Day 1 Nogaro Monday 18th August 2008

Its hard to believe that a year has transpired since I was here in Nogaro last year on my birthday. I returned to Australia, finalising my work mission there. Then my father fell gravely ill and passed away in January this year. I returned to Paris, battling administration problems, etc.

Le Chemin is an ideal experience to rid myself of such trauma and replenish my energy. It has become a yearly pilgrimage, which has unearthed some fundamental human truths and joy which I now treasure. Most of all, it has given me a sense of what community is about. The absolute need we have,more than ever before, to come together on shared purpose. To engage with people and explore within each, unique contributions to mission.

Nogaro itself however, does not inspire and to my reckoning is the least pleasant of all the towns along Le Chemin thus far from Le Puy en Velay. There is a lack of a welcoming spirit there and the town`s staging of the 500cc motorcyle Grand Prix is in stark contrast to the ethos of pilgrimage. The pilgrim`s gite is also unfortunately situated right next to the race track.

As its late in the day we decide not to spend the night there, but journey towards the first stage destination of Aire-sur-l`Adour. After one hour`s walk, we find a warm welcome in the hamlet of Claverie and rest at the Arblade-le-Haut. This pretty ranch style gite offers great amenities, the most important of which is the kitchen.

Making your own food is the most cost effective way to do Le Chemin and most gites have good kitchens. However it is worth checking out the kitchen and if it does not provide good cooking facilities, the option to take the `demi-pension`, which offers a reasonable priced dinner.

I have decided that the French (and Continental) breakfast is not good for a day of hiking. It is largely based on white bread,sugary spreads and coffee. No complex carbohydrates in sight and as a result your enery levels are severly depleted within a couple of hours of hiking. The fatigue this causes is an open door to injury.

For my purposes, I include proteins (eggs), ham, cereals (bread, where you can find it), muesli, yoghurt and fruit. I find this works best for me and of course, each person is different, based on metabolism.

It does feel good to be back on the trail, however having not been in the best shape, a decision is made to hike a couple of half days to build up condition, before the long days later in the week.