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“Not all those who wander are lost.” J.R.R. Tolkien
Although, in my case, apparently some of us are wandering and riding in taxis.
Massimo walked. Like a Champ.
I rode with Emil…the taxi driver. He was wearing a killer shirt with snakes all over it.
I’m really glad that even though I’m still not feeling great, Massimo is getting to do what he loves. If you’re new here, Massimo is a big hiker. And by “big,” I mean slightly ridiculous in the most impressive way possible.
This is his sixth or seventh Cammino. Last year, he walked approximately 3,200 kilometers on the Via Francigena – from England, through France and Switzerland, all the way to the boot heel of Italy. He did it in 100 days. Had he not met me, he probably would have finished in 90.
The man at the end of the Cammino said in his 25 years of giving stamps, he’s only seen four people walk the entire trail in one shot. Massimo was the fifth and by far the fastest…and the oldest. The previous man who walked the entire route needed five months.
The hikers on that trail nicknamed him The Legend. And the nickname is deserved. He walks far. He walks fast. He walks like there is somewhere extremely important he needs to be approximately 30 minutes ago. I can’t keep up but he is kind enough to wait for me.
So, as you can imagine, I’ve felt pretty awful about the current situation. I know he came to Romania to walk the Via Transilvanica, and I hate that my health has meant changing our plans. Which is why I’m genuinely happy that he went on without me today.
And, because he is a thoughtful man, he did me a solid while he was at it.
He wore my watch to track his route for the video.
And he took photos.
Both of these things are significant.
Massimo rarely takes photos and he never wears a watch. He doesn’t even own a watch.
So, dear readers, please appreciate the sacrifice. You are looking at a rare collection of photographic evidence captured by The Legend himself. 🧡
He also chose the music for the highlight reel. This is where we disagree but since he actually walked the trail, I decided he had earned creative control.
I spliced our photos and videos together, so today’s highlight reel is a little bit of his adventure and a little bit of mine.
And while Massimo was speed walking through the forest, I did my part as the official support crew. To make his walk easier, I took both backpacks and he carried only a day pack.
Unfortunately, I didn’t realize until he was long gone that I had the bear spray.
Which is probably something a person should check before sending their hiking partner into the wilderness.
Luckily, he didn’t have any encounters that required it. Whew!
We are staying in one of the only two modules on the trail – more to come over the next several years. We stayed in the prototype at the headquarters a couple of weeks ago so we knew what to expect and this one is as nice if not nicer than the original one.
It’s brand new and very clean. It has enough beds for ten people, two toilets, and two showers. It even has air conditioning, WiFi, and plenty of outlets to charge your phone.
A local woman who I named Mama takes care of the facility and we will go to her house for dinner tonight and breakfast in the morning.
There aren’t any laundry facilities here, so Massimo washed his clothes in the sink…with hand soap.
Then, together, we strung a clothesline from a tree to one of the handles of the bathroom porthole windows.
Is it glamorous? No.
Is it functional? Absolutely.
At this point, we have become very good at making things work.
We’ve even had visitors.
Before Massimo arrived, a lovely couple from Austria stopped to check out the accommodation on their way to the next town.
Then, after Massimo arrived, two 22-year-olds from Portugal stopped by to see the place and use the bathroom.
They were adorable.
They’re participating in some sort of big competition with other young people from Portugal. They signed up for the challenge and were paired together. I think there is a love connection brewing and it’s only day one for them.
The challenge involves things like camping outside, walking a certain number of kilometers each day, and completing various tasks.
They have ten days to finish.
But according to them, the hardest challenge may be finding other people from Portugal. They asked us if we had met anyone from Portugal. Unfortunately, we haven’t.
Hikers are a special breed of people. We start conversations like old friends and take photos like we are relatives, but we barely know anything about each other…including their names.
Big news of the day…
There was a fire!🔥
Because of course there was. We literally cannot go one day without some epic shitstorm happening.
We were inside the module when I heard screaming outside.
I stepped out, saw a huge cloud of smoke, and said to Massimo:
“There’s a fire.”
He calmly explained that it was just a little grass fire.
He had walked past it about 20 minutes earlier.
I looked again.
“I think it’s grown.”
Turns out some hay caught on fire and then a tractor! 🚜 There is not a fire department nearby but they managed to get it under control.
Resources are limited in this part of the country, and I couldn’t help but feel terrible for the man who lost it. A tractor isn’t exactly something you casually replace when you live and work in a rural community.
In a photo we saw taken by another hiker, it was burnt to a crisp. 😔
And now for the important business.
The Machiavelli Scorecard:
Massimo: 10 | Emily: 14
I must be feeling better. I won two out of three. I’m not saying I’m back to 100%, but clearly my Machiavelli skills are returning.
The Legend may be able to walk farther and faster than me…but at the card table?
I’m the legend. 😉
Much love & gratitude. Namaste 🙏
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