Day One

Pamplona – Obanos – 20km

Route
Today the walk passed through farmland and the remains of the Pamplona Basin. A steep climb through boxwood trees and coarse scrubland. We passed the slowly trickling Reniega spring. Following this was the steep ascent climb to Alto de Perdon at an altitude of 800m. Here is the monument erected to the pilgrims and windmills. Looking in the direction the camino continues the Valdizarbo valley lies beyond.
Albergue
€7
Area for handwashing. Shoes left at the door
1 shower/mixed sex bathrooms
1 Large dorm room and smaller dorm room with beds
Good hot water and kitchen facilities
No blankets or sheets provided

Weather
Extremely hot – t-shirts, singlet and shorts

Today our first day of walking was a fantastic if not challenging beginning to the Camino for us. We had risen early like all pilgrims (many had their alarms set for 5.30am) to walk early in the day and avoid the heat, arriving early at the albergues in the afternoon in time to purchase food for the next day and to then have an afternoon siesta.

We were excited to walk beyond the boundaries of the city and to see the fields stretch out in the distance ahead of us. A narrow dirt road winding through fields of wheat – this was the image we had in our heads of the camino.

It didn't take long for us to shed our layers of warmer clothing and to appreciate the trekking poles we had brought with us. To someone not walking they look a tad ridiculous but we found they really did make the walking much easier

Aurelia had her first 'side of the road' Camino nappy change and we were off again. The weather leaving Pamplona was unseasonably warm and it didn't take long for us and the other pilgrims to be sweating like maniacs under the load of our packs. Aurelia was dressed in her UV50 protective suit and hat, with a light layer of clothing over the top, and did not seem phased by the heat at all falling asleep quickly again in the carrier after her early start to the day. My worries of how she would find the albergue accommodation the night before had proven unfounded and she slept through the night in her Kinderkot without a sound. This made her hugely popular with other pilgrims, many who had dropped by our bunk beds to comment on how wonderful she had been last night and wishing they could trade in the noisy snorers for a few more babies. Walking along the path we looked to the summit of Alto de Perdon and saw numerous windmills. Jokingly I had mentioned that perhaps our breakfast coffee would be at the top – it was the last time we joked about windmills as the statement turned out to be true!! It was also the longest walk I had ever made for a morning caffeine hit

As the walking continued the sun rose higher in the sky and shone down brightly. As gorgeous as the fields were the absence of trees along the winding path meant a lack of shade and the first mental challenge of the camino arose. What so soon we thought! Our bodies already were keen to sit and rest. How discouraging to feel our bodies struggle on the first day, even though everyone around us was struggling as well. Still they had walked for 3 days already and we were fresh – please don't let this be a sign of things to come we thought.

How could it be that people in their 60's and 70's were coping better than us. One look at the size of our packs compared to theirs gave us our answer!!

We(I) longed to sit down in the fields and drink all the water we were carrying (still breastfeeding Raya I was feeling quite dehydrated) however we also had the knowledge that the weather was only going to get hotter, the next town with an albergue was not going to get any closer and there was no other water apart from what we were carrying.

It was THE moment of realisation(with a tinge of panic) that we had to walk whether we liked it or not and the first of many “suck it up” moments on the path. Aurelia oblivious to our (my)overheating snored softly in the carrier on my shoulders.

Before we reached the foothills of Alto de Perdon we passed the monument of the pilgrim who passed away and we sat in the shade of the tree while aurelia crawled around amusing the other pilgrims. People commented that seeing her smiling face was refreshing and uplifting after a hard session of walking – and it was true – her gift to the other pilgrims.

There were numerous snails that crossed our path as we winded through the fields and I photographed one thinking how they were just like us – carrying all their possessions on their back and moving oh so painstakingly slowly!!

The ascent up Alto de Perdon was back breaking!! It was our first climb and there was little breeze on the Pamplona side of the hill. Reaching the top was a phenomenal moment -one I won't ever forget.

We had done it.

We had climbed one of the highest peaks on the walk and we were actually doing the very thing we had spent so long dreaming about. The sense of accomplishment was huge and we sat in the shade with other pilgrims, all exhausted, sweating but with small, energy saving smiles on their faces.

What goes up must come down and the muscles which we didn't use in the ascent we felt kick to life on the descent. The walk into Uterga was a comparatively easy one and our efforts were rewarded with a fantastic lunch at a pilgrim stop there

Aurelia made friends with the staff instantly who were shocked to see a happy, smiling, blonde baby pilgrim. The women gave her two small
key rings of a boy and a girl which she loved and once they were tied to the carrier stopped her from grabbing my ponytail and making “go go” noises like I was a horse while she was in the carrier. These were to be the first of many presents she collected from generous fellow pilgrims along the path.

Refreshed from lunch and having given our feet a rest from the last 15km we continued on knowing we only had 5km till we would arrive in Obanos – tired and sunburnt like all the other pilgrims.

When we arrived we found the albergue hostelier was rude and unhappy that we had Raya with us but, as their policy was to accept everyone, he took our money and grumbling to himself in Spanish put us in the smaller dorm room.

Nick took Aurelia off to the town park to play while I went to do the washing. Aurelia quickly involved herself in the games of the other local children despite the language barrier and showing no fear went down her first slippery slide all by herself.

The sexy sandals and socks look


While washing I met an Austrian man. He had taken off his boots at the top of Alto de Perdon and walked the descent on the stony path in bare feet, his shoes were hurting that badly. I couldn't believe he had made it and he informed me he was throwing his heavy walking boots away his feet were that blistered. One look at his feet had me silently praying we wouldn't have to walk with blisters like that.

I also met Judy and Barbara, two lovely women from the UK who we would come to befriend on the walk to Santiago.

Having washed and hung the clothes we changed into the single other clean change of clothe we had and we headed off to dinner. We met the first challenge of eating out with a small child in Spain. Spanish people do not sit down for dinner until quite late,well past Aurelia's bed time of 7pm. Still she travels brilliantly and was a happy little munchkin throughout dinner entertaining the table of French pilgrims throughout the evening with her dancing and smiles while they taught her a traditional French song they sing to children in France.

Tired as we were, we were already enjoying the simplicity of walk,wash, journal eat then bed.

We had 3km to reach Puente le Reina where we would have breakfast tomorrow and we bunked down to sleep sharing the room with Jock, the doppelganger for my brother in law Matt. Jock, an Aussie from Victoria, was walking the camino with his dad Rob and they were walking approx 35kms each day. They were both lovely blokes and we were sad that our slow pace meant we probably wouldn't cross paths with them again.

The thought of having done an extra 15kms on top of the 20kms we had done that day made the mind boggle.