Day 5: St Jean to Orisson (4/5/14)

Just for the record - 

Days 3 and 4 were spent in St Jean, 

registering with the Pilgrim Office

and adjusting to changes in time zones and altitude.

It was from staff in the Office that I learned the 'Napoleon Route' over the Pyrenees
had been closed, on and off,
for the past week;
it seemed to change on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis -

so I was instructed that whatever day I chose to get started on the Camino, 

I needed to check with the Office first and see if it had re-opened.

I was told that 2 pilgrims had been airlifted off the trail 3 days earlier.

The NR was officially closed
(due to hazardous weather conditions) 

but the pilgrims ignored the warnings
and attempted to go over anyway.

One pilgrim died; the other lost a leg.

Staff at the Office warned that if anyone chose to ignore the warnings,
then needed to be 'rescued',

there would be a hefty fine imposed
("on them or their estate")
to cover the cost of the rescue.

I assured staff I had neither the resources to cover a rescue

nor the desire to die or lose body parts on this pilgrimage

and I would definitely be taking their advice
about the safety of crossing.

As you might imagine after THAT conversation, 

I was a mix of excited and terrified on my appointed morning 

when I was informed
that the Napoleon Route had indeed re-opened.

I left St Jean Pied de Port on April 5th - 

Day 5.

I remember sharp inclines,

rapid gains in elevation,

picturesque scenes,

magnificent views,

burning lungs

and wondering how in the world
I had ever convinced myself I could do this -

even if, officially,
it was 'only walking'!

I stopped frequently to breathe
and let my heart come back closer to a normal rate -

all under the guise of taking pictures;

I was grateful
there was SO much beauty to take in
that it made the excuse seem plausible!

I must say, 

I also congratulated myself on having the wisdom
to break the trek over the Pyrenees into 2 segments.
Although many (read - most) people do it in one fell swoop,
since I wasn't used to this level of physical activity,
I think I would have been so exhausted and overwhelmed
by such a hard first day;
the rest of the Camino -
and my attitude about it -
 would have been seriously compromised.

When the albergue where I had reservations (Orisson) came into view, several hours later,

I was initially afraid
it was only an oxygen deprivation induced hallucination.

You learn quickly as a Pilgrim
to be VERY grateful 

for any lodging which provides a roof over your head

and a place to lay down
and get off your feet.

A bottom bunk is just icing on the cake!

A quick shower -

and then nothing to do
but enjoy the view 

and watch different weather systems pass by
until dinner

 and an early bedtime!

My last conscious thought was amazement that this was really happening -

I was really here,
walking the Camino!