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“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” Robert Collier
Today’s hike was hot, long, and hard – especially for me.
Massimo, of course, remains completely unfazed by pretty much everything. A bomb could detonate directly in front of his feet and he’d just step over the hole and then remind me we have 13 more kilometers to walk.
“Andiamo, Emily.” (Let’s go.)
We covered 16.64 miles (26.78 km), climbing steep hills only to descend them again, crossing barren, earth-cracked fields with the scorching sun beating down on our backs as sweat pooled between our shirts and backpacks. Some stretches seemed to go on (and on) forever, with nothing but open fields, rolling hills, and the increasingly desperate question, Are we there yet?
Or as Massimo taught me to say in Italian, Siamo arrivati?
We barely made it across a few unstable, rickety makeshift bridges that required equal parts balance, faith, and a conscious decision not to look too closely at what was actually holding them together.
One bridge in particular was less “bridge” and more “a collection of questionable wooden objects extended across two huge concrete pipes that had somehow convinced everyone they were infrastructure.”
Side bar: I did message the VT trail officials to let them know about the specific bridge mentioned above to avoid any future incidents or injuries. They responded that maintenance would work on it. 🤞Yeah. So, fingers crossed.
We encountered cows, sheep, and, unfortunately, some very angry and aggressive guard dogs in our path who seemed to take their jobs extremely seriously.
Alfie was not in this pack.
There were several moments when I had to remind myself to be fearless – or at least to look fearless until the female shepherd (you go, girl!) came to our rescue.
By the time we finally finished the hike, I was exhausted – completely out of gas.
There were plenty of moments when I wanted to give up. The heat, the hills, the distance – it all felt like a lot.
And yet, somehow, my feet kept moving. Because if a long-distance hike in the middle of nowhere is going to teach you anything, it’s that the only way out is through.
Thanks for the reminder.
You don’t always have to feel strong. Sometimes you just have to keep moving, even when your body is suggesting that sitting down permanently might be a perfectly reasonable alternative.
Today’s road tested my discipline and perseverance – and will to live – in ways I didn’t particularly appreciate at the time. But with every difficult kilometer, I was one step closer to my goal.
What is my goal you ask? Simple pleasures:
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An ice-cold Coca-Cola
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1,000mg of aspirin
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A warm, then cold shower
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A mattress that is not on the floor
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Oh, and a much needed day off tomorrow
Massimo Has a Busy Social Calendar
The highlight of the day (especially for me, because I got to take a break without begging Massimo to stop) was when Massimo’s friends FaceTimed him on the trail.
Eight of them were riding in two cars – a caravan of Italians – on the way to hike in the mountains.
Nothing says true friendship quite like a nine-person conference call involving people hiking through the Romanian wilderness and people driving across Italy to stay close and connected.
Massimo was clearly thrilled to see them. He loves these guys, he talks about them all the time. ♥️ It’s a bromance.
They are reading my blog, by the way.
Hi, guys. 😘
I briefly met this band of misfits at a restaurant last year when they hiked with Massimo for a week on the Via Francigena in Italy.
Every year, this crew spends a week hiking together – “like real men.” It’s adorable.
This year’s “guys’ trip” is in the Italian Alps near the French border, not too far from Monaco.
I added the Monaco part because it makes it sound much fancier and more continental.
“Oh, you know, his friends are hiking in the Alps near Monaco” – it just sounds more sophisticated.
Unfortunately, he missed this wild week of fun with his friends because he made the terrible decision to join me on the “Hike from Hell” where he isn’t just hiking. He is also serving as:
Concierge.
Laundry man.
Navigator.
Problem solver.
Personal assistant.
Sandwich maker.
Emotional-support human. – I’ve cried twice so far on this trip.
And, occasional nurse. – In addition to performing surgery on my blisters, he actually held my hair out of my face while I vomited into a trash can while suffering from food poisoning.
He has had a front row seat for all of my worst moments on this trip.
I think we can all agree that he probably would have had more fun with his friends.
They are not nearly as high-maintenance or whiny as yours truly. And I bet they make their own sandwiches and wash their own undies.
Important Trail Intelligence
We crossed paths with a Romanian cyclist riding the VT who shared an important piece of intel.
Like, really, really important intel.
We typically only read one day ahead in the guidebook – because we are adventurous explorers and like to throw caution to the wind, or we’re just stupid – but our new friend Mihai – sent by the hiking Gods because at this point we are so pathetic, they pity us – told us about two upcoming stages that require some serious advance planning and communication with the owner of the only accommodation in the area.
That’s right folks.
You get a door prize, because you guessed correctly…
We have another “rustic experience,” in our near future.
I have already started emotionally preparing myself. – Dear God, it’s me, Emily.
Massimo, naturally, has already begun his research and contacted the owner.
The man is always on his game.
Me?
I’m just hoping the words “bed,” “shower,” and “toilet” appear somewhere in the conversation.
More to come on this new adventure.
And by “adventure,” I mean “something I will probably complain about extensively before eventually laughing about it.”
At 4:33 pm, (I know this because I checked the timestamp on the following photo) we finally made it to Caransebeş, our final destination and the place where we’ll be taking a day off to rest. Hooray! 🎉
Even Massimo is getting a smidge tired.
We were walking on the road into the city center when I had a hilarious encounter with a local.
Massimo was a fair distance ahead of me, and we were still about a 15-minute walk from our hotel.
I was beat.
Every step felt like I was moving two tons of stone with each foot.
I’m sure I looked fantastic.
That’s when a woman with dark hair, probably around 40 years old, pulled up beside me in a little white hatchback and yelled something at me in Romanian.
I was so disoriented and confused from the heat and exhaustion that, for a brief moment, I wasn’t entirely sure what country I was in.
The sun was blinding me.
My brain was barely functioning.
My legs were following behind the rest of my body like a lost puppy.
I looked over at her and replied in a slooooow question-like tone, “Hellllloooo?”
She immediately switched to English.
“Where are you going? Do you need a ride?”
I didn’t know which question to answer first.
The honest answer to question #2 was, “Of course I want a ride! My new favorite hobby is riding in cars with strangers,” but instead I blurted out, “Uhhh, my hotel.?..?.” like some stoned teenager.
Again, she responded as if to ask me if I was homeless, or had a forwarding address (which I do by the way!)…
“What exactly are you doing?”
“Uhhh, hiking the Via Transilvanica…?.?.”
She looked at me again.
She paused to process.
Then:
“Alone?”
Not “alone?” as in concern. More like: “Alone? As in, are you an idiot?”
“No,” I said. “My partner is up there.”
I pointed toward Massimo, who was getting farther and farther away while I conducted this increasingly strange and pointless roadside interview.
“Oh, okay!”
She tooted her horn as she drove away, which finally caught Massimo’s attention.
He stopped and looked back at me.
“What was that all about?”
“Oh nothing…she thought I was homeless and offered me a sandwich.”
“Really?”
“No, I’m kidding, there was no sandwich.”
Questioning what I must have looked like to make someone actually stop the car to ask questions, I opened the reverse camera on my phone and snapped a photo to examine.
Holy shit.
No wonder she probably thought I was homeless.
I was a mess.
My face was grimacing in a squint that screamed, I am approximately three minutes away from collapsing onto the pavement.
My hair was flying in every possible direction.
My face, neck and arms were sunburned.
One sleeve was up.
One sleeve was down.
And my eyebrows had become almost transparent from so much sun exposure.
I looked less like a cute, adventurous long-distance wanna be hiker and more like someone who had recently escaped from a very slow-moving natural disaster.
Now, the woman’s concern made perfect sense.
If I had seen me wandering down the road looking like that, I probably would have pulled over too.
I might even have offered me money.
Or a cigarette.
Possibly both.
We – and by “we”, I mean I – are definitely taking a day off tomorrow.
I think we’ve – I’ve – earned it.
Much love & gratitude. Namaste 🙏
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Banana man.
