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25 September 2026 - Saint-Jean-le-Froid

Slept with my balcony door open listening to the waterfall below the bridge all night. But at some point in the night I awoke to a coughing fit, so this morning I took a pill against coughing. Hotels have a way of making mornings slower, especially when I can enjoy a coffee on the balcony as the sun comes up. And then I did some yoga. Before leaving town I stopped a boulangerie to get a croissant and my reserve sandwich for the day.

Leaving Cahors, one crosses the Lot on the 14th century Pont Valentré. And then there are the steps carved into the sheer cliff of limestone on the other side. I stared at the signs for a couple minutes trying to determine if this was some mistake. Clearly it was a mistake, but nevertheless this had been decided as the proper path. So up I went with my 50 pound pack like a Hobbit heading into Morder. I reaaly hoped there wasn't a spider at the top. Sometimes on my hands and feet climbing; always feeling like the bushes overgrowing the steps were about to knock me off. The anxiety and adrenaline of that climb, though it wasn't even a half hour, would take the whole morning to overcome. At least I was on high alert walking down the road after that.

In Labastides-Marnhac I stopped at a café to work for the last afternoon of this trip. Their plat du jour was a perfectly southern slice of ham served with peas. Grandma might have served it. Just fabulous, this French cuisine. After that it was a slow downhill for many kilometers. I stopped at a picnic area in Cézac to refill my water and rest a bit. Then it was on between the rock walls with their cabanes to the town of Lascabanes, where a gîte had a store open. I bought a bottle of wine for the evening and said a last hello to Martin, who was staying there and enjoying dinner. The owners recommended a chapel a few kilometers up the hill as a place to camp. And gave me a free bag of chips while complimenting my French. Be the culture you want to see.

It was a climb up the hill to the Chapelle Saint-Jean-le-Froid. Fortunately it was not to be a cold night though. William and Nicholas were already there with two women who intended to sleep inside the chapel rather than in tents, Victoria and Maïlys. Eating my sandwich with William and Nicholas I learned that they had been boyscouts, and shared our scouting experiences and I shared the scouting experiences of my kids. They shared their white wine and I shared my red. William was convinced that he could sleep in the open without a tent, which I have also done but comes with risks. And there was a dry toilet there and a water spigot to brush my teeth and wash my feet. So nice. Today was the only day on my journey where I did not complete a segment, but I still walked 26 kilometers and am in a good position to finish in two days so I think that's okay.

My, William's & Nicholas' setup for night