Got up
at 7:00. Section I will walk today was flat and easy to the next hut, and got
myself ready slowly. Just like yesterday, it was gusty, drizzling and
unpleasant weather today. The only difference was a soft beam of sunlight
breaking through the clouds, and had a unique experience walking towards the
rainbow for nearly 5 hours.
Was physically easy, but gradually felt dead walking
in a flat and monotonous valley... maybe because I have walked in the area with
grand spectacles from one corner to the other every single day for the past 2
weeks.
All at once, a spot of the hill covered by rowan (an introduced species)
in red turned up. Had a funny sensation coming back to the autumn from the
wintery scenery at the pass yesterday. At the point about 5km to the Anne Hut,
the track merged with the famous St James Walkway and got the variety of
terrain back on the track.
Arrived at the hut at 15:15. A new big hut with 20
bunks rebuilt after having burnt down by an accidental fire 8 years ago. It was
Sat but there was no one else in the hut. Had a night alone 3 days in row. Worried about right ankle getting sore in addition to the left, probably
because having used the same muscles walking on a flat track? Went to bed
22:30. Walked 6 hours, 27km.
7:00起床。今日は次の山小屋まで平坦な道のりなので、ゆっくり支度しのんびり歩き出す。天気は昨日同様、風が強く小雨が降り続きパッとしないが、雲の間から薄日がずっとさしていて、5時間近くも正面に虹を眺め続けながら歩く、という珍しい体験をした。
しかし、コース自体は起伏のない単調な谷底歩きで体力的には楽だが、変化に乏しく途中から苦痛になってきた。過去2週間が毎日変化に富み、ハイライトの連続だったので余計そう感じたのかもしれない。そこへ一箇所だけ、急に山肌が真っ赤に雇用した外来種のナナカマドに覆われた場所が見えてきた。昨日の峠での真冬のような光景から、一気に秋に季節が逆戻りしたような感覚を味わった。
宿泊予定のアン小屋の5km手前から有名なセント・ジェームズ・ウォークウェイに合流し、多少は高洲に変化が出てきところで15:15に山小屋着。ベッド数20の大きな小屋で、確か8年ほど前に失火が原因で焼失し、建て直されたばかりの新しい建物。しかし土曜日だというのに誰もおらず、3日連続一人の夜を過ごす。ずっと平坦で足の同じ箇所ばかり使うせいか、左に加え右の足首まで痛み出してきて少し不安を覚える。22:30就寝。本日の歩行6時間、27km。
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