Day 29 - June 5th: Trail Angels
Morlaas to Maurbourget: 29.5 miles / 743 total
There is one story to share today that reflects the best of the Camino, angels and kindness as it should be in this world.
The Arles Way is a rugged, difficult Camino. We have seen 1 or 2 pilgrims each day because you have to be seasoned to take on this route. Yesterday, we had 1 option for food and water along a 30-mile stretch that was incredibly difficult. As we set out today, we were prepared with snacks and as much water as we could carry. Ted, Jax and I picked up where we left off, 10km outside of Morlaàs after Christina dropped us off. We met her back in the village square a few hours later and after a quick espresso, ventured back out onto the trail. The temperature was warmer today than yesterday so hydration would be an issue. And since the breakfast was simple—croissant, coffee, yogurt and OJ—we would need calories for the roughly 30-mile day.
The track was difficult again with a lot of single track, rocks, mud and steep ascents followed by descents that required care. We both ran out of water around 20km into the run and knew we would need to knock on doors in the next town of Anoye if we didn’t find something sooner. As we were about to exit the village of Anoye, I spied a gentleman with silver hair in a gardened home walk out to the terrace. I yelled over to him, “Eau s’il vous plaît?” He looked at me quizzically and I yelled again. He said to me, “Can you speak English?”
I explained that we needed water and he motioned to come in through the gate. I yelled ahead to Ted that we had an option. He welcomed us into his garage where the first thing he did was give Jax a bowl of water—he needed it as badly as we did. His name was Menalque and his girlfriend Teva. They were just about to have lunch and asked us to join them. Ted and I looked at each other and nodded with perfect understanding—road angels to the rescue when we needed it most.
On the back patio they had set a table with cloth napkins, a jug of water, a tablecloth, and gardens around us. Teva brought out a big platter of oysters, fresh cut lemons, baguette, a vinaigrette for the oysters and then a bottle of white Burgundy and a red Bordeaux. Menalque asked if we liked oysters and Ted replied he is allergic. Menalque bellowed, “Good, more for us!” Teva disappeared into the kitchen and emerged a few moments later with a beautiful plate of ripened tomatoes with red onions, olives and vinaigrette. We had a perfect meal with perfect strangers.
Menalque was a fascinating and good-hearted man who shared stories of his days as a mercenary for the French. An accomplished pilot, he flew in numerous hotspots including Iran and Angola. He told us the people in these countries were good. He had crashed both planes and helicopters and was lucky to have survived them all. Ted loved the discussion because of his knowledge of aircraft and some of the areas Menalque flew into.
Ted and I power-ate to make sure we had enough calories and once we finished, we pushed back our chairs. As Teva and Menalque were clearing the table, they came back with a big quiche and another baguette. Another course! I looked at the quiche and saw anchovies, which I love. Ted is allergic to seafood so once again Menalque good-naturedly joked while Teva went into the kitchen and returned after some time with a perfectly ripened honeydew with charcuterie for Ted. We looked at each other both knowing we were stuffed from the first course but also recognizing we would go further with all this food. I was served a quarter of the quiche and finished every bite as Ted polished off his own big plate. After I finished, Teva returned with a beautiful Camembert for dessert. When they asked about coffee, we politely declined and told them we have another 25km to go and would never get it done unless we started.
Teva tried to give us a jar of pâté to take with us but I explained that 6 hours in the heat and sun would surely spoil the jar and she agreed. We said our farewells and were on our way marveling at our fortune. I ran across the United States and had never been invited into someone's house and offered a meal, let alone a gourmet one! The kindness this couple showed us was authentic and deep and it was the highlight of our trip to date on the Camino.
We left their house, full and a little tipsy from the wine, all of us happy. I keep a running clock during the day so that if I stop for lunch, I might register a 30-minute kilometer because it includes the stop. When the auto lap went off and we heard, “last kilometer, 89 minutes” we knew we had broken the slowest kilometer record to date.
Ted closed out his last day with the fourth marathon-plus distance. He was there supporting me when I first injured my tibia and now spent 5 incredible days crossing the Pyrenees, into France and then opening the Arles Way together. We spent over 9 hours each day running through the countryside connecting, sharing stories, histories, dreaming, analyzing the world and laughing. It was wonderful and so simple and I loved every minute.
Ted doesn’t do anything easy or slow. In fact, walking with me may be one of the toughest thing he has ever done athletically! Thank you.
All for today.
Cheers,
David.
