Thanks for this! I will be in France (already have tickets) for mid month July staying 3 months in the Normandy region and will venture out and will try to do some hiking but depends on my feet. Had 2 surgeries under right root last year and just had another procedure on Friday last. At the moment in a boot so not sure how much I can do. Unlikely physically to do a Camino until next year so will do shorter hikes and learn more French. I will be checking out some French Camino’s
I did some hut hiking in Switzerland after my June 2019 end of the Camino Norte staying in a basic Shepard’s hut above Mex and St Maurice (off the via Francengina ) Switzerland. Best time Ever...definitely will do this again..It was a very very steep climb off trail going up on the sheep route and I travelled with the Sheppard Normally takes him 1 hr it took me 3 hrs.As you know I have very bad knees wearing a metal brace on the left knee and I had the heel spur and plantar faciaiitis is on the right foot but the trek it was well worth it.
Views were amazing, air was fresh and no services, everything you will use you must bring in your back pack and then take the trash back down with you. I left some of my Camino gear in St Maurice and took Muesli, bananas, shelf milk, some with me. The Shepard had butter, sausage, (father is a butcher) garlic,onions pasta and some other supplies. He hikes like a mountain sheep (he has 850
)and I felt like one. I stayed 5 days could have stayed longer but too steep (knees) for me to help the Shepard prepare fencing for the grazing sheep in late june. This one is defiantly not five star, it is basic basic But was lovely and peaceful. I saw maybe 5 total day hikers from a hotel over the next mountain going down trail. I took the regular the trail down to Mex (1 hr straight down) and then the bus to St Maurice.. it was the perfect end to the Camino and the bounds was discovering the abbey of St Maurice which is on the Via Francengina.. Unbelievable gem. I took a tour and discovered the vault with the treasures and the catacombs including the tomb of St. Maurice beneath . Here are some photos . By the the way seems he has a rental house close to the Italian border town name Tochino...seems to be good mountain hiking in this area too. If I go there I will let you know.
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