“I’m so sick of climbing!”

The pilgrim ahead of us leaned over his trekking poles, his frustration and exhaustion on full display.

When he told us he was headed to Roncessvalles, a full 10 miles past our intended evening stop in Orisson, I couldn’t blame him. The trek through the Pyrenees is challenging. The climb starts as soon as you leave SJPP, but is deceptively easy until about halfway through the route to Orisson, when the switchbacks begin. If you’re skipping a night in Orisson and heading straight to Roncessvalles, you’re looking at over 4000 feet of elevation gain in a single day.

The Walk in this first stage is as beautiful as it is challenging, the pastoral scenery of the Pyrenees a spiritual balm for tired legs and sore feet. The view only improves as you climb, the switchbacks winding through quiet meadows, the stillness punctuated by birdsong and the rhythmic click-click-click of our trekking poles. 

“I’m so sick of climbing!”

Okay, maybe birds and sheep weren’t the only offenders of the Pyrenees’ serenity. And to our tired friend’s credit, he had a mantra going. Just not a very positive one.

“Smile Pilgrim!” I said to myself, and more for me than for him. A few minutes later, a cab arrived to ferry our fellow pilgrim on his way to Roncessvalles, and smile he did as he drove up the hill.

For my mom and I, we still had another kilometer and 250 meters of elevation to go. I plunged my poles into the soft earth, finding whatever leverage I could to propel me forward.

The good news is we had plenty of time to stop and take pictures or chat with fellow pilgrims in this first stage. We met Ron at the start, a former ministry director from Michigan. His purpose for The Way is to find himself after a turn away from  Protestant ministry and refocusing on his own spirituality. He has serenity, an aura of peace only amplified by our surroundings. 

The reasons for Walking are as diverse as the people who Walk. A woman from Canada is here with her mother’s ashes, walking them all the way to Compostela. A man from South Korea is walking for peace between his country and its Northern sibling. A retired hairdresser from Taiwan is on The Path to relax and enjoy life after a successful career in a demanding job. Others say ‘to let go,’ ‘to find myself,’ or to be present and focus on the now. Several are here to support loved ones who are walking.

We shared all of these reasons, and many more, at a communal dinner in Orisson before retiring to our bunks to prepare for an even tougher Day 2 as we finish up the Pyrenees and began a shin-splinting descent into Roncesvalles. 

There are other adventures from today to write about – a bag lost and found, a thru-hiker with the moniker ‘Aquaman’ who recently completed the Appalachian Trail – but I’m nursing a sore foot and feel sleep arriving quickly. Much more to come.

-Hicks