Wednesday July 26, 21.5km/13.4mi

Refuge de Larribet (248.0km/2070m) (France) to Refuge Wallon (267.8km/1865m) (France) +1.7km Grande Fache

We awoke the next morning to beautiful blue skies, amazing!

We left at 8a.m. and hiked down the valley for an hour, and it was nice and warm.

We then began our gradual ascent up to the next pass. It was perfect conditions for a climb, we were in the shade but the skies were perfectly clear and dry.

Apparently they name their meadows here.

I saw some more of those Isard creatures. I think they are related to the chamoix that I’ve seen before in the Alps.

We hiked by the impressively blue Lacs de Remoulis.

At the top of the climb a few hours later, we came to a col and crossed into Spain. The France-Spain border has these stone markers all along it, they are numbered starting with number 1 at the Atlantic Ocean.

We descended for a short kilometer into Spain.

And then we quickly turned left and started climbing again towards Col de la Fache.

I could see the trail ahead in the talus field around this alpine lake.

I started seeing these purple wildflowers growing everywhere at this high elevation.

We got to the Col de la fache at 1pm. This technically isn’t on the HRP, but we wanted to climb the nearby peak, Grande Fache, which is 3,000m tall. So we dropped our packs and started hiking up the very steep trail.

Adam coming up below me.

We climbed up 300m, or a distance of only 800m, so expectedly some of it was a little steep and scrambly. Once we were at the top there was this little monument.

The views in all directions were amazing, I didn’t know the names of any of the other surrounding peaks but still enjoyed the time on the summit.

There was another group up there to get our photo.

These tiny purple flowers blanketed a part of the summit, which was roped off to protect the sensitive alpine vegetation.

We spent 30 minutes on top of the summit enjoying the views and the warm weather. I even got a phone signal so I could make a reservation phone call to a campground in the next town. Sweet. The descent was uneventful, and two hours after we left our packs, we were reunited with them. By now it was 4pm so we quickly got going, back down the other side of the col. It was a gradual descent all the way down to our planned campsite at the Refuge Wallon hut. We passed by a very large group in the middle of nowhere that was singing what sounded like religious songs. It was a very bizarre sight to see.

And down at the valley we went for two hours, through alpine meadows.

And eventually we descended far enough to enter a pine forest.

We got to the refuge Wallon at 6pm and set up our tents on the nearby grass under some trees. This hut was massive, with a capacity of 95 people, and very modern since it was built in 2021.

The inside was extremely impressive.

We had plenty of food, so instead of eating dinner in the hut, we made our own dinner at our tents. It was also a good way to save money since the hut dinners are usually about €17. After dinner we washed up in one of the hut’s five large bathrooms, and spent some more time exploring the huge space. While exploring the outside patio, I saw one of the grossest things ever. People had spread out their shirts to dry on a stone wall, which separated the patio from the meadow. There were cows grazing in the meadow very close to the wall, and one of them had an explosive poop all over a bunch of peoples’ shirts. Ugh.

It was a little overwhelming seeing so many people crowded into here, and I was happy to retreat back to the peace of our camping area. It was easy to fall asleep after all of the climbing we had done today.

Tuesday July 25, 17.1km/10.6mi

Refuge de Pombie (231.9km/2030m) (France) to Refuge de Larribet (248.0km/2070m) (France) + 1.0km wrong col

I woke up in the overflow tent at 6:30am, since the other people in the tent were also awaking then. I grabbed my breakfast and walked over to the hut, and noticed the fog had mostly cleared.

We started down the trail at 8am to partly sunny skies, enjoying our downhill walk for the next hour.

Near the bottom of the descent, I noticed the clouds were starting to build across the valley.

We would soon be hiking back up into that valley, and I hoped the clouds weren’t a rain threat. As we climbed the next hill, the fog returned and swirled around us.

We had a quick snack break at this strange little stone hut, which was built up against a boulder.

At the top of the climb there was a trail junction, where we had a decision to make. The normal route turns right and goes deeply up an exposed route with a cable for a hand hold. The weather seemed to be fine other than the fog so we opted for the normal route. (The detour would require us to like an additional hour and with a bunch of elevation gain and loss.)

The fog certainly was thick up here!

It was so thick, I was surprised by this lake until I was almost right next to it.

As expected the trail started to climb steeply…

… And then we begin the cable section.

It was actually really fun, and despite being cold and windy, it was pretty good conditions. This is the steepest part of the cable route, which goes for about 300m.

After that section was finished, we started to descend to a lake and a hut. The Lac d’Arremoulit is far below.

As we approached the lake the fog briefly started to clear.

For about 30 minutes it was sunny, and so we had a lunch break and dried our tents. It was pretty windy so we didn’t stay long, since the wind was so effective at drying the tents.

Our next climb was up the Col du Palas, which was filled with scree and talus.

Adam coming up the talus field.

When we got to the top, we were on the border with Spain. Immediately I noticed the clouds were mostly gone.

And a minute later they were almost completely gone, and we could see all the way down to a set of lakes in Spain.

We traversed over to the next col, which was slow going through the talus.

The weather was so clear on this side!

We had a little mis-navigation getting through the next col. We tried to go through the easier looking notch in the col, but it ended at a cliff on the other side. So we retreated, and tried the more difficult looking route. It had one tricky steep move but otherwise was fine.

Of course, once we got to the other side and were back in France, it was foggy again.

For a few hours we descended down this valley past several lakes.

The trail was pretty rocky but the lakes were amazing to see in the diffused light.

Eventually we descended back into the fog.

The hut was a welcome site at the end of a long day.

We setup our tents in the designated area below the hut, and went inside and had dinner at 7pm.

The huts are quite well organized and they have a shoe room at the entrance to keep people’s footwear out of the main building. There were so many crocs!

Dinner was great, it was some sort of chicken noodle dish. Unlike last night, I didn’t stay up late socializing and playing card games, and went to bed early at 9pm.

Monday July 24, 26.0km/16.2mi

Pla d’Espélunguère (205.9km/1460m) (France) to Refuge de Pombie (231.9km/2030m) (France)

I woke up to the sound of dripping water on my tent and assumed it was raining. But I finally looked outside, and I realized it was just a nearby tree dripping on us. I packed up and I hiked uphill in the morning fog. Adam took a little longer to wake up and he said he would catch me at lunchtime.

It was a nice steady climb and not too difficult, and despite hiking uphill it was still a little chilly because of the dense fog. Sometimes I see these little locked cabins and I wonder what mysteries are inside.

When I got to the top of the climb I went over a pass, which also meant I crossed the border into Spain. When I looked behind me back down into France I could see the fog I had just hiked through.

Looking ahead, it was sunny in Spain! The lake Ibón de Astanés was a nice surprise.

I hiked around the lake and then descended the other side of the hill, into the rising sun.

Once I got partway down the hill, I crossed back into France and immediately was immersed in the fog. Bummer.

Hiking through the forest was a little less cold and windy, but I had to watch my step on all the slippery leaves and roots.

It was a chilly but relaxing morning hike.

When I came to a little ski resort I noticed all the signs were in Spanish, and soon after I saw a Spain border sign. And of course the fog cleared away.

I hiked through the little ski town of Candanchu, a lovely little Spanish village that was also full of sheep.

I love seeing ski lifts in summertime, it feels so bizarre.

Candanchu was only a few blocks long but it had a few cafes and a little general store. I ordered a bagel and tea at the cafe, and then I had dessert at the general store.

As I was about to leave the little town, Adam caught up and we hiked out of town together. It was just before noon, so after hiking for a couple kilometers we stopped at a little waterfall to have lunch.

It was a warm day in the sun and we had an uphill climb to do.

Looking back downhill from the top of the climb, it’s nice when you are rewarded with a view after all of the hard uphill hiking.

We passed the lovely little lake Ibon de Escalar, where there were dozens of people and families relaxing by the shore.

We climbed up to Col Des Moines, where we could see ahead into the French side of the Pyrenees. The tallest mountain in the distance is called Pic du Midi d’Ossau.

Predictably, as soon as we descended off the pass and into the French side, the fog returned.

At one point we descended low enough, to be under the layer of fog and actually get somewhat of a view of the valley we were traveling through.

Looking ahead to our next upcoming climb…

We passed by a shepherd’s hut, and of course they were selling cheese. Every single day on this trail I pass a sign that says “Fromage” !

When we got partway up the next climb, we were back in the fog.

Occasionally the wind would pick up and break up some of the fog and we had a view of the impressive Pic du Midi d’Ossau.

At this elevation it was quite rocky, and the marmots were everywhere.

Huge mountain!

The climb up over the final pass for the day was full of scree and talus.

I always have lots of fun climbing up talus. It’s slow going, but a nice challenge.

I saw this hoofed animal in the distance, and I was told it’s called an Isard.

Yup, this was a pretty high pass.

We descended to the Refuge de Pombie, and the fog was getting pretty thick.

Yup, marmots were everywhere.

The refuge was a welcome site in the cold fog.

I went inside to talk to the caretaker and ask if it was still possible to have dinner. After some confusing exchanges in French, I was able to get my name on the list for dinner which was €17. There is also a bunkroom, which was full, but he said I could sleep in the overflow tent. Perfect! Adam caught up a few minutes later, and dinner was served at 7pm. It was some sort of pasta dish with vegetables and there was even a dessert, amazing! There’s a very nice atmosphere in these mountain huts and I see why they are so popular.

Hopefully tomorrow the fog disappears so we can get some views of the high Pyrenees again!

Sunday July 23, 28.1km/17.5mi

Lescun Village (177.8km/950m) (France) to Pla d’Espélunguère (205.9km/1460m) (France)

After a long breakfast at the gîte, we finally left town at 8am. It was a little bit of a maze to weave through all the narrow streets and buildings.

It was a beautiful day for hiking, I was hopeful we finally left the fog behind.

It was a long steady climb up to the ridgeline, and we saw quite a few people hiking along the way.

This area is part of the extensive Pyrenees National Park in France so it is quite popular. Halfway up the climb there was a nice water source, so Adam stopped to refill his bottles. I don’t drink as much water so I didn’t need any.

Once we were up on the ridgeline it was just an amazing walk all afternoon.

At the first col, we could see down into Spain, since it sits on the border.

Yup, just insanely beautiful hiking through the high Pyrenees.

Even way up here, there were some “semi-wild” horses.

And there were some sheep too, which were being herded by these lovely dogs.

I had noticed the rock in this area had changed character and now it looked like a bunch of conglomerate.

The hiking today was bliss.

Around lunchtime, I started looking for the hut that we were expected to pass. This was a small farm in a little valley below us.

Finally at 2pm we arrived at the Refuge d’Arlet. It was a nice place to sit down and have a break.

The nearby Lac d’Arlet added to this amazing mountain setting, although the water was too cold to swim.

After lunch we got to enjoy another hour of blissful sunny ridgetop hiking.

Towards the end of the day, the trail left the ridge and started to drop down into a valley.

We descended down through some meadows….

…. And then a forest.

When we got to the bottom of the valley, we set up camp. It was well protected from thunderstorms and wind and it seemed like the perfect little spot. The name was a little hard to pronounce though….Pla d’Espélunguère.

We had a pretty amazing view to the West, and the sun setting behind the big mountains.

It was a pretty amazing first day in the High Pyrenees region!

Saturday July 22, 5.9km/3.7mi

Cabanes Anaye (171.9km/1530m) (France) to Lescun Village (177.8/950m) (France)

We woke up to thick fog and wet tents, and even a pack of mules surrounding us. Their loud chewing and braying in the middle of the night didn’t help a good night’s sleep, either.

We headed out at 8am and pretty soon the fog started to burn off. It seems like the French side of the Pyrenees is always foggy!

After a kilometer we entered a very damp and green forest. It smelled like a fresh rainstorm and there were slugs and mud everywhere.

Upon exiting the forest, we had a grand view of the valley, a few hundred meters below us.

The trail descended on many really old switchbacks built with ancient stonework, which was neat to see. The valley was also surrounded by some extremely tall peaks, which was a little surprising because the fog had hidden them from view until the last minute.

We stopped at a stream, to rinse off our shoes and legs, which were covered in what was probably a mixture of mud and sheep poop.

The last part of the walk into Lescun village was relaxing on a deserted dirt road.

We could see the tiny village up ahead.

Walking thru the village was entertaining, as all the buildings looked to be hundreds of years old, and the streets were extremely narrow.

We dropped our bags off at our accommodation, called a gîte. I think it’s like a hostel but with meals, and maybe a little fancier.

After leaving Maison de la Montagne, we went food shopping, and spent a couple hours on a bench in the park, just eating and relaxing in the warm sun. I checked out their little free library z which had a surprising amount of mountain themed books.

I spent the rest of the afternoon at a cafe eating ice cream and pizza, and pretty soon it was 4pm and we could check-in to the gîte. We walked over and met the owner, and we got a nice tour of the place in French, while I would occasionally ask questions in Spanish. After a nice shower and washing some clothes, it was dinner time. It was a fun group dinner with a very lovely three course meal! There were like 15 people , so it took awhile to talk with everyone. By the time that ended it was 9pm and we all went to bed.

Friday July 21, 28.8km/17.9mi

Cabane d’Ardané (146.3km/1310m) (France) to Cabanes Anaye (171.9km/1530m) (France) +0.8km to cabin, +1.2km backtrack

We left the cabin at 8am and the daily pattern of fog continued.

We were up on a ridge all morning, and it was a little windy and kinda cold. When I was hiking I was reasonably warm, but at one point we had to stop and wait for a horse for 5 minutes. It would not leave the trail!

For three hours we hiked a cold windy ridgeline. The wind was blowing the fog and mist so hard we even got a little wet.

Finally, just before noon, the fog started to lift.

We stopped for lunch at a warm sunny spot and took a long break. It was a very productive break as I was able to make reservations at a gîte (like a fancy hostel) for tomorrow night in Lescun village, and both of us were able to dry out our tents.

After lunch we hiked by a refuge which had been closed for renovations for years, and had just reopened.

Not needing anything from there, we bypassed it and went straight back to the trail.

After a little while in a forest, we entered a huge valley full of limestone cliffs and rocks. It was amazing!

The scenery was simply jaw-dropping, and it reminded me of a smaller version of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

For two hours we walked through a rocky limestone paradise. And in full sunshine!

Since we were slowly climbing this valley, eventually we came to the pass. I could see the fog from the French side trying to spill over.

All day the trail was marked with these red and white “paint splashes”. Navigation was easy!

As soon as we crossed over the pass, the fog started to thicken, and the sun was getting harder to see.

And after a few more minutes of descending into the next valley, the fog was extremely thick.

Everything seemed gray and muted except for these bright purple flowers.

We stopped briefly at a spot called “Source of Manitou” and refilled our water bottles.

Our original plan was to camp at this spot, then we saw on the map that there may be a cabin nearby, and another potential one 30 minutes ahead. After searching for the cabin nearby and concluding that it no longer existed, we hiked downhill for half an hour to look for the next cabin. We were minorly delayed by a few stubborn mules who would not move off the trail.

Even though we saw a sign for the cabin, and multiple websites confirmed its existence, once we arrived there we found that two shepherds had taken up residence at the cabin. Darn.

So we camped nearby, simply ready to be done with the wetness of the day. At least tomorrow is a town day!

Thursday July 20, 35.0km/21.8mi

Shoulder of Urkulu Peak (112.2km/990m) (France) to Cabane d’Ardané (146.3km/1310m) (France) +0.9km to cabin

We packed up our wet tents at 8am and hiked up the rest of the climb. The fog had lowered overnight and now we were walking in it completely.

After a couple of kilometers we got to the top of the climb, and had a nice ridge walk in the fog. Soon afterwards though, the Sun started to burn off the fog and break through with patches of light.

When we left the meadow and entered a forest, the filtered sunlight looked amazing.

And then all of a sudden, the fog started to burn off rapidly and we could see for many miles.

We could even see all the way to the mountain we would climb later this afternoon, Pic d’Orhy.

It was really cool to watch the process of fog burning off. The warmer winds from Spain were blowing over the ridges into France and erasing the fog.

We had a pretty long descent through a beautiful forest, which was really enjoyable and felt warm with the sunlight coming through the leaves.

Once we were at the bottom of the descent, we turned onto a road briefly where there was a trail junction sign to decipher. And cows, lots of cows.

I love that somebody had taped a little cardboard sign here, “Fromage”. I hardly know any French words but I do love cheese.

A few minutes later we encountered a small roadblock of sheep which was pretty hilarious. Maybe they were protesting the cheese if it was made from sheep’s milk? Ha!

We left the road and had another climb, up through forest and meadows. Eventually we climbed high enough where the fog found us again.

When we got to the top of the climb it was noon, and we decided to stop at the Iraty tourist complex to have lunch. I bought a can of tuna with beans and rice, some fruit, and a Basque seltzer drink. And it felt so civilized eating on a picnic table.

After lunch we continued uphill through patchy fog to a nice ridge walk.

Since there weren’t really any views in the distance, I didn’t mind walking in the forest. Not having views meant I paid more attention to the flora and fauna at my feet.

And then came the big event of the day, the final part of the climb to the summit of Pic d’Orhy.

It’s the first time on this trail we will be over 2000 meters in elevation. Once we got up to about 1600 meters, we were above the fog!

It was a pretty rocky ridge, and slow going, but totally worth the effort.

The summit slowly got closer.

There was one little technical section where we had to drop off the ridge to avoid a cliff. It involved walking down some loose scree and back up a steep slope.

These little high altitude flowers were everywhere on the ridge.

It was so cool looking back to where we had come from, and seeing it buried in fog.

The summit!

There was a little metal monument on the summit which was written in Basque.

We spent 20 minutes hanging out on the summit, and then got moving again since we had awhile to hike before we got to a reasonable camping spot.

The trail slowly descended the ridge and I enjoyed every minute of the views.

Pretty soon though, we dropped back below the fog line and then it was quite a bit colder and even a little wet. It was a pretty cold and miserable 6km walk to our planned camping spot at Cabane d’Ardané. The cabin was a welcome refuge from the blowing fog and mist.

The inside was dark but very nice and clean and had bunk space for 8 people.

When we arrived, there was one other person there, a French guy who was about to go to sleep. We chatted for a few minutes using my very poor French while I made dinner. He went to bed, and then another couple showed up and spent the night as well, so there were five of us in the cabin. I was cozy and dry on the top bunk and had a great night’s sleep.

Wednesday July 19, 29.9km/18.6mi

Roncesvalles Village (87.4km/945m) (España) to Shoulder of Urkulu Peak (112.2km/990m) (France)

I woke up late, since my room had one tiny window and it was very dark inside. After taking a hot shower and organizing my stuff, I left at 9am. It was a very late start time for me but this trail seems to encourage that. I spent another 30 minutes poking around the village seeing all the old buildings.

I hiked the 20 minutes back up to the trail, and as soon as I was back up high it was foggy again.

I caught up with two guys from Belgium, and they are also hiking the HRP. We spent all morning walking together and talking about various things, and their English was surprisingly good. I don’t speak any French. For a few minutes though fog broke apart and we actually had a view.

We saw tons of other people walking up here, as one of the Camino routes also crosses this ridge. The were these little emergency shelters in a few places as well.

The infrastructure for the Camino routes seems very well built, as they are very popular routes. The trail junction signs also seemed rather complicated & busy given all of the different trails that pass through here.

As usual, it was foggy up high.

Maxim, one of the Belgian guys, pointed out this neat Alpine flower.

We had some views, but for some reason the fog today refused to lift.

After lunch we scoped out another emergency shelter.

Nearby there was a sign with some posts, and we had 10 minutes of entertainment watching the horses scratch their butts and necks on the posts. Haha!

From that point there was a nice walk on a road for an hour.

But as soon as we left the road, we descended steeply on an overgrown grassy trail, and had to crawl under a barbed wire fence.

Then we climbed up steeply to another pass, up a narrow grassy trail that seemed to have a lot of exposure. Definitely not a good trail for anyone with a fear of heights!

Once at the top of the pass, there was another monument stone. There are hundreds of these along the trail as they mark the border of Spain & France. Maxim decided to get a photo with half of him in each country!

From there we hiked downhill for an hour, at first along a stream and then on a road. We passed hundreds of sheep.

Given my later start, I ended up at an awkward section of trail where there is no optimal camping. I did not want to camp at the bottom of the valley and have a wet tent, so I hiked partway up the next climb to find a spot to camp. I was joined by a guy from Ireland who had the same idea.

The views from this campsite were amazing, but is also quite windy up here. Hopefully the fog lifts, and does not continue to get worse overnight.

Tuesday July 18, 29.9km/18.6mi

Hill above Elizondo (54.4km/310m) (España) to Roncesvalles Village (87.4km/945m) (España)

We were camped in a grassy field, so everything was soaked with dew when we woke up. I finally left at 8:30am, which gave my tent a little time to dry. I backtracked back to town, and went to the hardware store to buy some stove fuel. They actually had some in stock! It was a happy moment.

After that I walked down the street to a phone store and bought another SIM card, since my current one does not work in the Spain.

And finally, I stopped at a bakery to grab a fresh baguette. They are surprisingly great for hiking.

As I walked out of town I passed by a cool ancient church, with lots of old stonework and stained glass windows.

I walked back up to the hill, up the same steep road I had come down an hour earlier.

Since I had taken a detour, it took me a couple of hours on local trails to rejoin the HRP. Once I was on top I had the usual grand views through Basque country farmland.

I really like the trail junction signs out here, they’re very informative.

I could see down into the deep valley where the town of Aldudes was located, and where I would be passing through very soon.

It was a very steep but easy descent down a dirt road to the town. Aldudes was tiny, with not much more than one main street with a general store and a restaurant.

I grabbed a mid afternoon meal at the restaurant, and finally left town at 4pm to make the steep climb. It started with stairs!

It quickly turned into a rocky traverse of the steep hillside.

As I climbed higher, it seemed like the cloud level was lowering.

I hiked by a herd of cows on a hilltop, they did not seem to care that I was there.

And 20 minutes later, I had traversed around the ridge and I could see the cows from a distance in silhouette against the sky. Cool.

And then the fog really moved in! It was neat at first, but then it got cold and felt very damp.

For an hour I hiked through meadows of ferns, where I had no views in the fog.

Visibility was so low, that a herd of sheep and I surprised each other.

It was easy hiking and as long as I was moving I was comfortable. If I stopped for a longer break, I would get cold in the damp fog.

The foggy forests do look really cool though.

And I suspect it is damp up here frequently, given the size of the slugs.

I hiked downhill on a small dirt road, and then came to a pass where a highway crossed over.

There was another cool old church on the pass, which was kind of random since there were no other buildings nearby.

Given the miserably wet weather up here on the pass, and it was also very windy, I decided to hike the 20 minutes down to the village of Roncesvalles.

This village is on one of the Camino routes, so there is a big hostel building for the “pilgrims”, as walkers of the camino are called.

I grabbed dinner at the local inn/restaurant, it’s a good thing restaurants are open late here in Spain as it was almost 9pm when I had dinner!

After dinner I grabbed a room, as I didn’t feel like setting up my tent in the blowing mist and fog.

Monday July 17, 29.9km/18.6mi

Col de Lizuniaga (24.5km/225m) (España) to Hill above Elizondo (54.4km/310m) (España)

There were six of us camped at the restaurant last night, and the other four left earlier than me and Lea. The restaurant opened at 8am and we wanted to get a cup of hot tea and a croissant. After our relaxing breakfast, we hit the trail which was a dirt road most of the morning.

There were plenty of views of the Basque country farmland along the way.

These horses here are not afraid of anybody and don’t run away, it’s very strange.

Today’s goal was to make it to the little Mountain village of Elizondo.

Yup, the horses here definitely look like cows. From a conversation last night, I’ve also learned that they are likely being raised for meat.

There were a couple of small wrong turns along the way with all the criss-crossing farm roads, but we were both enjoying the scenery of the farmland.

We caught up with the two Dans, and had a short break near this tree, which I called The yoga tree, because it looked like some sort of inverted yoga pose.

The afternoon went by quickly, and I was equally distracted by the nice scenery and trying to remember how to properly conjugate various verbs in Spanish.

Later in the afternoon, the clouds started to move in a little bit and the weather cooled down.

At the end of the day we descended toward Elizondo and left the bare hilltops, and entered a denser forest.

It’s so cool randomly seeing these old historic buildings that are like 400 years old.

Yep definitely a damp climate here, there was tons of moss everywhere.

Lea and I took a short little side trip to a cascade, which was pretty neat but not as big or deep as we had hoped. We were both looking forward to taking a swim.

While walking towards and away from the Cascade, we heard gunshots from far above on the hilltop. And then suddenly very small pieces of ceramic were raining down on us through the trees, which was quite alarming. We quickly figured out somebody was clay target shooting above us and the pieces were falling here on this popular tourist trail. We got out of there as quickly as we could, it was only another kilometer to Elizondo.

When we got to town we took a quick swim in the river, and then walked over to the main village center.

We met the police in a little village square and gave a report about the shooting incident. They took down all the information, which took a little while with me since I had to figure out how to say some very specialized words in Spanish that I would never use normally (i.e. “bala”). We met up with one of Lea’s friends, Luca, who would be joining her for the next few days. We had dinner and a beer at the outdoor dining area, and then hiked a kilometer out of town to camp. Another full day!