[Gocamino] Somport Pass to Puenta La Reina

[Donald Schell]

dear friends,

I've been invited to be chaplain to a group traveling with mini-bus  
support 2008, two weeks sampling the camino, opportunities to walk  
10k or so each day, completing with a final 100k walk to Santiago.

I'm looking for some recent experience of the route Somport Pass -  
Jaca - Puenta La Reina.  I have walked this section twice and St.  
Jean - Roncesvalles - Pamplona - Puenta La Reina once, and hope to  
get our coordinator on the ground in Spain - buses, schedule, hotels  
to consider Somport.  I really want our people to see the pass  
itself, Jaca, the Cathedral's museum of frescoes, and San Juan de La  
Penya.

The primary leader of our group, a U.S. Episcopal priest as I am, has  
led a number of bus pilgrimages to other sites in Europe, but this  
will be her first time building a pilgrim trip to include daily  
walking a pilgrim route.

We'll be staying in hotels, not refugios.  I know firsthand all the  
good reasons for walking without bus support, experiencing the  
fellowship in refugios, and so know what our group will be missing.   
My hope is that at least some members will be moved to return to  
Spain to walk a simpler pilgrimage, but for now, I'm looking for  
recent experience of Somport Pass and this alternate route.

Preferring Somport myself, I have two questions -

The Spanish coordinator says she's heard that there's massive road  
and tunnel work going on that would make Somport to Puenta La Reina  
difficult.

	- Anyone walk the route recently and what do we know of road work, etc?

She also hasn't had a group use that route for a dozen or more years  
and doesn't know the hotels.

	- Who knows of hotels on this section.  I'm looking for real  
recommendations as it will be a stretch for the coordinator.  We're  
expecting to be 24 people.  Maybe the more lightly traveled route  
would have difficulty accommodating us.

Thanks for any help anyone can offer!

love,
donald

Donald Schell
Rector, St. Gregory's Episcopal Church, San Francisco
author, My Father, My Daughter, Pilgrims on the Road to Santiago