Wednesday, October 23, 2024
End: Mazaye
Kilometers: 21.5
Total: 74.4
We woke up to the sounds of the brook. During the night we received sporadic drops from the trees above, but it had stopped raining the previous day.
The hike out of the forest was all mud. We were into the mud immediately out of camp, but no one complained. I’ve been continually impressed by the ability and attitude of our group.
Soon enough, we came upon Lac de Servières. It was a wonderful spot, and I might have preferred to camp near there though it was forbidden to do so. This spot marked something like the Southwest corner of our loop, and we turned North.
The rest of the morning was walking along dirt roads and paved roads among the farm fields. Most fields are empty. A few have sheep or cows.
By 11AM, we arrived in Orcival. We weren’t counting on any food from this village, but Eric and I went in anyway to check it out. I got some bread for the kids, and Eric got a few sandwiches.
Continuing on, we saw a series of small hamlets and villages with their signature village fountains. We were pressing on in order to arrive in Olby when the store opened, but we were ahead of schedule.
We stopped for lunch just after a village, and ate while the cows watched us. I went back to throw away trash and filter water and when I returned all but Alex and left.
We walked on to catch up to our group. I was glad that the easy path was good for Lisa’s rolling backpack though we weren’t seeing anything too interesting.
Our arrival in Olby was well-timed. The convenience store had just opened back up for the afternoon. We bought lots of things, and the kind woken running the store let us charge Alex’s phone. The children played a version of “Red Light, Green Light” called “1, 2, 3, Soleil”.
After out long break, we hiked on to finish our day strong. I had noticed that the sole of my shoes were super thin, and I could feel every pebble. I hoped they would hold out for the remainder of the hike.
My goal was to find a good spot to camp before arriving in Mazayes. Unfortunately all the land along the path was private property. We walked into Mazayes, and Lisa and Alex found us a spot behind the local elementary school.
It wasn’t my favorite spot, being so piblic, but it was the right time to stop hiking. We cooked dinner and noted that it was getting quite cold. Separating to our tents, we huddled in our sleeping bags for warmth, hoping to sleep through the night.
