Try as we might, we just couldn’t find peace last night. The alarm went off at 7:45 and Pam did the most unusual thing I have ever seen her do–she got up without a snooze. Clearly, she is still disoriented from Tobias’ revelation yesterday.
We went down for our breakfast buffet in which we were the only attendees. Pam quickly became herself once again, as she stuffed her pockets and underwear full of items (I don’t know if I’ll want any butter knowing where it was stuffed). She made me act as lookout while she looted the tea box. I cautioned her that we were the only two people present and if we drank 150 tea bags, it might look suspicious. She slapped me so I just sat at the table and wept while she continued her spree.
After breakfast, we acted as Martin’s mule and took a sweater to the local tobac store where we were given a plain wrapped brown package to carry to Banyuls. On Saturday, when Martin and Tobias had gotten to the Mines Gite before us, they had agreed to carry the sweater down to town but because of their shameful exit yesterday afternoon, we were held responsible for completing the transaction for them.
Next mission was grocery shopping (even though we have enough butter and tea to live on for the next month). The first thing Pam looks for whenever we go into a store is peanut butter. I heard a terrible racket from aisle 2 (it was actually just Pam singing, but anyone that has heard her sing knows what I’m talking about). Pam had found peanut butter. Not only that, directly behind her were tortilla wraps. I couldn’t get her to help with any other shopping. She kept picking all the peanut butter jars off the shelf and putting them in the basket. I finally got her to go outside while I paid. I restocked the shelf and only took one jar. If I come up missing, everyone should be aware of the motive.
We went back to the hotel. We had been told before we left to go shopping that the hotel was closed on Monday, so we could take as long as we wanted to get out. I chose to take a long hot bath and cry in the tub (hoping the steam would hide my red eyes) while Pam packed. We managed to hit the trail at a respectable 10:30–respectable for us, anyway.
I know I promised to leave the dead guy out of this, but there were just too many mistakes today to ignore. Even in his own narrative, he contradicted himself. He shows an elevation profile where we have to climb over 900m (3000′) yet states we only climb 2/3 of that. Then, and this is the kicker, he states there is a gite and a refuge in a village where we have planned to stay (because of his info). When we got to the village, there is only one resident and she told us there hasn’t been a gite or refuge in town for over a decade.
We were frazzled. The trail, even with the extra gains, wouldn’t have been so bad except for one little thing–the MF flies! From the time we climbed out of the valley where Arles-sur-Tech was until we got into the valley where Montalba is, we were in a constant swarm of flies. We’re talking Alaska in the springtime black flies flying in every open orifice. I didn’t drink any water today because I didn’t want to swallow a fly. Even Pam was swearing at them. I just walked as fast as I could in a daze. I spent my day as my true self–a beaten man with his head down, too tired to even throw a tantrum. Yes, I am a married man.
There are 3 things I won’t miss when we are done with this trail: 3) livestock on the trail, 2) livestock minefields on the trail, and 1) FLIES. Yea, though I walk through the valley of flies, I shall fear no poop as long as they torment me.
By the time we got to Montalba, we were tired, thirsty, and hungry. We hadn’t stopped to eat or drink because of the fly torment. I would gladly go to another St Francis Christmas party rather than go through that valley again. We just set up the tent in the parking lot and took a nap–it was only 4 but I was out of energy and still in Hasselhoff shock.
We got up at 6 to have supper on the steps of an abandoned building. While we were finishing up, a nice German couple came down from the mountain and offered us a loaf of bread (I guess we looked pretty pathetic; without even trying to this time). This simple act has restored our faith in Germany and it’s people. When I mentioned David Hasselhoff to her, she said “You have Trump, our dark times are in the past.” We will visit Germany when we are done hiking.
