Mountain sheep in the fog

On our first day of real walking we left Orisson at around 9 am for the long uphill slog over the Pyrenees and down to Roncesvalles. About two hours in and by now enveloped in thick clouds, walking completely alone , we noticed a large herd of sheep and rams grazing on the steep slope above us. Suddenly a white van pulled up and stopped near us, the door opened and a black & white dog jumped out and bounded up the hill. A Basque shepherd got out carrying a staff, which he proceded to tap sharply on the ground, instructing his dog where to drive the herd. Off they went down the mountain,  the black & white dog scurrying hither and yon. The shepherd jumped back in the car, drove off after the vanishing herd and the silence of the white cloud fog enveloped us again. It was a magical moment and one of our "sparkles" for the day.
After finally crossing the border into Spain the trail veered off uphill again and became a rough rocky path. It was difficult hiking and we were tired after carrying our 16 pound packs for some 4 hours. On and on we went, taking each section as it came, one step at a time. Finally we topped the 1450 meter Col de Lepoedard and still in fog, headed down a really rough trail. Oh boy, if this was what to expect, we were in trouble!  But we shortly came upon a small county road and followed it down switchback after curve to the bottom some 500 meters where we were a mile from the ancient and fabled monestary of Roncesvalles.
But that mile was almost a mile too far for me and it was slow and hard; we hobbled to the gate and entered to place where we would spend our first night on the road. After presenting our pilgrims credentials for stamping with the sellos of the monestary,  paying 10 Euros and storing our boots in a big room with those of several hundred other pilgrims, we carried our packs up to our third floor dormitory cubicle, showered and collapsed for a short nap. After a menu de perigrinos diner we were in bed for good at 9.
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