Day 41: Penultimate: Sauterre de Bearn to Ostabat

Today’s walk is dedicated to all of those men and women dealing with cancer patients at the BC Cancer Clinic. To all the Nurses and Oncologists who have to deal with this as a career. They are real heroes.

Found out today that we are actually in the Pyrenees, French side. Makes sense as the hills have become sreeper and steeper, higher and higher. Here are a couple of views of hills we had to climb today:

That hill in the distance is typical of the hills we climbed today. One hill was 350 meters high over a distance of 700 meters. Compare that to the Malahat, which rises 352 meters over 8 kilometers. Tough! The actual walk today was 26.8 kilometers, which took us over 7.5 hours – a long day as a result of the hills.

The area around Ostabat is unique in that 3 of the French Pilgrimages meet here: Tours, Vezelay and Le Puy. They all then converge on St Jean Pied de Port before climbing up and over to begin the Camino Frances to Santiago.

The 3 French paths converge at this spot.

The landscape between Sauterre and Ostabat actually reminds me of the Swiss countryside, especially near Zurich. Rich:

Pascal and his favourite companion – our host last evening:

Getting tired now. Tomorrow is day 42 and the end of this journey.

The area around Ostabat also has a Spanish feel to it and there are palm trees here and there. It reminds me a bit of northern California with its Spanish vibe. Accordingly, here is another Eagles classic. One of the best leads around by Don Felder.  Sound and voice synchronization is off a bit. Enjoy:

https://youtu.be/-nmpVYcg23c

 

 

12 thoughts on “Day 41: Penultimate: Sauterre de Bearn to Ostabat”

  2. Holy shit John…it seems I have said that a lot but I am not on a pilgrimage so I am allowed to swear….did I warn you to take a belt…I bet I forgot…look at you…I can’t imagine how many pounds you have lost but only one more day..I have really enjoyed your blogs and felt slightly envious and I have the bug now to do another trek…it will be very emotional for you arriving in St. Jean tomorrow and please be prepared for a bit of a funk in the days that follow…well truth be told more than a bit..it’s good you are not heading right home you definitely need the transition period…John I am so proud of you…that is a massive accomplishment. Please make sure to take in a Mass in the Cathedral and I really hope you get to see incense swinging from the ceiling…so powerful. I’m so happy for you John

    1. Not sure Ted but I still have part of my gut. Thanks so much for your support and kind words. They meant a lot…John

  4. We are so proud of you and wish you all the best on your last day. We are there with you in your heart. Enjoy the last leg and be so proud of what you have accomplished. Love Titus and Jeannie.

  5. Wow, John . What an accomplishment. I’ve got more reading to do to get caught up on your blog but the descriptions of people and places and your humour make for enjoyable reading. And of course your dedications to all those fighting cancer are very moving. Congratulations on your fantastic journey.

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