Final Pyrenees Update
Description
We'll, that's it.
Just under 800 km, 51,000 feet of elevation, 36 days (but I took one day off, so 35 days walking).
This morning I sat on a minor peak looking down on the lights of the coast. I woke at 4am to climb up there with two guys - Ned and Declan - whose paths have crossed mine repeatedly over the last several weeks.
We went there to watch the sun rise over the Mediterranean.
That's been an unexpected lesson of this traverse. I started this journey alone, but crossed paths with so many interesting people along the way: Engie the French medical student who was walking this route with her grandfather's maps and compass, Marion of the heavy pack and hardware store tarp, the American father son duo Joe and Wyatt, and the abrasive Dutchman who became a character in my mind.
Sometimes it was just a short conversation on a random col. Others I walked with for a few hours or a few days. These two guys Ned and Declan played a bigger role. We compared notes on water sources and bivouac spots, camped together many nights, and coordinated town resupplies so we could share a meal.
When the sun crested the horizon, it was time to walk the last 22 km to the sea.
We each walked it alone. But we met at the edge of town and walked to the sea together.
It was a fitting way to end this
United States
