoned the refuge and booked a place for tonight. I was rather pleased with that as this trip started to finally take some shape. That joy didn’t last long. I soon found out that there was only one bus a day from Pamplona to Jaca and then to Panticosa – leaving at 3:30 in the afternoon which really was a waste of time. I was awfully annoyed with myself about not checking it beforehand to eventually realise that it wouldn’t have made any difference. I was getting more and more tired and frustrated. It was hot and I dehydrated myself which didn’t help, but only saw it later. The bus to Panticosa wasn’t going to get me to the refuge Casa de Piedra, even though it’s accessible by road. I was looking at the map and I’d have to walk the last 4 miles on the road or take a taxi. While I wasn’t keen on walking on asphalt with all the gear (more about this in a moment), I don’t take taxis in the mountains! It was so unthinkable that I literally cried. I again questioned whether I can do this kind of holiday anymore and wondered if I’d come back in a worse condition than I left. That last bit was equally unthinkable. I mean wasting the holiday.

The gear… I’ve been hiking all my life and I have no idea how on earth I could pack myself like I did!!! My backpack is far too heavy, but I can’t think of anything that I could leave behind. I really don’t know what I was thinking of while packing. Actually, if I wanted to be fair to myself, it wasn’t completely thoughless packing. I had in mind my trip from 2017 when I didn’t stay in mountain huts which changes the way you pack. Though what really had an impact on my packing was a recent reflection on things that I ‘carry’ in my life. One question that I need to answer during this trip is: How am I going to repack my life’s backpack?

Anyway, as I do, I decided to get on with it all and it was going to be a taxi. I would have excused myself anyway as soon as I saw that road!

I got on that bus and relaxed a bit. As we were getting closer to the Pyrenees, there was also more peace. During the last hour from Jaca to Panticosa, I started feeling that it all would be well.

Seeing these views from the bus was enough to bring me peace and energy.

When I got off in Panticosa, I started looking for a taxi. There were phone numbers at the bus stop, but I really don’t like phoning people. There was a woman talking on the phone, so I waited until she finished and asked her. At that moment, a car arrived and she told her husband that I needed to go to Casa de Piedra. He gave me a huge welcoming hug and said that, of course, they would take me there. It turned out that they were from Venezuela and worked in one of the hotels next to the refuge. As it happens, they asked my name, where I was from etc. When I said that I lived in Exeter, he only exclaimed loud ‘no’. Imagine that! Nearly fifty years ago, he was sent to Exeter for an English course to polish his English. He asked if I knew a place called Heavitree. I laughed in reply – that’s where my parish church is and where I work, I said.

Mario and Miriam were my life savers. They told me to ask at the hotel’s reception if I wanted to see them. Mario said that I was a fighter and that I’d be OK even with my backpack. How has he come to this conclusion 🤔? There is some truth in it!

I got to Casa de Piedra with uplifted spirit, left my stuff and went to walk around to stretch my legs and enjoy the views.

I agreed for a brief coaching session that evening. We were going to play it by ear as I didn’t know where I would be, but both: my coach and I thought that it would be great to connect while I’m in the mountains. I was laughing so much when we were on Zoom. I could feel how different I looked in comparison to this morning. There was a massive thunderstorm soon after we started and I had to run back, but I love thunderstorms and I laughed even more. I watched that thunderstorm and then everything around in such amazement. For some reason, it makes me think of Anne when she first arrived and was exploring the Green Gables. I must have fallen asleep with a huge smile on my face.

On the mountain the Lord will provide…