Back to the trail today and the forecast was for the hottest day yet - 29C ( ~84F) with humidity. When we arose the air already felt warm. I fetched lunch fare from the local patisserie and after breakfast we bid Nancy adieu via taxi to the town of Custines. It's a couple miles from Pompey where we had left off before and across the river - acceptable in my mind given the heat. The GR is easily found and heads straight up hill to the woods with good views looking back. You climb more once in the woods and then flatten out on a smooth gravel road where you can pace along in the shade with cooling breezes down the road. If fact you can move along so well that you can miss a right turn - which we did, finally discovering the error some ways down the road. The GPS helped us angle over to find the route without significant backtracking . But knowing this turn was there in advance somehow we still missed it.! We finally exited the forest along fields of wheat it the open hot sun. We bombed along downhill with views particularly of the next ridge with the village of Amance on its crest. We bottomed out in the village of Blanzey, Where the town watering hole was gushing cold non-potable water. We stopped and dunked to cool down and to attend Cieras blisters. I should have just sat in it!!!
The onwards down a bit more the route is brush covered and the horseflies were happy to see me. Then straight up a gravel/dirt road with scarce shade everyone wilted in the still heat. I saw tree movement on the ridge line and urging everyone along we crested to find strong wind and a pick-nick table in the sun with big views. The food came out as the shoes and socks came off. My socks dried before I finished my sandwich. Tammy & I both packed extra liters of water which we distributed to Ciera and Ethan. I later learned the real-feel temperature factoring in the humidity was 35C(~94F)! Fed and watered we moved out along the ridge into the scenic village as dark clouds gathered to the south. Finally we headed downhill along the road then turned along a farm road cutting through grain fields before finally entering the woods. We paused a few minutes to watch a farmer tow a device which bundles straw into the giant round bales we'd seen dotting the landscape. Along the road in the woods a huge forest machine emerged with a load of wood. At rained gently through the woods and we finally exited them and entered Brin sur Seille . After a brief rest we walked the last km to Bioncourt and our B&B for the night Clos de Pommes. Our wonderful hosts Marie-Paulie & Claude arrived as we did. This place was simply wonderful- an old building they had completely remodeled over years as a labor of love into the comfortable lodging we discovered. We cleaned up after a rest and drinks in the garden. The cool inside was so welcome from the heat. We had a wonderful home-made meal of Salmon with an incredible Bernaise that spoiled me for any future meal . We also sampled their home-made wines of walnut, dandelion, and mirabelle. Layer that evening we were grated to the best lightning storm I'd seen in a very long time with sheet lightning across the sky.
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