Varcarlos to Roncesvalles

Turns out that the forced splitting of the first day into two was a blessing in disguise (lady caz you sneaky gal). The walk today was Hard, with a capital Hard.

Setting off at 7am we trudged along the road out of town as dawn blossomed onto the hills around us. Is it surprising that Europe is this pretty? Somehow, yes? The first 2 hours were gradually uphill, in a tiresome but charming kind of way, although the air was balmy in a suspicious manner that didn't feel at all correct for so early in the day. We kept an eye on this fact in our peripheral vision, not wanting any direct confrontation.

The plod continued until about the 8km mark, where the trail had a hostile, radical, and violent acceleration in incline. I've hiked some hills and, fam, I have never stepped my way up a slope so slowly in my life. The next hour or so was a masterclass in Locking In. Eyes down, sweat soaked, water depleted, sign of the cross up to caz.

Ever the optimists, we nevertheless counted our blessings. Rattling off "at least we're not....!!"s in grim enthusiasm, poking at our morale much like kicking a dead horse. At least we started early and would be finished before the temperature peak! At least we hadn't come all the way from SJPP! At least we packed a snack!

Pros:
The scenery? Comically stunning. The babbling brook flowing alongside us? Magical. The fox Lexie saw? Fantastic (Mr Fox).

Cons:
The piles of poop I stopped to inspect? Uninhabited.

Highlight:
Walking through a herd of gentle cow angels, complete with calves, lazily making a melody of cowbells.

(Other highlight):
Finish line Coke

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