Some days it’s the small things that we normally take for granted that suddenly become something to be grateful for: a (second) hotel room with a bathtub; a continental breakfast spread that included fruit and cheese and meat in addition to the usual breads and jams; a bakery right at the entrance to the trail that opened at 6:30 am; and I think, just maybe, I’m finally over the jet lag.
Segment 5 of the Chemin is another long uphill stretch: 26 km (16 miles) but mostly on paved or gravel roads and with a reasonable grade. It started with the same farmlands and pastures that have made up most of the scenery for the last few days.
I passed a tiny church in the middle of a roundabout that was open to anyone who wanted to reflect or pray.
Towards the highest point of the trail, the terrain became much rockier. There were stone fences across the landscape, and no shortage of rocky extrusions in the pastures. Some of the boulders were huge!
The temperatures started in the 40s today and it never quite got warm. I usually start with a t-shirt, silk long-sleeved shirt, SPF shirt with a hood and zip, and my 100 weight fleece jacket in the morning, and then strip off layers as the day gets warmer. At one point in the morning I ditched the silk shirt, but as the trail started climbing along the ridges and the wind picked up, I ended up putting it back on. I never even took off my toque and gloves.
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Add Yours →I’m loving the blog and pictures, Marc!