Sunday, September 2, 2007
September 2nd Elizondo to Puerto de Urkiaga 18km
A 6am start and both Chris B and Chris J very hungover from the "rest" day. Everything was shrouded with fog. Upon leaving the town, the GR 11 led us immediately into a steep, hard, 3 hour climb; we had yet to find out that this would be the standard procedure for most of our mornings on the GR11. A real grind up through misty beech forest and farmland with the dull clonking sound of cowbells everywhere. Part way up we were greeted by an elderly gentleman who was walking down the path aided by a stout walking stick. Beret (or 'boina' as it is called around here) firmly in place on his head, he informed me cheerily that he had already walked up to the top this morning and did so every morning. They breed these Basques out of tough material. We finally climbed above the cloud at 800 metres above sea level and were greeted by a few local hunters who, after hearing that we had come all the way from New Zealand, invited us into the large cabin which was there base for hunting, though I suspect it was also a place to escape from their wives. Fitted out with a rustic kitchen, long wooden dining table and lounge area, as well as bunks, it was a snug haven in the mountains. Chimney ablaze, they gave us each a strong cup of coffee and then, after hearing that my wife is from Catalonia, they broke out a few bottles of ice-cold Catalan Cava. Champagne breakfast, just what the two hungover Chris's needed. We chatted with the local hunters for a while, getting a fair bit of local knowledge about what lay ahead, and then moved on, climbing steadily. Reached the French border at 1000 mtrs above sea level, weather perfect. Our highest point so far. Began the descent noting that the track markings had deteriorated and the track itself had disappeared but navigated our way down to Puerto de Urkiaga (800 mtrs above sea level) and camped for the first time. It wasn´t the most pleasant of places to camp but it was too late to push on. We then discovered that the fuel we had purchased in a hardware store in Hondarribia was not meths as we thought it was but kerosene. The cooker didn´t function with kero so it was a cold can of sardines for dinner. Nice...not.
France frontier
Giant slugs in Navarra
¡Vaya babosa! The way through Navarra was littered with these giant slugs, some of them up to 150mm long!
Saturday, September 1, 2007
September 1. Rest day in Elizondo.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Friday 31 August 2007 Vera de Bidasoa to Elizondo 30km
Un dia muy largo, muy duro. A long and hard day. We walked 33 kms in total. Should have been 30 but we managed to get lost and walked about 3 kilometres into France before we figured out we were going the wrong way. Fortunately we got a lift off a local french farmer who dropped us back over the border and showed us the way we should have gone. Total vertical climb for the day 1150 metres and the worst part was the last 7 kms where we dropped about 900 metres down to the village of Elizondo. We were buggered. Hechos polvo. Quedamos en una pension por la noche y mañana será un dia de descanso. We found a cheap hotel for the night and tomorrow is a rest day. The feet are now so sore that standing in the shower hurts. Chris Bennett came up with the brilliant idea of putting the bathmat inside the shower to pad the shower base. Our next walking section will be a long climb of 1100 metres over 18 kilometres and for the first time we will be camping out in the mountains. I am just hoping that the weather holds out for the next two days. It has been threatening to rain.
Got a little couch potato?
Check out fun summer activities for kids.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
30 August 2007 Hondarribia to Vera de Bidasoa 35 kms
Having walked the short few kilometres from Cabo Higuer (after dipping ourselves in the briny Atlantic) back to Hondarribia yesterday, today was our first day of on the real trail, packs on backs, with 35 kilometres of up and down trails to get to Bera (or Vera) de Bidasoa tonight.
We rolled out of the bunks at the crack of dawn. I had been awake already for a little while thinking about what lay ahead and wondering if my body could put up with what I had planned for it. I was sure that I had done my homework on the right equipment, it was just a case of seeing if the feet, legs, back, etc., could withstand the sudden change in lifestyle.
We had a breakfast of muesli and didn't say too much; I think we all suddenly realised that we did not have a clue about what lay ahead of us. We walked out of the hostel and down the hill to the edge of the water. It was raining lightly. Walking along the beachside road towards the centre of Hondarribia, we discussed the first section of about 5 kilometres which involved walking along a busy main road out of Hondarribia and then through the industrial part of Irun and then over and under a couple of motorways before finally reaching the beginnings of the countryside. We decided that it was stupid to walk through an industrial area and negotiate our way over, around and under motorways. We didn't travel halfway around the world to do that. So we did what any intelligent tramper would do; we caught a taxi. The taxi driver knew exactly where we needed to go and took us just to the other side of the main motorway that comes down from France into Spain. He pointed up the forested hill to a small church and waved us goodbye as we shouldered our 20 kilo packs and started the first of many uphill grinds. As I started walking through the green and lush Basque countryside, suddenly everything seemed so right and I felt myself feeling like it was all going to be OK. It had stopped raining but the little streams beside the track were running with water. It sounded good.
It was pleasant walking at first and we stopped for an early lunch at San Anton, a bar / restaurant. We didn't buy a meal there though we bought a couple of beers each and sat outside in the garden and made sandwiches and discussed how civilised it was to drink beer while tramping.
Pushing on, the going got steeper and tougher. We alternated walking in open countryside and forest. At one point we were very close to, though out of sight of, a couple of hunters out shooting birds. We became a little nervous as they appeared to get closer and closer, and it sounded like they had shares in an ammunition factory by the way they were firing through rounds. Finally we could see the village of Vera way down in the valley but it appeared that we had to follow a ridge all the way around to the south before we could begin the climb down to the village. It was our first day and after 30 kms with the full weight of the pack the feet were very sore. We began the descent down to the village and that was when it became clear to all of us that the descents were always going to be harder than the climbs. By the time we got down to the level of the village our feet were burning, not from blisters but just the pressure of weight, and having to constantly push with your feet against the steep downhill slope to reduce your speed. We found a hotel, dropped our packs and without even bothering to go to our room we sat in the bar and I introduced my travelling companions to the wonders of cold Basque cider. It was a moment of bliss.
We rolled out of the bunks at the crack of dawn. I had been awake already for a little while thinking about what lay ahead and wondering if my body could put up with what I had planned for it. I was sure that I had done my homework on the right equipment, it was just a case of seeing if the feet, legs, back, etc., could withstand the sudden change in lifestyle.
We had a breakfast of muesli and didn't say too much; I think we all suddenly realised that we did not have a clue about what lay ahead of us. We walked out of the hostel and down the hill to the edge of the water. It was raining lightly. Walking along the beachside road towards the centre of Hondarribia, we discussed the first section of about 5 kilometres which involved walking along a busy main road out of Hondarribia and then through the industrial part of Irun and then over and under a couple of motorways before finally reaching the beginnings of the countryside. We decided that it was stupid to walk through an industrial area and negotiate our way over, around and under motorways. We didn't travel halfway around the world to do that. So we did what any intelligent tramper would do; we caught a taxi. The taxi driver knew exactly where we needed to go and took us just to the other side of the main motorway that comes down from France into Spain. He pointed up the forested hill to a small church and waved us goodbye as we shouldered our 20 kilo packs and started the first of many uphill grinds. As I started walking through the green and lush Basque countryside, suddenly everything seemed so right and I felt myself feeling like it was all going to be OK. It had stopped raining but the little streams beside the track were running with water. It sounded good.
It was pleasant walking at first and we stopped for an early lunch at San Anton, a bar / restaurant. We didn't buy a meal there though we bought a couple of beers each and sat outside in the garden and made sandwiches and discussed how civilised it was to drink beer while tramping.
Pushing on, the going got steeper and tougher. We alternated walking in open countryside and forest. At one point we were very close to, though out of sight of, a couple of hunters out shooting birds. We became a little nervous as they appeared to get closer and closer, and it sounded like they had shares in an ammunition factory by the way they were firing through rounds. Finally we could see the village of Vera way down in the valley but it appeared that we had to follow a ridge all the way around to the south before we could begin the climb down to the village. It was our first day and after 30 kms with the full weight of the pack the feet were very sore. We began the descent down to the village and that was when it became clear to all of us that the descents were always going to be harder than the climbs. By the time we got down to the level of the village our feet were burning, not from blisters but just the pressure of weight, and having to constantly push with your feet against the steep downhill slope to reduce your speed. We found a hotel, dropped our packs and without even bothering to go to our room we sat in the bar and I introduced my travelling companions to the wonders of cold Basque cider. It was a moment of bliss.
lunch @ san anton
End of day 1
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Hondarribia
We caught the night train from Barcelona to Irun, arriving early in the morning. It was drizzling. Not a great start to the trip but we took a positive attitude to it and agreed it could only get better. We caught a taxi from Irun to Hondarribia and the taxi driver showed us his summer holiday snapshots while driving, Jackson and Bennett were a little concerned at this casual attitude towards road safety but lets face it; Spain is different. He dropped us in front of a cafe and we immediately downed 2 cafes con leche with freshly baked croissants. The guide book we had, suggested that the cheapest place to stay was a hostel out towards Cabo Higuer. After breakfast we trudged out to it in the drizzle, me feeling the weight of my pack for the first time. I have to say that I was the least fit of the 3 of us and a little nervous of the prospect of this journey.
After booking in to the hostel and dropping our gear in our bunkroom, we walked out to Cabo Higuer to officially start the walk. There is a lighthouse on a high point above the actual cape, we took a photo there and then climbed down to the most western point we could get to at sea level. The original idea had been to go for a swim, and being August in Spain I had thought that would be no problem at all, in fact a pleasure. But the day was miserable, drizzly and cool, and the Atlantic did not look at all inviting, so we stood knee deep in the water instead and we then walked back into the centre of old Hondarribia, found a excellent bar and, thanks to the barman, were directed to an even more excellent restaurant. After a superb meal and more wine than we should have drunk, we headed back to the hostel for a siesta.
After booking in to the hostel and dropping our gear in our bunkroom, we walked out to Cabo Higuer to officially start the walk. There is a lighthouse on a high point above the actual cape, we took a photo there and then climbed down to the most western point we could get to at sea level. The original idea had been to go for a swim, and being August in Spain I had thought that would be no problem at all, in fact a pleasure. But the day was miserable, drizzly and cool, and the Atlantic did not look at all inviting, so we stood knee deep in the water instead and we then walked back into the centre of old Hondarribia, found a excellent bar and, thanks to the barman, were directed to an even more excellent restaurant. After a superb meal and more wine than we should have drunk, we headed back to the hostel for a siesta.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Barcelona
Well we have been here a few days now. Chris Bennett and Jackson have been seeing the sights, but for me it has been very busy catching up with my wife´s family as well as organising the all the various last minute details for the walk. Getting the mobile phone up and operating in order to be able to send photos and text to this blog has been a bit of a challenge but I finally found someone who knew what they were doing and can now post info and fotos without problem. Tomorrow we catch the night train to Hondarribia at the western end of the Pyrenees. We will spend the day there and early on the 30th we will put packs on backs and start the journey. I calculate a pack weight of 20 kilos each. It is difficult to say what type of weather awaits us but from what I understand it can be 25 degrees celsius(hot)one day and snowing the next. The problem is we have to carry warm clothes and food to allow for the worst situation. I am confident we have the right gear for the job, though I am concerned about pack weight; mine weighs 18.5 kilos without food or water which will probably add another 4 to 5 kilos as we will have to carry about 2 litres of water and food supplies for about 3 days at a time, depending on where we are.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
