My biggest worry going into today was the heat. Spain is hot in the summer, there’s no doubt about it. But the weather this week is unseasonably hot even for Spain. The temps pretty much all this week are expected to be in the low 100s. So I left St. Jean Pied de Port early this morning at about 6:15. My plan was to get to Orisson by about 11. It’s only 5 miles, but it’s pretty much straight uphill for 5 miles although I’ve done some hilly training hikes at home there’s nowhere in Wisconsin to hike uphill for 5 miles straight. The one thought that got me through this was that today is one of the most difficult days on the Camino if not the most difficult day, so if you can get through today (and tomorrow, with more uphills) the rest of it won’t be quite as bad.

The knees actually feel really good.  Actually my right glute was more of the issue today.  For unknown reasons it was giving me issues and not at all liking the steep uphills. This caused me to  go more slowly than I otherwise would have, which had the domino effect of increasing my fatigue  due to being out in the sun and brutal heat longer. I was running on fumes the last kilometer or so. I managed to guzzle 2+ liters of water over the six hours that it took me to get here,  and was very thankful to meet a couple from Florida who happened to have some electrolyte tablets with them that they offered me. I’m convinced that that helped me get through.

There are actually quite a lot of “old Americans” that I met today, and many of them are staying right here in Orisson. There was a very jubilant feel on the outdoor deck as each of us struggled over the hill and found a seat on the deck. it was nice walking and talking with these people, and finding that they had the same struggles with the heat and the incline that I did. The communal dinner tonight at 6:30 should be absolutely lovely.