After the mystical first day on the rain, our second day dawned dry and cool. We hiked about 12 miles in cool sunshine, clouds, and brisk breezes. Our surroundings were pastures, open ranges, and alpine. Then back down to woods trails. Some trails were paved, others mud or slick rock. There were cows, horses, sheep, and clouds in the fields. When clouds rolled in, we wondered if the farmers could find their livestock without the bells. We felt amazingly strong after our weeks of walking in France. Both the uphills and downs were hard, but we just took it on.
The final downhill brought us through Roland's Pass. I thought of Sister Maureen and the Song of Roland that we read in high school French class where I got my start with the language.
Most of the people on the trail, and there were probably hundreds each day, had started in St Jean Pied de Port. We could tell them by their clean boots. They almost all struggled with the hills. The rain was punishing for them.
We were happy to have all those miles on our legs.
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