Day 4 - Over the Pyrenees : Orisson to Roncesvalles

Today began with another early morning wake-up at 5 am. Even though many people in the dorm attempted to be considerate of others, the reality is that no group of 20-50 people can pack quietly in the dark. Thankfully we had spent a mostly peaceful night, with the biggest disruption coming from a lady who remained awake all night reading from an iPad that glowed like a supernova while she overcame her jet lag.

The morning's preparations were filled with the sound of a huge rain storm or "tormentas" outside. We soon discovered that leaving our laundry outside for the night had done little to help it dry. Then, when we went in search of our quarantined backpacks, we found that someone had retrieved them from the locked room, only to leave them in an open courtyard, where they had been rained on for several hours. This made for a very sodden and soggy start to the day. 

After ruefully emptying, squeezing out, and repacking our backpacks we headed downstairs for a wonderful breakfast which included bowls of hot coffee, fresh bread, regional jam, and of course more coffee. We also picked up packed lunches which we had ordered the night before for today's hike. Our hunger sated, we put on our rain gear and bravely headed out.

 

As we set out into a damp and foggy morning, it became clear that at least the first part of our day was to be a continuation of yesterday's steep ascent. This morning's pouring rain and cooling wind did nothing to diminish the beauty of the landscape however, the sounds of wild horses, or the sight of long lines of pilgrims trekking onwards. Given the conditions, we were surprised to come across a vendor in a parked van beside the trail who was serving warm coffee, muffins, fruit, and candy bars. It wasn't difficult to entice us to enjoy a moment's break. 
 

 

Soon the pathway levelled out and we reached a stone tablet stating "Saint Jacques de Compostelle: 765km" which was exciting for us as it indicated that we were now truly on our way! Alongside this tablet was also the Fountaine de Roland where we refilled our water bottles and took a moment to enjoy the achievement of reaching this point. Dauntingly, in the midst of this setting was also an emergency transponder or HELPoint which could be activated in case of emergency. It served as a quick reminder that this was no easy trail.

 

 

By late morning we had reached a point from which we could see the imposing shape of Roncesvalles below. It was here that the path divided between (quite literally) the hard way (the traditional hike along a dirt path) and the easy way (a newer grassy track). 

 

Despite warnings against the traditional pathway, we decided to take the dirt track. While the path was steep in several places, and muddy in others, the forest was wonderful, and we found a nice spot to sit and enjoy a welcome break, and our tasty sandwiches.

 

Soon after resuming our trek we arrived into Roncesvalles, the site of one of the main historical pilgrim's hospitals on the Camino de Santiago. We navigated our way past the iconic Camino distance sign and enticingly warm looking pubs, past several churches, to the large albergue at the centre of the complex.

 

Despite the weather and our dallying en route, we arrived with many other pilgrims several hours too early to check in. We sat in the warming sun in the courtyard of the Albergue de Peregrinos Real Colegiata de Roncesvalles and tried to dry out our clothes and backpacks. While I sat with our packs, Sean walked back to the local gift shop to purchase juice, post cards, and chocolate. As we sat in the courtyard drying out we shared the tasty local chocolate with several other pilgrims, including one gentleman from Edmonton,Canada who turned out to be a retired teacher, religious educator, and fellow chocolate lover. We also took the time to call my parents in Vancouver to let them know all was well. Unfortunately we didn't stop to consider that it was 4 am their time.  

 
At 2 pm the doors to the albergue were opened. While registering we were required to submit our Canadian passports and officially declared that we had entered Spain! The notion of having hiked over a mountain range and into another country was a very exciting prospect! We soon learned that the very modern facility had plenty of showers and hot water, and a laundry downstairs where nuns would wash and dry all our soaking clothes for a small donation. Never have we felt so blessed by such a simple miracle.

It was at this time that we also decided to unload some of our extra clothes and hiking supplies to the pilgrim donation table inside Roncesvalles. While it was hard to leave behind new gear lovingly purchased for the Camino, the realities of the trail were such that after two days of hiking we could no longer justify their weight, and hoped that another pilgrim needed them more than us.

Once showered we headed off to the Plaza del Castillo for a chocolate croissant and cafe con leche. We also arranged to take a tour of the Museo-Tesoro de la Real Colegiata de Roncesvalles which allowed us the opportunity to explore the Museum, church, and historical crypt. 

 

Afterwards we headed to the first dinner sitting which was at 7 pm in the bar La Posada which many would recognize as the albergue Martin Sheen stayed at in the movie The Way. This situation which gave way to questions and discussion around the table regarding what was different between the movie compared to our hike and experiences so far. Our dinner was wonderful and was comprised of an incredible vegetable soup, pasta and omelettes, red wine, and ice cream for dessert.

Later that evening we attended the pilgrim mass, during which the pilgrims were blessed and a list of the countries where we came from was read out. The exhaustion of two long days, and the late hour, soon had us picking up our clean and WARM laundry and heading to our beds. As such, by 9:30 pm, amid the coughing, snoring, and other ambient noises produced by 200+ pilgrims in a single room we lay down to sleep.

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Practical information:

Distance: 17.1 km
Max Temperature: 27°C
Accommodations: Albergue de Peregrinos Real Colegiata de Roncesvalles, 12 Euro per person + dinner + breakfast