25.1 km – 15.5 miles

7am to 3pm of walking

4000 feet/1200 meters elevation gain

Today was hard, but absolutely beautiful so it was worth every grueling step. It’s just like I remember from the first time around. The uphills seem to never stop appearing around every corner. Last time I had trained well for the Camino, and it was hard then.

This day on the Frances is one of the best for views. Don’t get me wrong, the stunning views will continue, but the Pyrenees are down right magical to walk through.

Your path often gets crossed by cows, sheep and horses. I saw all three crossing the road in front of me. The horses being my favorite. Please don’t tell that to all the cows I fell in love with on the Primitivo. 😉 Twice, horses took off running at full speed in front of me. And there were many cute baby horses.

The last horse pictured seemed to enjoy getting pets from pilgrims.

There’s only two businesses to stop at along this part of the Camino. The refuge at Orrison and then a food truck. So it’s not a typical Camino day with first breakfast, second breakfast, lunch and then a last “you’re almost there but need a break” stop. This meant I carried extra water with me. So my pack was a bit heavier than I prefer. Just what one needs when doing the biggest climb. 😃

Can’t beat the views for the stops though.

Anyway, back to the beauty of this day…

There’s not much in Roncesvalles. But I booked my bed reservation with dinner so at 7, I’ll head to one of the two restaurants in town for my pilgrims meal. For now I’m just enjoying a well deserved beer, Coke and some much needed salty chips.

Tomorrow should be a much easier day, aside from soreness from today’s walk. Not to mention having to emotionally get over getting stuck on a top bunk tonight. It’s all just part of the Camino!