Don't Dilly Dally On The Ferry
Ok, so I travell
ed to Bordeaux on the night bus and arriving there I met a couple of fellow pilgrims from Holland who had gotten on along the route, one called Charlotte and the other was Keira?. We met again in the train station 
and on the platform for our train to Bayonne, and again on the tiny train to St Jean Pied de Port and got chatting. They were serious athletes who had even considered bringing their rock climbing ´shoes´ in case there were an
y cliffs worth a go. I left them in St Jean when we split up to find accomodation as I had to get my credential (pilgrim passport) from the office of the Acceuil de St James, assuming that I would see them on ´the way´across the pyrenees or in Roncevalles on the Spanish side at some point the following day.
ed to Bordeaux on the night bus and arriving there I met a couple of fellow pilgrims from Holland who had gotten on along the route, one called Charlotte and the other was Keira?. We met again in the train station 
and on the platform for our train to Bayonne, and again on the tiny train to St Jean Pied de Port and got chatting. They were serious athletes who had even considered bringing their rock climbing ´shoes´ in case there were an
y cliffs worth a go. I left them in St Jean when we split up to find accomodation as I had to get my credential (pilgrim passport) from the office of the Acceuil de St James, assuming that I would see them on ´the way´across the pyrenees or in Roncevalles on the Spanish side at some point the following day.
With the difficulty of the climb over the mountains, the snow in places (which was actually compacted ice) and the soreness of feet and legs and shoulders and just about everything, I didn´t even think anything when I didn´t see them at the refuge. I had left soon after 7am because the 25k walk was said to take up to 12 hours (although I managed it in under 7 and a half) and given the shortness of the days in spring.
I have just heard that on the same day as I crossed, they got into difficulty at a point where there was snow and no clearly marked path exce
pt for the frozen footprints of th
e other travellers. I made my way through this section with difficulty, pausing to disc
uss the route with one of the germans that I spent the next few days with. They decided to camp and set themselves a fire as one of them couldn´t see in the dusk with poor eyesight. They both suffered from the conditions but are thankfully ok, however another pilgrim lost their way and was discovered lifeless.
Panic and helicopters etc ensued and the dead body was recovered.
I missed all the hoo ha, only to be told about it today, it shocked me and I am quite shaken to know how easily it could have been me, if I had taken a wrong turn, decided to make camp or just not made my way safely to the other side in time… I´m glad I took the precaution of leaving good and early and knowing enough about the route or being bloody minded to keep going, perhaps they had underestimated the challenge…
P.S. Don´t tell my mum, she´s worried enough already and there aren´t any more snow covered peaks to traverse…
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