Sunday, August 4, 2013

GR10 // day 6 // St Jean Pied de Port - Iraty-Cize

Distance: 30.6km (128.6km), time spent: 10:05 (52:04).
Ascent / descent : 1891m (6927m) / 1075m (5954m).
Altitude (start / end / highest): 157m / 990m / 1466m.
Weather: Cloudy, some fog, sunny in the afternoon.


This turned out to be an eventful day, for better or worse. I choose to go towards Iraty-Cize instead of going to Estérençuby or Gîte Kaskoleta which it's usual to go to on this stage. Since Didier and Marie-Agnés has planned to only walk to Estérençuby today this will be the last day on the GR10 with them, after today I will be one day ahead of them. We walk together in the start from St Jean Pied de Port, but when we're approaching the little village of Caro it's time to say goodbye. Didier and Marie-Agnés was a very nice acquaintance and I've enjoyed my time on the GR10 together with them.

Didier and Marie-Agnés at the pilgrim-bridge in St Jean Pied de Port.

I was walking in the complete opposite direction than all the others when I walked to St Jean Pied de Port from the gîte in the morning (they all being pilgrims on their way to Roncesvalles), which felt kind of odd and I caught myself several times looking a little bit mournfully back in the direction of the Camino. A lot of the pilgrims looked a little bit strange at me when I was walking in the wrong direction.

To Estérençuby the trail is a pleasant walk through a pastoral landscape with a view up where the Camino is going towards Orisson. It's a quite simple walk with the highest point being 587m, Col d'Handiague; still it feels a little bit heavier than expected. The grey weather doesn't make the sight of several animal carcasses along the track I'm walking on less gloomy. In Estérençuby I meet Dominique who is about to continue walking after having a coffee break, I need something to eat so I stop to enjoy an omelet.

On the way towards Col d'Handiague with a view towards Orisson where the Camino is leading the pilgrims to Roncesvalles.

After Estérençuby the route is now moving into higher ground. The trail is going up to a green culture landscape at Phagalcette, where I arrive at Gîte Kaskoleta where Dominique now is in the progress of having a three course lunch with wine. It's a nice place with good views.

Magnificent scenery is then revealing itself after leaving Kaskoleta. After a small, but stiff, climb up to Col d'Ithurramburu (820m) there is a great view back in the direction of St Jean Pied de Port with the landscape around Phagalcette unfolding beneath. From Col d'Ithurramburu the route is undulating down below the Arthe ridge in a lovely valley before it climbs steeply up again on the other side towards Col d'Irau. It's a beautiful piece of nature.

View down towards Phagalcette from the trail up towards Col d'Ithurramburu.

I've entered a windswept mountain landscape when I arrive at Col d'Irau (1008m), the clouds are hanging low over the terrain and there is a sour wind blowing across the mountain. A road is winding across the plateau. Despite the road I get the feeling of being in a more desolate and wild place for the first time on my journey. Sheep are bleating and a small farm beneath the pass is selling cheese.

The clouds are engulfing me when I climb up towards Sommet d'Occabe, my wind jacket wrapped firmly around me to get shelter for the sour wind. I pass shadows of other wanderers in the mist. And then the clouds are opening, blue sky are shining through the layer of clouds. In front of me is the summit of Occabe visible under an open sky. Wisps of clouds are still drifting over the ridge. I pass a group of four young wanderers that are walking slowly with their backs bent, their backpacks loaded with lead weights by the look of them.

The trail down the Arthe ridge from Col d'Ithurramburu.

I climb up the stones to the summit of Occabe (1466m) and sit down for a break with a fantastic view in front of me. Rolling green mountains in the horizon with Pic d'Orhy dominating the view, clouds drifting over the summit. This has so far been an incredibly great and varied day. Down towards Chalet Pedro the trail is steep and gouged up by forest works. It's time for a beer nearly at the end of the road on this day.

Iraty-Cize (990m) is a strange place for camping in the mountains, located with great scenery around, but it feels weird to pitch my tent in the mountain next to camping vans. A tired looking refuge where you can get a cold shower is located next to the camping site. A restaurant, Le Cayolar, is located not far away.

View down towards Col d'Irau and Pic d'Iraukotuturru.

Then disaster strikes. While I'm pitching the inner tent I hear the sound of the tent pole breaking and the canvas being torn. The first time I pitch my tent on the journey and the tent pole is breaking, and there are more than 40 days left of the walk. Crisis. The tent is now standing quite tight with a broken pole; I get help from Dominique who's pitching his tent next to mine to loosen the tent. And my repair kit for the tent is at home of all places. Dominique is giving me his repair holster, but it's a little bit too large for my tent pole. In the end I get the pole fixed by using gaffa tape and the repair holster, and patched the tear in the tent using gaffa tape. The tent is standing, but I'm now unsure of how much stress it will stand from now on.

After a cold shower in the refuge I go to eat dinner at Le Cayolar since there wasn't any food to get at Chalet Pedro. I receive another cold shower since I can't get any food there either, since I arrived at Iraty-Cize a little bit late in the day (long walk) and had to spend some time fixing my tent I was too late for the dinner. I order two big beers instead in frustration. Dominique becomes my guardian angel again since I get some food from him.

Sommet d'Occabe. View towards Pic d'Orhy and the green mountains around.

The rest of the evening is however quite nice. It was an amazing and great, but hard, walk today, but a day that I probably will remember mostly because of the tent pole breaking.

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