Most think going up would be the hardest, but I remember from the Camino Santiago, this is just not true. Down is so much more difficult. Up takes energy and makes your heard piound. Dound pounds constantly on your joints, especially the knees and ankles.
It is cold when we start and within 100 steps we are in Italy!!!! The top is all snow, so Birgit and I split up again as she takes the snow covered path (she has boots and poles). And I no longer see her this day. The street though a bit scary is an easier angle going down and I make good time. About 4 miles down and the snow is letting up, it is getting warmer and I remove some clothes and choose to follow the path. it is beautiful but much more steep and difficult tio maneuver.
it is a good walk down, but as I enter the first town (St Remy), the path begins to go up and down. At one point the path seems little more than a goat path. But something happens here, and my heart opens fully and I have my first pilgrim talk with God...what I have been waiting for. My dad says prayer is speaking to god and meditation is listening to him, so I would say this is something like walking meditation.
I think we all carry some shadows in us, thoughts and beliefs about ourselves that may or may not be true, but these bubble to the surface as do tears as my life becomes the topic of our walk and talk...my life and work, my life and sons, the mistakes I made and who I am....it is a wonderful freeing moment.
The rest of the day has beautiful paths, but severe in their steepness...up and down. In the afternoon, I am beginning to wane as each step down becomes more painful. When i walk flat I am decived in thinking I am better, but it is not true, one step down is painful. I barely make it to Gignod, when I see a hotel and I do not care if it is a thousand dollars, I can go no further.
Luckily it is not, and I get an amazing room with a huge balcony overlooking the city and mountains.Also to my benefit is a great restaurant underneath, where I have the best meal of my trip so far, finished with a cafe expresso and a cigarette. Ok so here is where I know I am going to get some grief, it has been 4 years since I have smoked, but this afternoon, I found a packet of cigarettes and picked them up (Pilgrims say, THE WAY ALWAYS PROVIDES) and for some reason it feels right...I know, I know you are going to say I am making up a story, well we shall see. For now I have 12 cigarettes to last to Rome. Buena Note!
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