Sunday, May 21
Quiet day. Nice hike through woods, lots of up and down. We thought we were going to see the Golinhac dam, which was finished in 1960, but all we saw were a bunch of signs warning walkers to exercise caution in case the dam burst and the waters from the dam’s lake overflowed. Like falling rock road signs, I always wonder what exactly we are supposed to do to prepare for these potential disasters. Doesn’t seem like there are a lot of options.
The final entry into Golinhac was super-scary looking. Straight down on a muddy path. I had descended about 10 feet, crab-walking sideways with full pole extension, when we heard a soft voice calling from above. It was Denys, a French pilgrim from Nancy, Alsace. He said he was heading into Golinhac via the road instead of the muddy path. Gratefully, we joined him, chatting amiably about France and America, and ended up having lunch with him on an outside terrasse. He explained that he was walking the Chemin to honor his father who was a Chemin super-fan and passed away in 2020. Denys never walked a Chemin with his father.
At our BnB that evening we dined with people from Belgium, France, and South Korea. Fun conversations and lots of good will. Caminos/Chemins are good for that. The people you meet want to commune with nature, challenge themselves physically and psychologically, and soak up some culture. If they get to meet fellow pilgrims with similar interests along the way, so much the better.
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