[Gocamino] Starting at Saint Jean Pied de Port

[Tim]

Hi,
     For those of you who don't know me a quick word of introduction, I 
am a British National who has owned and run a B & B in St Jean Pied de 
Port for the last 6 years.  I'm familiar with the town and both routes 
from here to Roncevalles that's Route Napoleon and the road via 
Valcarlos.  The purpose of this mail it to clear up a few points made, I 
think, in June or July last year by someone who had been a hospitalier 
in one of the refuges on the Camino in Spain. The person writing was 
extremely critical of any decision to start from St Jean claiming that 
he had seen many injuries caused by attempting the route Napoleon in May 
of that year and also he believed some people had died attempting the 
crossing.
At the time I had no time to address these comments, either to 
investigate them for veracity or, in fact, to write.  Since then during 
the winter I have had that time and would like to make a few comments of 
my own.

The Route Napoleon is a paved road for all but the last four/five 
kilometres of the journey, but it is going up a mountain, it should not 
be attempted in times of heavy rain, for two reasons the first being the 
chance of slipping and the second being the lack of visibility if the 
cloud base covers the mountain.  Anyone using the route Napoleon 
especially in spring should, as a matter of course, be wearing adequate 
clothing, carrying walking poles and wearing proper walking boots not 
trainers or so called sport boots. Carrying a reflective Mylar blanket 
which weighs next to nothing is also a must.
You should not attempt the Route Napoleon if weather conditions look 
unfavourable, you can always go via Valcarlos, the best source of 
weather forecasts are the local pages of Meteo France 
<http://france.meteofrance.com/france/meteo?PREVISIONS_PORTLET.path=previsionsville%2F644850> 
and The Spanish National Weather Service 
<http://www.aemet.es/es/eltiempo/prediccion/municipios/orreaga-roncesvalles-id31211>  
Always take the advice of the locals, if they say 'don't go' then don't go.
Just to put it things into some sort of context, I wonder how many 
people were actually injured walking Route Napoleon last spring?  I can 
tell you that in April 4500 made the walk, 8,000 in May, 7,200 in June 
and 6,200 in July a total of 25,900 people.  By a simple application of 
common sense there were bound to be a few injuries.
As far a people dying on the route last year I can find no corroboration 
of that with the exception of a Frenchman who was over the age of 60.  
He walked the route one very hot day in late June, he collapsed and died 
of a heart attack while in a taxi back to St Jean.  There were two 
English walkers who got into trouble in May and had to be rescued, but 
they were not walking Route Napoleon, they were walking GR10 (the trans 
Pyreneean) a far more difficult walk.

That said there are some very good reasons for walking the route 
Napoleon, the first being that it is outstandingly beautiful, the second 
that many would say it is the true start to the Camino and to start from 
St Jean is truly important.  the third reason is St Jean Pied de Port 
itself which is a little gem, in my opinion, a truly magical beautiful 
place which is why I live here.

Sorry for being so verbose,
Regards
Tim