From 24 to 29 June 2022 a group of 25 people have once again made the journey from Pallerols de Rialb to Andorra in 5 days. One of the participants, Pau Piqué Ayala, explains it to us.

"This year, in the 14th edition of the Crossing the Pyrenees, two youth clubs from Opus Dei, one from Lleida (Raier) and one from Málaga (Maestranza) have set out, once again, to follow in the footsteps of Saint Josemaría and to cross the Pyrenees, from Pallerols to Andorra, thus mirroring the hard expedition that the saint had to undertake under frightening circumstances.

On the 85th anniversary of the search for freedom of St. Josemaría and his companions, both clubs -forming a total of 25 people- have traveled in a period of 5 days and 5 nights a distance of 85 km, which has a drop accumulated from an overwhelming 4,000 positive meters. Some of the participants in this traditional walk repeated for the second or even the third time. In the first days we were guided by Toni Cucurull, a local man who knew the crossing as the palm of his hand.

It all started on the evening of June 24, in Pallerols. Ramon Camats gave us a guided tour of the Church of St. Esteve, on St. Josemaría spends the night from November 21st to 22nd and where he met the mythical Rosa de Pallerols in the morning. Later, we slept with sleeping bags in the rectory.

The next day, June 25, we went down to Peramola, where we began the 14th edition of the Pas dels Pirineus. First, we passed by the Roca del Corb, then Fr Lluís Pons celebrated Mass in the ravine of La Ribalera and finally we climbed the mountain of Aubenç, where we camped that night on an esplanade with tents.

The plan for the day was to get up early -around 6-7 in the morning, when it was still cool- and have breakfast in the vans. On June 26 (Feast of St. Josemaría) we picked up the tents and set out to continue the descent from Aubenç to Can Fenollet, where Rosa cooked us some exquisite macaroni with a succulent Catalan dessert cream that went to leave the people of Malaga questioning their own gastronomy. That afternoon we returned to civilization, celebrating Fr Lluís the Mass in Organyà; and at night we camped at Camping Gran Sol, with a dinner where all the participants ate the best.

The next day, June 27, we climbed Mount Ares and celebrated Mass in the church of Noves de Segre, a small but beautiful village. That night we went back to sleep at Camping Gran Sol, and the next day, June 28, we climbed the Collada de la Torre with considerable speed. After playing a football match on the esplanade (Raier's victory, of course), we had a barbecue with the assistance of Paco Penella, who allowed that night, at an altitude of 1,800 meters, we could sleep very good. The new guide, Joan Carles Pujol, replaced the mountaineer Toni Cucurull, and on June 29 we will overcome the complicated passage of the Cabra Morta (Dead Goat). Finally, after a morning of ascents and descents, we were able to finish the Pas dels Pirineus, arriving in Sant Julià de Lòria, Andorra, around three in the afternoon.

It has been a few days that -despite the difficulty of the route- the joyful and affable atmosphere of coexistence has not diminished at any time, even in the most difficult moments of the journey; a few days of debates, songs, virolais, heat, cold, nectarines… but above all, a few days to remember the legendary journey that St. Josemaría and those who accompanied him made, 85 years ago, in search of the freedom.

And now, towards the 15th edition! "