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“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” Nelson Mandela
17.07.26 – 14.09.26
We did it.
60 days and 1,400+ kilometers across Romania on the Via Transilvanica.
Pinch me. I still can’t believe it.
The day started just like so many others – with a hearty breakfast and our fun host, Mircea, at Pensiunea Happy.
Except this time, it was our last one.
There would be no more getting up, stuffing our belongings back into our backpacks, checking the weather, figuring out where we would eat and sleep, wondering what kind of terrain awaited us, or asking ourselves the daily question:
“How far is it today?”
We took off around 9 a.m., practically running down the road like we had jet fuel in our backpacks. We could not wait to get to the finish line.
We only stopped for one snack break.
One.
That should tell you everything you need to know.
We were in a hurry!
Out of the gate, a random man sitting outside took notice of Massimo and yelled, “Italiano?”
He then proceeded to walk and talk with Massimo as if Massimo were the mayor of the town and this man needed a building permit approved.
We had been warned by many hikers that the final section of the Via Transilvanica was “boring and ugly.”
They were not lying.
It was ugly.
And boring.
We walked across dry, cracked ground that clearly hadn’t seen rain in months. It looked like the earth had developed a severe case of dehydrated skin. The landscape would have made for a great visual in a body lotion advertisement.
We hiked between fields in the mountains that had recently been burned for farming purposes.
And, of course, we had a couple of dogs follow us for several kilometers.
No day on the VT is complete without accidentally acquiring a canine companion.
Along the way, a man stopped us in one of the villages and offered us a couple of energy sports drinks to give us a boost for our final walk into Drobeta.
He also gave us medicine to help heal our sore muscles once we arrived.
The Romanians proved to the very end that they are some of the most kind, generous, and welcoming people on the planet.
And, naturally, no day on the VT is complete without hiking across a rickety old bridge with missing pieces over a stream.
Because apparently the Universe still wants me to get over my dang fear of heights and grow up already.
I’m working on it.
Slowly.
Very, very slowly.
Once we made it into Drobeta, we had one important stop to make before visiting the final milestone.
A celebratory adult beverage.
We needed to commemorate the occasion, and soak up what we had just accomplished,
When you’re with an Italian, the drink must be an Aperol Spritz.
Obviously.
While walking the final kilometer of the entire hike, Massimo’s shoe decided to let us know that it, too, was tired of walking.
Volume up.
Just listen to this squeak.
When we arrived at our final destination, the last milestone, the park was closed. It is only closed on Mondays, the day we happen to arrive.
Just our luck.
As we stood there, staring and cursing at the closed gate, a female security guard popped her head around the corner through the gate.
Through Google Translate, we explained that we were hikers who had started the Via Transilvanica 60 days earlier and had just walked across the entire country. We only wanted to see the final milestone and take a few photos.
She opened the gate and greeted us warmly and pointed us to the last kilometer marker – number 1,400.
There it was.
Shining in the sunlight like the Holy Grail in the movie series, Indiana Jones.
And just like that…
We had finally arrived.
After the illness. The blisters. The cuts. The bruises. The broken sandals. The heat. The rain. The mud. The wrong turns. The sore muscles. The questionable bridges. The questionable bathrooms…and toilet paper. The questionable beds.
The days when we were exhausted. And the days when I wanted to quit more than I wanted to continue.
We had made it.
Of the seven long-distance hikes I’ve completed, this was by far the most challenging.
But somewhere along those 1,400+ kilometers, something changed.
This hike taught me that I am stronger and more disciplined than I sometimes believe I am.
That I can do very hard things if I put my mind to them.
That I’m not a quitter. That quitting is an option but it doesn’t have to be my option.
It taught me that progress doesn’t require feeling motivated every day but it does require making a conscious decision to keep going and I am solely responsible for this decision.
And most importantly, it gave me something I didn’t have 60 days ago: the belief that I can accomplish almost any goal if I stay patient, focused, and consistent.
That might be the greatest souvenir I’m taking home from Romania.
Thank you, Massimo.
I couldn’t have asked for a better hiking partner on this exhausting, challenging, occasionally ridiculous adventure.
We shared 1,400+ kilometers of roads, trails, mountains, mud, heat, rain, food, frustrations, laughs, tears, blisters, bad decisions, good decisions, and a ridiculous number of kilometers.
There were days when we were exhausted.
There were days when one of us – usually me, okay, always me – was cranky.
There were days when neither of us was particularly delightful. Rarely was it you.
And somehow, we kept showing up everyday and walking.
We make a pretty good team.
After celebrating at the milestone, it was time for one final piece of official business: the last stamp in our Via Transilvanica passport.
Once we had our stamp, we had one final bit of business to take care of before heading to the apartment to kick off our sandals, shower, start the washing machine, and collapse before dinner.
A couple of days earlier, Massimo and I had discussed what we would do with our bear spray and trekking poles since neither of us would be able to fly home with them.
The official Via Transilvanica Facebook page is an incredibly active and supportive community, so we decided to pay our gifted bear spray forward and give it to another hiker.
The trekking poles, however, were a little more expensive, so I figured I’d try to get some of my money back.
Many people wanted the bear spray, of course. Because who doesn’t love free bear spray?
But one gentleman contacted me because he wanted to buy the trekking poles for his son. So we agreed that if he paid the price I was asking for the sticks, I would give him the bear spray as well – even though he wasn’t the first person to respond.
Honestly, I just didn’t want to coordinate with two different people.
And that’s how Cristian ended up with our gear.
Cristian turned out to be a great guy who spoke Italian and English fluently.
A day before we met, he had even messaged me to say that if we needed a place to stay in Drobeta, he would be happy to host us at his apartment.
When his friends told him he was crazy for offering his guest room to two complete strangers, he apparently replied: “Eh, they hiked the entire VT. They can’t be that bad.”
Little does he know.
When we met, he also offered to host us for dinner. We truly appreciated the kindness, but after such a long journey, we were too exhausted to spend the evening socializing in someone’s home.
Our dream at that point was considerably less glamorous: shower, laundry, food, bed.
Thank you to the incredible organizers who created such an amazing trail. Thank you to all the wonderful Romanians who welcomed us into their homes, fed us, encouraged us, helped us when we needed it, and made us feel so welcome along the way.
And a special thank you to all of our fellow hikers who shared miles, stories, laughs, meals, and memories with us.
Romania gave us an adventure we’ll never forget. Thank you for the memories. 🇷🇴🥾🧡
Sincerely,
Massimo 🇮🇹 & Emily 🇺🇸
Much love & gratitude. Namaste 🙏
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It’s tradition to give your hiking partner a gift at the end. I actually gave Massimo a Kansas City Royals baseball hat at the beginning of the hike for his gift (nothing like paying upfront for the misery you are about to make someone endure) so I needed a little something for the end.
I bought a few VT stickers at the headquarters several weeks back. I specifically got one with the “Beware of bears after sunset” because whenever we saw this sign near the woods, he would give it the middle finger and say, “F@$& the bears.” 🐻😂
Thank God we never encountered a bear. His middle finger would have done us no good…and the bear would have probably eaten it anyway.
In exchange, Massimo surprised me with a t-shirt from a Refugio in the Italian Alps that he carried every step of the way in his backpack.
The Last Supper
Our celebration dinner was at one of the only places open at 8 pm on a Monday, and all they were serving from the menu was pizza and Italian beer and wine.
Not pork and potatoes.
Massimo was basically back in Italy already.
On our one day off in Drobeta, we ate chocolate fondue for breakfast – because why not consume a massive amount of calories and carbs after you no longer walk 35,000 steps a day?
We also walked around town and along the Danube waterfront to find the other milestone – the one shaped like a king’s crown.
It felt strange to walk without a backpack.
We also met several travelers on river cruises whose trips have been disrupted because the Danube’s water level is so low.
Tomorrow, we’ll take a bus to Craiova to catch our flight and officially say goodbye to Romania.
And then?
Back to real life. Whatever that means.
As the Grateful Dead sang…”What a long, strange trip it’s been.”
