Kilometres walked: 29km / Total distance: 782km / Elevation gain: 965m / Elevation loss: 930m / Time walked: 6h26min
Today is a filler day. After the excitement of seeing the Mediterranean -my destination- for the first time yesterday, today is just a bit bland. Fine for covering distance, but nothing really special. The first section after town (Maçenet de Cabrenys) is quite nice with a rocky trail through the cork forest, but later in the day it’s a lot of walking on crushed stone track and asphalt.
What breaks up the monotony is my ravenous hunger. I’m trying to slowly empty my food bag so breakfast was a weird combination of leftovers: half an avocado, some dried sausage and a few spoonfuls of peanutbutter. High in fat, low in carbs, and apparently that’s not the best foundation for a day’s walking because throughout the morning my stomach is grumbling. In the first town I pass I order a coffee, a bocadillo, and buy a pack of chocolate cookies. That’s better.
In the second town (La Jonquera), a sad affair of highways and mega supermarkets and parking lots I sit down in a bar and order a plate of meatballs in sauce with potato chips. Before I know it I’m stuck in a town vortex and wander around the (huge!) supermarket for an hour, weighing options and figuring out my food for the last couple of days. As usual I end up buying way too much, which I then drag up the climb to a picnic area about an hour out of town where I plan to camp.
Once there I meet the two Dutch women I met at the camping yesterday. They’re section hiking the GR11 and we have dinner together. I decide not to pitch my tent but to sleep under a roof in the picnic area. It’s hot, my sleeping bag is too much, and I between the heat and the lights of the town below I have a restless night’s sleep.