Update July 21: Jenny has returned home, and I am stunned by the damage to her legs. The dog bites are much worse than I imagined, and much worse than that shone on the photos she sent me. I can't imagine hiking with those wounds; and if I would have known how bad they were, I would have recommended she return home three weeks ago. She is a real trouper for carrying on. She wanted to complete the whole trail, but with the advent of the second dog bite, she lost her will to continue and I don't blame her.
She will post some photos of her hike, here, but needless to say: we don't recommend that trail.
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Update July 16: Jenny was once again attacked by dogs while hiking in the high country. She was approaching a shepherds hut wanting water (according to the sign which said water available), when without warming four dogs charged. One dog bit her leg and fortunately the others kept away. The owner of the sheep dogs resided in the hut, and was standing right there but did nothing. Jenny said there was no time to pick up rocks to defend herself.
Jenny made her way to the nearest road, and walked far down into the village of Lescun. She needed medical assistance but the day was late and nothing was open. The hotels were booked, but finally she found a room in a hostel, where two women caretakers just happened to be "first-aid trained." The nurses were super nice, and treated Jenny's wounds and gave her a nice dinner. They said one of the old wounds was infected, and she should go to the nearest hospital right away.
July 17: The next morning one of the nurses drove Jenny to the hospital (one hour's dive north) where the doctor deadened the area, drained the infection, and prescribed another round of antibiotics (different kind than the first round). From the pharmacy she took a bus to the train station, and arrived at Toulouse in the late afternoon.
Jenny says she's finished hiking in the Pyrenees. Super disappointing! But she no longer feels safe on these trails, so she is arranging her flight home.
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Update July 13: Jenny is doing great, hiking all day, and camping at night. she had some setbacks at the start, problems with the strong antibiotics affecting her strength and energy, but punched though that, and went back to her normal hiking routine, and is now cranking out the miles. She says the GR10 is tougher than she imagined, with lots of steep ups and downs. But the scenery is spectacular and the villages along the way are quite interesting.
Update July 5: Jenny's doing fine, convalescing in a nice hotel in southern France. The hospital is just across the street, and a nurse comes to the hotel every day and changes her dressings - to help insure that the wounds don't get infected. She can walk again, but still has some pain in the right leg, where the bites were deepest. And the back of the right leg is totally black and blue. Man, that one dog hit her hard! She's anxious to get back on the trail, but it will be three or four days yet. And the next section is the hardest of the whole trail.
The hospital bill was only $55.
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Jenny is thru-hiking the French attacked by two vicious , from the Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean - five weeks of hiking every day and camping every night with Ray-Way gear. She vetoed the idea of taking my satellite-tracker - to save weight - so our website visitors won't be able to follow along. She prepared for months, and her baseline pack-weight is 11 pounds. It sounds like a fun trip! The choice of route was my idea to begin with, and I wish I was going with her; but she would leave me in the dust. I hike three miles almost every day, but she trains much harder. And anyway, she decided to go solo for the added challenge and freedom.
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A few days into her thru-hike in french Pyrenees, Jenny was attacked by two vicious dogs and sent to the hospital.
She was hiking the decidedly popular GR-10 trail - in plain daylight - with other hikers ahead and behind - when without warning the dogs attacked. People peeled-off the dogs, and - bleeding badly from both legs, below the knees, she was given a ride (by the owners of the dogs) to the next town, 7 km away. At the visitors center, she was put on an ambulance and transferred to the nearest hospital.
The hospital nurses attended to her wounds, and the Doctor found seven deep puncture bites, and also he stitched-up the severed skin - saying there was no damage to the underlying tendons, fortunately. And knowing that Jenny was a thru-hiker, the Doctor strictly advised staying off her feet. No hiking, or even walking, for the next several days.
She is alright, thank heavens, but really disappointed. This was a big dent in her plans. But knowing Jenny, she will not give up, but continue with the GR-10 as soon as she is able.
The staff at the visitors center were extremely concerned. This should not happen, especially to tourists hikers. They notified the police, who will try to find the dogs- so that they don't bite someone else.
PS: The people who own the dogs live in a small mobile home, parked semi-permanently just forty feet from the trail, according to Jenny. She has her theories of why the dogs attacked her rather than someone else. An elderly woman, hiking solo, without trekking poles which might be used to defend herself. The dogs chose the most vulnerable person.
In contrast, on the ambulance ride to the hospital the EMT who was attending Jenny, after taking her vitals, said she is healthy and remarkably fit.
