Lourdes (France) | Pic du Jer (Jer Peak) - Day - 53

This photo of Lourdes, France, is from the top of Pic du Jer. If you follow the ridgeline down from the top left of the image, where it intersects, Lourdes is the location of Disneyland. From there, if you look down and to the left slightly, you will see a  green linear island in the middle of town. This is the Lourdes Museum. My hotel is on this side of the green island.

So how is my rehab coming along? It's been about 2 1/2 weeks since I provided an update. Almost 5 weeks ago, I had to shift gears on my Ireland trip and abandon the International Appalachian Trail, all because I tried to be a rabbit instead of a slug. I rushed through what should have been an easy day and paid for it. My rehab is going quite well. Every day I inch closer to my natural gait. In fact, I opened an app on my iPhone and noticed I now walk around 3 mph (4.8 kph). I feel like I could push it but have been cautious about overdoing it. Zig zagging through downhills has become second nature now. There isn't a downhill that I take for granted. It keeps my stride short and the angle decently shallow. However, it does add quite a few more steps, which I am happy to trade for peace of mind and good health.  

I am feeling well enough to try a backcountry hike today. My hiking app tells me several mountain bike trails double as hiking trails on Pic du Jer. The trailhead at Pic du Jer is located around 1 mile east of my hotel. Around noon, I grab a sandwich and walk toward the trailhead with my day pack. I brought with me an 18 L Cotopaxi Luzon pack. It has served me well, and it is the perfect size for home and on my travels. I use it for carrying groceries, an airport carry-on, and a daypack. Gemma called it my clown bag because no two pieces of fabric match. Pic du Jer is at an elevation of 3,150 (950 m), about 1,800 ft (550 m) elevation gain from town. Today, I am up to the challenge and believe this will be an excellent way to evaluate where I stand physically.

Le Funiculaire du Pic du Jer (Jer Peak Cable Car) is located at the trailhead. It takes passengers straight up the mountain. Fortunately, today is Sunday, and the funiculaire is closed, so the summit will be less crowded.

On the backside of the station, you can see the railway. I am going to drop some knowledge about the Funiculaire, so you have been warned. It was built in 1900. It climbs 473 m (1,550 ft) over 1,100 m (3,600 ft) and does the climb in 15 minutes. The maximum grade is 56% (30 deg slope).

The trail wastes no time and begins to climb immediately. 

It has been a while since I've hiked in muggy weather like this. I stop a few times early on, not to catch my breath but to wipe the sweat pouring down my face. 

My body responds well. After a few short stops, my body adapts to the pouring sweat, and the trek up the mountain becomes second nature. I don't need to stop again as I continue the ascent to the top. I reach the upper station in about an hour, which is 4X longer than it takes the Finiculaire. My quick-drying shirt is soaked; fortunately, it is breezy, and there is lots of shade. There are only a handful of people here today; it feels great! 

As I sit overlooking the valley, I notice a flock of Bearded Buzzards riding the thermals below me. Considerably larger and more colorful than the North American Turkey Vulture, these magnificent birds are doing much better in the Pyrérées than in other parts of its range. The Bearded Buzzard has a 2.5 m  (8 ft) wingspan as opposed to 1.8 m (6 ft) for the Turkey Vulture. If you click on the link above and watch the scrolling photos just below status, you can view how magnificent and colorful these birds are. Below is one of the individuals in flight.

Pic du Jer and Lourdes hosted the Mountain Bike World Cup in May this year. There is still evidence of the event near the summit and
on the trails.

In tight locations, the race sponsors added padding to the trees to protect both the rider and the tree. Notice the red cushions wrapped around the trees as the trail slaloms between the trees.

With the advent of e-Mountian Bikes, people can now do things they could never do. Like in this photo, the gentleman is towing his son up the hill so they can ride down one of the trails together. It is hard to see in the picture, but if you look closely, you can see a horizontal tether from the kid's handlebars to the seat post on the red bike. What a great way to spend the day with your son!

When I arrive back at the hotel, I am greeted by the owner. We begin to chat about where I've been. He mentions that I should visit Le Pont d'Espange (Spanish Bridge) near Cauterets and Le Cirque near Gavarnie, France. "C'est faisable pour quelqu'un qui marche bien comme vous, (It is doable for someone who walks well like you)," he says. I thank him for the compliment and smile as I acknowledge how far I have come since my injury. We discuss how to get there, and whether both sites could be done in one day. I think we spent 30 min or more discussing the sites, among other things.

So how is my French after 3 weeks? It is coming along well. In one-on-one situations, I can hold my own in a conversation. I still struggle with translating some words, but I try to read as much as possible to reignite that ability to think in French, so that translation becomes automatic. French is a tricky language, especially here in France. The French are soft-spoken, in addition, they speak very fast. When you speak fast in French, you conjugate words and carry sounds across words. I call it swallowing words, because it can make it challenging to understand what people are saying. I find that in one-on-one situations, people slow down, and I can comprehend what they are saying much better.

I head down to the lobby in search of food at about 10 min to 8 pm. The owner and his family live on site at the hotel. There is an attached restaurant next door and a flat upstairs where he, his wife, and 6 year old twins live. He asks me if I would like some pizza. I tell him thank you for the offer but I am on my way to grab dinner. "Qu'est-ce que tu vas manger, Pizza ? (What are you going to eat, pizza?)," he says to me. Then he says, I offered you coffee, you passed, now pizza, and you decline again. I laugh and tell him I will graldly eat a piece of pizza. He brings out a whole pizza for me. He uses the pizza in the restaurant to cook for his family, no one else. I feel previlidged to be invited in. He tells me, he's taken his family to every pizza place in town (and there are many), but they all want to eat his pizza, which he says he doesn't always have time to prepare. 

I am starving and start eating the pizza. It is shrimp, chicken sausage, mozzarella, and basil. Not what I would have picked; however it is one of the best pizzas that I have ever eaten! I tell him how wonderful it is. He replies with "Je ne suis qu'un amateur (I am only an amateur)." Regardless it is fantastic! I manage to take a phot of the last piece. He tells me when the ingredients are good, the pizza will be good.