Last minute preparations

It has been challenging getting my gîte arrangements together, as some have not answered and others are closed temporarily or permanently, forcing me to make other arrangements.  I've made myself a list of "confirmations" and "alternates" when I haven't heard back, or if the place requested that I call a day or two in advance to "confirm." Using a cell phone in some areas is not always a viable option, particularly when the area in question is hilly and tree-covered.  Then again, who knows what the actual walk will be like--I certainly deviated from last year's carefully made plans considerably!

And I haven't done any serious hiking/training this season as I did a year ago, so I will just have to go slowly, with shorter "stages" and hope for the best.  For some reason, although I am a member of several Meet-up hiking groups, all the hikes are either far-away, held on Sunday mornings, or held after work on weekdays.  I guess they need some more retired people leading because a hike at dusk when mosquitoes are at their peak level of annoyance is not something I want to do, and Sunday mornings are not an option. So I have been limiting myself to the occasional early morning Lake Frank outing with the dogs, or my Saturday dog socialization hikes with others, or walks to Rockville's Maryvale Park. Physical therapy has been keeping my upper torso in shape, which is fine, but hardly helpful for my upcoming camino needs, and my trips to the gym have become less frequent because of my crazy schedule.  Winning a free course at the Alliance Française [for answering correctly all of the questions on contest about French cinema and filmmaking] has not exactly been well timed either!

Dogs at Meadowbrook Park

I did use my reference librarian skills a today for someone on the Via Podiensis Facebook page, and tracked down an MP3 downloadable version of Jean-Claude Bénazet 's pilgrim song which I have cited elsewhere in this blog. Written in 1989, it has become the most popular song sung by the French walking the Via Podiensis. If you click of the link of the "pilgrims song" above you can hear Bénazet's commentary [in French] along with him singing it the way it supposed to be sung [like a march]. The downloadable version hyperlinked here is sung by the monks of the Catholic order of Prémontrés at the abbey in Conques ["MP3 downloadable version"]. I've been listening to it so often now that I can't seem to get it out of my head when I walk the dogs. . .

Tous les matins nous prenons le chemin,
Tous les matins nous allons plus loin.
Jour après jour, la route nous appelle,
C’est la voix de Compostelle.

Ultreïa ! Ultreïa ! E sus eia Deus adjuva nos !

Chemin de terre et chemin de Foi,
Voie millénaire de l’Europe,
La voie lactée de Charlemagne,
C’est le chemin de tous les jacquets.

Ultreïa ! Ultreïa ! E sus eia Deus adjuva nos !

Et tout là-bas au bout du continent,
Messire Jacques nous attend,
Depuis toujours son sourire fixe,
Le soleil qui meurt au Finistère.

Ultreïa ! Ultreïa ! E sus eia Deus adjuva nos !

Also, I have just ordered the newest  available copies of the Miam-Miam-Dodo, GR 65 : Le Puy-en-Velay à Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and the Topo-guide Sentier vers Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle via le Puy-Figeac-Moissac-Rocamadour-La Romieu from Amazon.fr which should arrive at my Paris place before I leave.

I am now in Vernon Hills, Illinois, visiting my Mother before I leave on Tuesday.  My two dogs will be staying with some doggie friends in Lake Bluff.

Zoé and Jacques

Yesterday we celebrated my mother's 91st birthday.

My mother with Karin's dog, "Matilda"

And today three of us took her for lunch at a restaurant in Winthrop Harbor on the Wisconsin border on an otherwise dreary, rainy day.  Although it finally stopped raining, it was very misty so we couldn't even see the boats nearby. . .

My sister Karin and me

You can tell we are near Chicago by the beer glass. . .


Meanwhile there is a little park near my Mother's place where I walk a mile or so each morning. . .

Hawthorn Mellody Park

More preparations

I wonder where the time has gone!  It is August already, and I am scheduled to leave for Conques in just over a month!  I haven't even done that much preparation this year, no real hikes at all.  Of course July was interrupted by a nephew's wedding in Chicago, including a car-trip with two dogs, overnighting outside of Cleveland going and coming.

Here we stop at that scenic armpit along the way--Breezewood

Zoé and Jacques enjoying the sunshine

At Independence Grove with my mother, two sisters and my niece, Sarah

I have added two possible walking dresses to my hiking wardrobe as the weather will be warmer, so I will leave at least one pair of convertible pants and some woolies behind. One of them is fairly short so will likely wear them with the leggings I used as long-underwear last time.

This one is made of the same lightweight fabric as my zip-off hiking pants

This one is a lightweight nylon knit and is much redder than in the photo

 I have also now become one of the administrators of Robert Forrester's Way of St. James - Via Podiensis - Ley Puy-en-Velay Facebook page, probably because I posted a lot items, so that is keeping me aware of the route somewhat.  Since it is a closed group, I check out potential members and attempt to make sure they are legitimate requests.  We average about 5 - 6 new member requests a week.
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After intense planning in the spring, I re-examined my previous plans and have made a few adjustments.  I have posted questions to the Camino de Santiago forum about the Célé Valley route, and on the Way of St. James - Via Podiensis - Le Puy-en-Velay route FB page,  and in reviewing the comments/responses, I have decided to definitely include the Pech Merle Cave and St. Cirq Lapopie.  I have also looked at route variants, definitely wish to avoid Decazaville, and wish to shorten my daily average stage length as much as possible. This means lengthening the number of days this will take, also upping my expenses.  The new proposed route is as follows:

 

J1  Conques

J2  Noailhac 8 km

J3  Livinhac 16.6 km

J4  Figeac 20 km

J5  Espagnac 15 km

J6  Marcilhac 19 km

J7  Cabrerets 22 km

J8  St. Cirq Lapopie 12.1 km + distance to Pech Merle Cave (1.1 km)

J9   Pasturat 11.2 km or 18?

J10 Cahors 22

J11 Lascabanes 23 km

J12 Montlauzun 16 km

J13 Durfort-Lacapelette 17.1 km

J14 Moissac 14.5 km

J15 leave

This is almost double the average time it takes most people to walk this distance, but at least I won't be killing myself in trying to walk too far, too soon.  I'm not quite sure of the huge variation in mileage between certain towns, notably St. Cirq Lapopie to Pasturat--it may depend on the route and I will have to investigate further.  I don't  have the corresponding Topo-guide or the Miam Miam Dodo guidebook, mentioned in a previous post, which should have more accurate figures.  I understand that it may be difficult to get food in at least a couple of places, as there may be no store or restaurant, so am going to need to plan according.

The route: Conques to Moissac