| 6 Sep 2013, 07:57. The foothills of the Pyrenees on the Camino Francés, 3.6 km (2.2 miles) from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France. That day’s 1,280 m (4,200 ft) elevation rise was at least not made more difficult by high temperatures, as the sky remained cloudy most of the day. Worth noting are the trekking poles carried by many pilgrims. Despite recommendations about how much they reduce stress on knees, I chose to avoid poles in favor of more easily accessing my camera, and because I didn’t want more stuff to keep track of. Stories abound of pilgrims unintentionally leavning behind their poles or experiencing their surprising disappearance. |
