Jenny Anderson's first day:
Sat – 2/26 – St. Jean Pied de Port to Uterga – 56.6 miles
After a very restless night, I awoke about 5 am and was on the trail by 5:31 for my official start time. The streets of the small French town were quiet and dark as were the other 25+ hours I ran in the early morning hours for the next nine days. I climbed and climbed for the next four hours until I began my decent into Roncesvalles. I already made my first mistake in this early section as I began to follow the wrong trail signs. I climbed at least a mile straight up a mountain before realizing that it was the wrong trail and descended the steep incline the way I came. I remembered Horton’s words only two days earlier “You are going to make mistakes. You will. It is what you do with these mistakes which will make all the difference.” So, I knew I had to look at the positive side to this mistake. It could have been so much worse and it was great that I learned this lesson early in my journey. I had to be more careful and much more vigilant. So far, I was really unimpressed with the markings for the trail. At times, it was nearly impossible to follow the tiny little yellow arrows. They were posted in crazy places, unpredictable places, different places at every turn, and they were faded making them not very visible in many spots…especially in the dark. I was glad to discover (later on) that this would not always be the case.
The first Camino signs on a dark morning in France.
The entire day was magical and emotional. There I was – capturing a dream that I had been incubating for years. I was giddy with laughter. Along the way, I met some Norwegian hikers. One of them, started the trail as a symbolic gesture of beginning a new life – having only been sober for three days. He was determined to change his life “one step at a time.” I realized throughout this journey that everyone had different reasons to come to the Camino but in the end we were all seeking an experience that would help us 1) to unlock unanswered questions about ourselves and the world, 2) to find some peace and simplicity, and 3) to be changed forever spiritually by coming in closer contact with Our Maker. This was our common bond. The focus might be different but we all had a story and a common reason to be there.
I continued through Zubiri, Larrasoana and the gorgeous Pamplona before finishing in Uterga (ten miles outside Pamplona). After a long day, I discovered what would be a consistent theme and issue…there are few hostels/albergues and hotels open this time of year and the weather would be inhospitable. Arriving in Uterga and discovering that there wasn’t any lodging, forced me to take a cab to the next town (six miles away). I showered, ate, called home, and crashed around 11 pm. Not bad.