First day on the Camino Francès...

If anyone had told me the climb from St Jean-Pied-de-Port at 179m above sea level to the Col de Ibaneta at 1057m was going to be this hard, well frankly I would have believed them. 

Our mixed 4 bed dorm was woken, if anyone had slept, at 6am and Sine the Danish woman, was up and gone. Yuki the young Japanese girl travelling alone, quickly followed bowing and thanking for company enjoyed and mobile chargers shared. That left Eugene from Germany stretched out on the floor trying to ease his back after cycling from Freiburg across France. He and I would set off together at 7.15, still dark and raining. 

That soon eased off and in the cool of the Pyrennes mountain morning we started to climb. The mist and damp coolness was very welcome after yesterday's hot ride from Bayonne. 

Eventually, cycling at our own speeds we arrived at the Col de Ibaneta at more or less the same time. 

Now all we had to do was descend safely. 

Easy for me, my mind was elsewhere. All I could do was worry about the hole in my tooth caused at breakfast by a baguette crust breaking a crown. 

F@#k it!