GR10 - Tripped Up and Down

On Friday, July, 2 I set out from the beach in Hendaye to start my hike across the Pyrenees. I started the day with James as the GR10 and HRP would be the same route for most of the day. The Skies were overcast but the temperature mild. It was actually pretty good walking weather minus some views. My pack felt heavy but nothing more than I can handle. It felt really good to be back on a long hike.

The GR10 doesn’t mess around when it comes to climbing and my legs were feeling as good and strong as ever. I was imagining how strong I’d be feeling after 6 weeks. It was going to be a great journey and I was totally up to it. I was still dealing with some residual after affects of my recent cold but it didn’t seem to be slowing me down.

The day was going well all day. I said goodbye to James at Col d’ Ibardin but since the HRP criss crosses the GR10 and we were on the same time frame I figured we would meet again. My destination for the night was a place called Olhette where there’s a Gite (Hut) that I planned to camp at. With 10 minutes of walking to go everything was going just fine until I mysteriously stumbled, tripped, and began to fall forward.

I didn’t have time to get my hands out in front of me and slammed hard into the rocky ground face first. I hit hard. I got up quickly and my adrenalin was really pumping. My face was dusty and bloody but I immediately and calmly washed with clean water from my water bottle. I didn’t feel like anything was broken but was concerned I might have a concussion. The good thing is I was thinking clearly and keeping calm even though the adrenalin was really going.

While I was sorting myself out to get out a local mountain running type showed up. He took one look at me and said, “Hospital”. He had a cell phone and although didn’t speak any English made it clear he would help me. It was about a 10 minute walk to his car where we waited another 15 minutes or so. I began to feel a little strange but I think it was just the adrenalin wearing off. It was good to have somebody watching after me though. Emt’s arrived and again no one spoke any English but they did understand Spanish. I was able to communicate a little with Spanish. They took my vital signs and said my blood pressure was very good.

I was taken to the hospital in St Jean du Loc. The EMT’s said goodbye and I was handed over to a very nice staff. The hospital was very quiet and remarkably peaceful. Probably about as pleasant as a hospital can be. Some English was spoken there and I felt communication was adequate. Everyone was very nice.

I wasn’t too thrilled about the 3 X-rays but what to do? Although the hospital was perfectly fine I’d question just how state of the art the equipment is. My wounds were cleaned and I received stitches above and below my right eye. I wasn’t exhibiting any symptoms of a concussion which was good and the X-rays were fine. In the end I was given a prescription for a 6 day round of antibiotics and told to rest for a few days and to return if I had any nausea etc.

The nurse found me a good economical hotel to stay at and ordered up a taxi. On the way to the Hotel the Taxi driver told me I would be very tired for a couple of days after such an accident. He also recommended I just rest for a couple of days. Yesterday is when I fell and today I’m now absolutely exhausted.

Needless to say this accident has been very disappointing but could have been a heck of a lot worse. I have literally hiked thousands of miles with a pack on my back so I guess sooner or later something like this is going to happen. For now hiking is really out of the question for a good week or so until I get the stitches removed and am off the antibiotics. I’ve been on the road now for 2 weeks and must say it’s been a bit of a roller coaster ride. This trip continues to have a much different tone from recent past adventures. It’s causing me to step back and wonder if I really should be traveling right now. If I’m not hiking and camping then Europe turns out to be excessively expensive for the amount of time I intend to be gone. However, experience has taught me to not rush into decisions when you’re not feeling well, are emotional etc. There’s a good chance I’ll cut this trip short but I intend to keep on keeping on for a while longer at least…… The plan is to see how it goes.

There’s not much likelihood of me returning the GR10 in a week or so. I’m kind of feeling like it’s just not meant to be for now.