I won’t lie to you, today was the toughest day of hiking I have ever experienced in my life.

And not just the first five miles, from St Jean Pied de Port to the cafe/hostel Refuge Orrison.

A lot of people want to stay at Orrison in France to break up the trek across the Pyrenees Mountains into Spain. The alternative is hiking the entire 24 kilometers to Roncevalles where the ancient monastery houses 238 weary pilgrims every night.