Walking Day 2:
Roncesvalles to Zubiri
23 kilometers,  32,235 steps

The guidebook elevation map for today’s walk from Roncesvalles to Zubiri gave the impression that the walk was generally flat or downhill with two or three short climbs. While the guidebook was not wrong, it is unintentionally just a little misleading. This was a difficult day. The uphill stretches were very steep, most rocky, and some with mud and rocks. The flat or downhill stretches were often rocky, and after yesterday, wore heavily on the legs and knees. It was a beautiful day, 75 degrees by mid-morning, and sunny. Most of the walk to Zubiri is in forest, so there was much shade, and at times it was quite dark.

We started the day at Roncesvalles, and just as we cross the highway, here is me by the famous sign, shown in the film “The Way”

“Only” 790 kilometers to go (491 miles). The day started fairly brisk, and warmed quickly to be a warm, but not hot, sunny day. I walked about half of the day yesterday without my hat, and became sunburned on the top on my head and my forehead. So today I have my hat on (and I’ll remember the hat onward). My body is tired and more than a little sore from the difficult walk over the Pyrenees yesterday. The walk today for the first 8 km or so was mostly in the forest, quiet, away from the highway, and shaded. We came to a town called Espinal and Tom and I stopped for a break and a second breakfast. This is a small town with a population of less than 300. Last year the church was open and we got to see the rather large and beautiful stained-glass windows. This year, it was too bad that the church is locked. I did see some unusual way markers in the sidewalks:

So we continued, and fairly soon came to the more dense forest pathway, undulating up and down and quite rocky in places.

Where it is not too rocky, it is quite nice, especially in the shade and being out of the sun. At times, the path is heavily shaded and almost dark, as in the following:

The muscles and knees were not happy when we came to the many uphill stretches. They were difficult. I am so happy that I brought hiking poles – used properly, they help reduce the stress on the knees and a bit to the hips by transferring weight to the upper body (you know that you have used the poles well when at the end of the day your upper body is very tired).

Here is part of the path that is not as heavily shaded, and also not too rocky. Tom had been walking faster than I, and through this stretch I was walking with Jonathan from Quebec. (When we goto to Zubiri, Jonathan continued on, hoping to get all the way to Pamplona for a 42 kilometer day (26 miles).

And here is the bridge over the river to Zubiri. That is Tom in about the center of the picture waiting for me. Tom and I walked over the bridge, into the small town (population under 300), and had lunch at the same restaurant where I ate with Philippe and Marie-Pierre last spring. Here is my lunch, a bit of grilled chorizo sausages, some bread, a slice of tortilla española (similar to an egg-and-potato flat, thick omelette), and a Coke:

My body was extremely tired, and I am so glad I had a reservation in Zubiri. Tom decided to continue on 5 kilometers more (3 miles) to Larrasoaña. Then, with a good start he will only have about 16 kilometers (10 miles) to Pamplona, where he can rest a bit and explore the old city. Pamplona’s festival that includes the running with the bulls was made famous by Ernest Hemingway in the book “The Sun Also Rises,” published in 1926. The festival is in July, so we will not see bulls running in town tomorrow. The old city of Pamplona is quite historic and charming. Tom and I shall meet for dinner in Pamplona.

It is expected to rain in the morning tomorrow. Hard to imagine after such a beautiful day today. But is does rain in Spain, and not just on the plains.

Next: Zubiri to Pamplona 22 kilometers