Canfranc Estachion to Urdos, 20.6 km (including 400m up and 800m down!)
The walk up to the pass was mostly pleasant. I was happy to leave Canfranc Estachion, where all the people I interacted with seemed less than welcoming. Maybe being an early season walker made me a misfit in what is essentially a ski town at this time of year.
The trail was in ok condition, although there were no signs (footprints) of day trippers today. Yesterday there were numerous folks walking down, all decked out in sensible hiking pants and puffy jackets. I was in shorts, and the only thing puffy was a shortness of breath.
Right near the top the trail became obscured by the snow, so I walked up the road for the last 2 km. Traffic was almost non- existent as all the vehicles are destined for the ski area. Somport pass, at 1640m, was a bit breezy and as both cafes were closed, there was no reason to linger. On the French side I couldn’t even see the trail, so I headed down on the road. Just down the road ( but definitely not down the trail) there was a very new Pyrenees National Park facility, complete with cafe. Yay. Cafe au lait and choclatine (as Spanish Napolitanas or Parisian pain au Chocolat are known – according to the nice lady serving!)
Eventually I took to the trail once the amount of snow on the ground had diminished sufficiently to see where I was going. The trail marking on the French side is not as thorough as a Spanish camino. There are no yellow arrows – only the standard white and red markings of the French GR trail network, and sometimes their spacing can lead to inadvertent detours!
I am writing this in the tiny village of Urdos. The albergue is fantastic, and the overseer even opened up the tiny grocery store so that we could get provisions ( there are two Mexicans heading to Burgos. I think I’ve convinced them to take the bus tomorrow 😀)
2saunter 