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Friday May 8. Pontarlier. 25 km.

The church in Mouthier was open yesterday evening - always very pleasing in France where most churches I pass by are closed. This one had a comfortable, homey reading nook where I spent a pleasant half hour.


Today was not relaxing, however. The Via was supposed to follow beside the river up through a gorge. It was rerouted, however, along the top of the gorge. Which meant a really steep climb along narrow rocky paths.


A lot of forest walking with not many views.



What goes up, comes down, and then goes up again. Another steep climb, thankfully on a forest track, that ended in a rolling landscape.


About two hours before destination, a thunder storm and another drenching.  Luckily the youth hostel tonight has a heater and my hiking boots are drying out on top of it.  
Two pilgrims I met during the day: a nurse from Australia doing a two-month hike, and a retired doctor from a French village not too far from here doing a few weeks, or maybe a few months… They are eating tarte aux fraises with ice cream and whipped cream.  We all talked about the calm and peace that solo walking brings, the happiness of the chance, and fleeting, encounters with people, and  how addictive the experience is.



Comments

  1. RitaMay 11, 2026 at 5:46 AM

    How considerate of the church to provide the reading material as well!

    ReplyDelete

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