I woke up tired and stiff especially the calves after the steep hills of the previous day. The stiffness yielded to stretching and with breakfast adjourned we walked back through town where we met Nick having a coffee by the restaurant. He had camped in town by the river and had gone for a swim in the morning. We gave him some blister supplies and he used a needle to pass a thread through one to keep it drained. We took photos of the town and finally headed out after a stop at the grocery. There we met the 4 Belgians we'd seen 2 days before. They were doing the GR in stages a week each year.
Up out of town the GR climbs a bit then traverses along the hillside - there are muddy patches which Nick slopped through. Seeing some clear water to clean off he strode into it and sunk to his knees in mud much to Tammy's glee. The water cleared a ways past letting Nick clean up. There was an interesting spot where the water ran over a prominence above and rained down the hillside densely carpeted in moss. There is a massive overgrown abandoned farmhouse where we paused and noticed the overgrown GR sign indicating a right turn downhill- easy to miss as there was well used trail straight on. The decent goes to the valley floor passing little cabins and a stream until finally crossing the river. Here young people in Kayaks were playing in the gentle current. No food here so up we went steep at first then very steep still on road - it would be frightening to drive this when wet. Tired at the top, lunch was called for but first there was a farm to pass with yapping dogs. Onto grassy farm lane then we still angled upward till a stop was called on the grassy road with great views of the valley. Nick sat right in the road while Tammy sat on the edge. I sat beside her - right onto an ant hill! So after a readjustment in position and a brush off we finally enjoyed a lunch of sausage, bread, cheese, fruit and chocolate. A young boy from the farm came and stopped seeming to look at his bike. But clearly he wanted to talk and with little prompting he was quick and detailed in answering our questions in a beautiful youthful voice - delightfully unforgettable. Jean-Charles indicated some days many walkers come by - one group of 17- some days none. He had a sister 22years older and went to school in St Hip. I gave him some chocolate which he seemed to enjoy.
Fueled if not refreshed we continued upwards crossing the ridge the descending into the next town of Courtefontaine. Past the old church at the bottom of the hill in town center is a huge covered public fountain / washing facility of historical significance. Sadly it's drained but the size was the largest we'd seen. The modern watering hole is next door- a bar where we sat down for coffee and beer as the 4 Belgians got up to leave.
We left ourselves at 14:20 and by map the day was only half done. The sky began to thicken as was forecast and sprinkles began as we worked our way sometimes very steeply up road and trail. Finally the rain was full on and I missing my umbrella - donned my clammy raincoat. We reached Fessevillers and found cover in the entryway of the town church. Nick wanted to rest while Tam and I opted to push on - up! In steady rain we walked through undulating landscape pausing at a church at a place called Urtiere. This old place was built on a cemetery for bubonic plague victims. There was an interesting spiral crucifix outside of some antiquity as well. Earlier in the day and in dry conditions I would have lingered and explored this place a bit. But frankly we were trashed by the exertion and rain. It was 18:00 and we had a long descent ahead. And it was long - quite steep but thankfully the rock mid trail wasn't slippery and there were only a couple muddy ruts to work around. We were passed a one point by a drenched woman on horseback. Still it was 19:00 when we arrived at the hotel in Goumois. In the door and approaching the desk a woman was on the phone - she had a call for us- Nick! He called to let us know he was staying at the last town in the Gite! Not having to wait for him we rapidly cleaned up and transformed into exhausted tourists and went to dinner. The hotel has food of the artistic type with small elegantly crafted portions. The was a lobster bisque for starters. The bread soft, warm and plentiful. Tammy had duck accompanied by a mousse made from forest mushrooms. I had John - Dory fish prepared as a small lasagne with creme d absinthe. Well...... :)
Local cheeses followed and sorbet finished the meal. I don't remember laying down I was so tired.
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