Day 3: Saugues to Lajo
- Simon Pollack
- Apr 29, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 26
The mayor may rule in name here, but we know who pulls the strings
The matriarch junctions all data-flows, she directs ’most everything
She’s earned her position through grit and through graft, a lifetime of work she has done
And she does what she does for it needs to be done, no idle time twiddling her thumbs!
29 April 2024, Monday
Distance hiked 27.1km (16.8m) | Ascent 1,018m |
Leaving Saugues at 9am and looking back now at the end of the day it was probably a touch ambitious again. The weather is taking its toll. Rain, rain, cloud, relentless rain and damp. It’s hard to know whether your wet body is coming from ingress from the external or seepage from the perspiration that you emit when so warmly wrapped up.
27km on this third day and the muscles are suffering. Slightly worrying I have a swollen left knee: the one that was operated on.
It was a day of grit. Peter is finding it challenging too, but he leaves me in his wake on the uphill bits (which are very plentiful, these first few days) as he is very fit. The countryside seemed utterly beautiful, had it been shown under a shining sun. But with the rain and, today, a bit of wind to add some seasoning to the mix, and such a long walk without relief, it became a question of one foot after the other. On these long walks you sometimes get into a rhythm which is a little meditative, where you lose everything else from your mind except just getting forward step by step. You hardly notice the time go by even though, on the face of it, it should be boring. It feels actually quite refreshing at the end, especially if daily life throws multiple simultaneous challenges at you: such a change.
But what you do notice, or what I particularly notice, is the pain. The aching legs (all joints, all muscles), the aching shoulders from the back pack, and unfortunately, today, a blister. I’m normally very vigilant but lots of today involved trudging through streams (whether they’re streams normally, I doubt; but have I mentioned it rained a lot?). Thus wet shoes Thus wet socks. Thus, with 7 hours of hoofing it, rubbing; and thus, eventually, blisters. And I think the cold and wet numbed my foot so I couldn’t feel the incipience of the blister.
A diversion off the main route tonight, to Lajo, which was the only accommodation I could find. A “gîte d’étape” with shared rooms and a big meal round a big table. Fun in small doses, but I prefer a little bit of privacy. But this place, Les Bouleaux Nains, has a nice shower and is very clean so I’m not feeling too bad about the dormitory style arrangements here.
Rachel our hostess was incredible. A couple initially booked through some agency found their double bed was with other beds in the room. I’d live with it and so, I’m sure, would my wife. But they wanted out and Rachel spent 30 minutes on the phone finding an alternative, then the same again driving them herself to the new spot. They probably gratefully paid her, but that’s beside the point: out of the range of linguistic familiarity, Booking.com accessibility or access to a vehicle, the only way this couple was able to get what they wanted was if Rachel chose to spend an hour of her life sorting them out. And how valuable was that hour? Well, she came a little later with a typically incredible meal. It turns out she is a farmer’s wife - husband and son work the farm, she does the admin: presumably managing the gîte is an afterthought for her. Charcuterie (inevitably home made from their own pigs, and super delicious), a perfectly dressed green salad, a dish of thick sausage stuffed with potato (her signature and a unique recipe), of course made from their own animals, flan made with their own eggs, and a copious selection of local cheeses. All for 16 (yes, 16!) people round the table. She sat there with us as queen of the castle, like a conductor over an unfamiliar orchestra going from uncertain tuning to a commanding symphony of conversation. The world needs more Rachels of both sexes: get things done, be good, love people – what else is there?
댓글