Another big day of hills – 988m of elevation and I felt them all. With my lingering leg issues I wasn’t able to train very much vertically so I’ve really been feeling it. Fortunately I’m staying at the same hotel as Mom & John again tonight so they sherpa’d pretty much all my belongings except my warm and rain layers which allowed me to hike light and (kinda) enjoy the hike.

It was another misty start today, and a little gloomy as the clouds gathered threateningly as the morning progressed. Once I started to hear thunder I stopped and put on my waterproof socks and had my poncho at the ready; but this, of course, ensured that it wouldn’t rain! And it didn’t, really. Well, just a little, but I was well protected by the trees above and was already so “damp” from the incline that a little more wetness hardly mattered.

After 9 kms of uphill, or so it seemed, I found an open bar just as I topped a crest and stepped out of the forest. My day really only seems to start after my first cafe con leche and this would be the only place for refreshments all day. It was a tiny, dark place but the bar lady is legendary in her support of the Camino Baztan and with my to-go sandwich I was ready to tackle the rest of the day.

What followed was a spectacular 10 kms of hiking. Mom & John were to join me but Mom is suffocating from a cold so I tried to memorize all the adjectives that occurred to me: gorgeous, ancient, primeval, lush, verdant, jaw-dropping, etc. From strolling through open forest blanketed with golden leaves; climbing steep, rocky old roads; navigating down bracken-covered slopes; to leaping over mud-filled tracks – the way had everything.

Eventually it petered out and I was left with a bit of a slog in the heat the last 6 kms. Nothing to do but get it done, then wait for my ride to whisk me up to my lovely hotel.

The hotel turned out to be amazing! Incredible art both local, modern and traditional lined the walls; elegant dining room and the best meal I’ve had in ages (deer loin in black currant sauce) – in the middle of nowhere!