Naverrenx to Aroue

Greetings from France!

The Musketeers were from this area and the local people are very proud of this fact. I saw this advertisement on my way out of town this morning.  They really existed.  Alexandre Dumas' swashbuckling epic of chivalry, honor, and daring-do was set in France during the 1620s.  Dumas started the legend and then Disney and Hollywood turned it into an international phenomenon. I read that the story of the Three Musketeers was the most popular book of historical fiction that was ever published.

Don't I look just gorgeous in my cropped pants, backpack and sporting stringy hair.  These two statues of pilgrims are popular photo ops.

The bridge leading out of Navarrenx.

For all you horsey types.  Horses are very popular from races to hunter-jumper to steeplechase.  I have even seen a poster for the Rodeo.

I just liked this house.

And I liked the grand manor house also.

An interesting resting place for pilgrims. It led to a Gité (Refugio).

Incredible scenery today with the Pyrenees in the background.

This seems to be the style of churches in this area.

I particularly loved the ceiling above the altar.  

Beautiful scenery plus puddles left from the previous day's rain.  No rain today!  Unfortunately, I forgot my sunscreen. So I officially am a red-neck.  

The Pyrenees in the background and many ups and downs. It was a pant-pant, gasp-gasp kinda day.  I can really tell that I am near Saint Jean Pied-du-port.

Such a beautiful river.  I saw a sign for white water rafting.

What is not to like about this photo.  I was rewarded for my hard work when I just looked around.

The cat of the day!

There are several axioms about hiking that I have figured out for myself after many years on the trail and they all held true today.

First: If there are two cars/trucks going in opposite directions on a highway, they always meet at the hiker.

Second: If you come to a fork in the road, the correct direction will always be the steeper way up.

And last:  Never follow another hiker because they may be lost or just going to a different destination.  Read the markers for yourself.  The church above is the perfect example.  I was following the trail signs and I missed one.  I was starting to think maybe I had missed a marker so I walked back a little way and saw two hikers coming in the same direction.  SOOOOO I thought, well I must be okay because they are following me.  Surely, they read the signs. The trail kept getting more and more dicey with high weeds. Finally, the three of us decided that it couldn't be right. We turned around to go back and there were four hikers following them.  All of us were wrong.  After about forty-five minutes, we were all right back where we started.  Close to this church, only a little more tired and a lot muddier.  And as tall as the weeds were, I could have chiggers, spider bites, ticks (checked for those) and poison ivy.  Let's hope not!

So although today was a measly 14.4 miles, it is all relative.  14.4 miles of mountains is a lot longer than 14.4 miles of flat.

So happy day to all of you...may your journey be short and flat and full of scenery!