Friends on the trail

There are little patterns emerging now. Most people on the trail seem to keep the same routines and walk at a steady pace. So it means the daily interactions I have are becoming predictable. It’s nice.

There’s Donald from Canada who starts a little later than me but walks a lot quicker. He’s always smiling. He plans to walk the French portion of the trail and will finish in St Jean de Pied. That will be my half way point. He usually passes me about an hour into my walk.

There’s Laurence, who I often start the day with but as we walk at slightly different paces we seperate during the morning or up the hills. But we regularly arrive at rest stops at around the same time. Today we took our lunch together at a park in St Felix. She is walking a different route from tomorrow, so we’ll be saying goodbye tonight.

There’s also a large group of campers who are always at the bars at night. They seem to start a bit later, but they are strong walkers and often pass me during the day.

And then there’s Karina and Annie who I see regularly and often catch up with at the end of the stage. And we’ve taken to meeting at the church to go for evening aperitif. Obviously my favourite part of the day.

Todays walk was a little bit quiet. Very peaceful but without the breathtaking scenery of the last few stages. At one point I felt like I could have been going for a bush walk on Red Hill in Canberra. But of course I’m in France and I’m resting in Figeac tonight.