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“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Winston Churchill
This morning, just as we were about to leave our accommodation, our lovely host, Maria, asked if she could take a photo with us. We were more than happy to oblige.
She has been absolutely wonderful, from the warm welcome when we arrived to going above and beyond to help us find a place to stay tonight.
We’re currently hiking through a stretch of the Via Transilvanica where accommodations are few and far between. To make matters even trickier, it’s vacation season in Romania, so nearly everything is booked – or the owners are on vacation.
After messaging several places without any luck, we mentioned our unfortunate situation to Maria.
She smiled and said, “I have a friend… also named Maria…who will take care of you.”
One phone call later and we had a reservation.
Whew.
Apparently the Marias of Romania (we’ve met at least three as guesthouse hosts) run a network dedicated to rescuing hikers.
What a relief.
As soon as we started the first climb of the day, yesterday’s doomsday thoughts came marching right back into my head.
Which was disappointing because I had high hopes for today.
According to the guidebook, this was supposed to be one of the easiest days so far: shorter distance, very little climbing, and a straightforward route.
The official description literally labeled it “Easy.”
It was in fact “not easy.”
Within the first thirty minutes, we checked the official app and realized we’d already wandered off the trail. 🙄 Not far enough to make a huge difference but it’s not an encouraging start.
And then it happened again.
And again.
And again.
The first half of today’s hike was barely marked. It was like a damn scavenger hunt to find the trail.
We’d finally spot a trail marker, confidently follow what looked like the obvious path, only to discover it eventually led to someone’s barn or tractor shed.
It was beyond frustrating. It became almost comical.
“Oh look…another trail marker!”
Five minutes later…
“Nope. Wrong path.”
And, as if playing “Find the Trail” wasn’t enough entertainment for one day, much of the route also took us through cow pastures.
That meant dodging actual cows and playing a strategic game of avoiding the countless cow bombs scattered across the field.
Just when you thought you’d successfully navigated one minefield, another one appeared.
And, of course, there were flies everywhere. Not the occasional annoying fly, I’m talking about the kind that buzz around your face, land on your arms and legs, and leave you wondering exactly where they’ve been for the last five minutes.
Let me tell you where they’ve been…sitting on cow poop. 🤢
Add in blistering temperatures, long stretches without shade, and enough sun exposure to roast a Thanksgiving turkey (I’m literally sunburnt from my head to my toes minus the bits in the middle covered by clothes), and you’ve got yourself a disaster of a day.
I’ll admit, today had me questioning my life choices…again.
Not in a deep, soul-searching kind of way. More in a, “I voluntarily signed up to walk across an entire country…why exactly?” kind of way.
The days have started to feel incredibly long. We hike for hours on end through the middle of nowhere, occasionally wondering if we’re actually on the trail or just exploring someone’s farmland. Then we check the map and realize we’ve barely made a dent in the overall route.
It’s oddly discouraging.
I haven’t felt this way on my other long-distance hikes. Maybe it’s because there were more towns and more people along the way. Maybe those trails had a little more energy and variety. Or maybe this section is simply testing my patience.
Who knows?
Maybe tomorrow will be amazing.
Maybe we’ll get lost four more times.
Honestly, either seems equally likely.
For now, I’m choosing not to overthink it. Every long hike has days that feel magical and days that make you wonder if you’ve completely lost your mind. Today happened to be one of the latter.
So we’ll keep trucking along and hope tomorrow remembers it’s supposed to be one of the fun days.
Of course, not all was terrible. There were little positive spots that popped up every now and again along the trail.
We met a kind Romanian man named Edward (he spoke perfect English) who is biking in the opposite direction from Drobeta-Turnu Severin to Putna.
Three years ago he road the traditional route in the opposite direction and loved it. Now it wants to see the scenery from another point of view.
About halfway through the day, we stumbled upon one of the sweetest trail angel stops we’ve seen.
Someone had created a shaded resting area beside their home specifically for Via Transilvanica hikers.
There was even a refrigerator stocked with cold drinks and an honesty box for payment.
After hours of baking in the sun, a cold drink has never tasted so good.
While we were taking a break, Catalin from Spain caught up with us.
It was great seeing him again after a few days apart.
He told us he’s writing a book as he walks and showed us pages of notes he’d written in his phone along the way.
I’m honestly amazed.
He’s writing a book and filming footage for a YouTube documentary while hiking.
Meanwhile, I can barely remember where we are going each day.
The trail angel family also had the funniest little pony roaming around the yard.
He had absolutely no concept of personal boundaries.
He wasn’t aggressive, just incredibly curious.
Team Sandals update: Our feet have become disgustingly dirty and dry during the walk.
Before the shower and foot scrub.
And after the shower and foot scrub.
Almost respectable.
Tonight we are staying at Cabana Canalul Morilor. The place Maria called for us this morning.
When we arrived, Maria welcomed us with fresh lemonade and slices of watermelon.
It was exactly what two exhausted and overheated hikers needed.
Maria, her husband, and their three children have poured their hearts into this place.
Since we’ve been here, her husband has been up on the roof working, painting boards, and constantly improving the property.
They built this accommodation specifically, and only to serve hikers on the Via Transilvanica, and it shows.
The rooms are spotless, the facilities are modern, the food is delicious, and the entire atmosphere feels warm, relaxed, and welcoming.
It’s one of those places that makes you want to stay an extra day.
To top it all off, Maria also helped us find accommodation for tomorrow night.
The next section has almost nothing available, so she called around until she found us a place in the following town.
Once again, Romanian hospitality saves the day.
This evening, Massimo encouraged me to be patient and slow down. And relax, like the Italians.
He had looked ahead in the guidebook and discovered that this particular stretch is considered one of the more challenging sections, not only because of the terrain, but because of the navigation and long distances between services.
The next sections should also be more interesting regarding historical stops.
According to the guidebook, things should improve from here…a little.
Here’s hoping.
For now, I’ll choose to trust the process… and maybe double-check the map a little more often. I’m exhausted from walking so many extra steps.
Fingers crossed 🤞
Much love & gratitude. Namaste 🙏
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Nothing seems to faze this guy.
While I was mentally reviewing every questionable life decision that led me here, Massimo was perfectly content relaxing with a post-hike cigarette like only an Italian can. 🇮🇹
Dolce far niente…the sweetness of doing nothing.
He’s mastered the art.
I’m still working on it.
Lost again but trying to laugh about it.
Life is about balance. If I’m going to be miserable and suffer while hiking 8 hours a day, I’m going to enjoy some old fashioned, unhealthy, but taste oh-so-good snacks on my breaks. Don’t judge me.
