Walking Across Italy

Apologies to Peter, Paul, and Mary for borrowing a line from their 1960s hit (Leaving on a Jet Plane) as the title of this post. But, I thought it accurately captured both emotions that I have been feeling these last few weeks – anticipation and worry.

Let me back up. If you are reading this, you know that for the past 3 years I have challenged myself to hike across several countries in Europe. It started with Italy, then Portugal and Spain, then back to Italy, and now France. The good news is that I will be accompanied by 3 great friends – Stephen, Juan Pablo, and Joe. And we will be drinking French wine. (How bad could this be?) All of us are of “a certain age”, let’s say 60-something. So, the bad news is that we typically trek for 6-8 hours-a-day and will cover 160+ miles in just under 2 weeks.

This year, Stephen, our supreme leader and expert planner, has us hiking across south-central France on what is known as Via Podiensis (The French Camino). We start our adventure in a town called Le Puy en Velay and finish in Figeac, some 12 days and 253 km/ 160 miles later. The nice thing about these trips is that I am merely a “follower”, so I have no real idea where we are heading or how high we will climb. Those of you that know me, know that this is very much out of my usual character. But, I trust Stephen unconditionally.

Juan Pablo is the “CRO” (Chief Restaurant Officer). He has an uncanny knack for finding outstanding lunch and dinner establishments in far-off-the-beaten-path places. He’s like a Colombian truffle dog, locating savory morsels in the middle of nowhere! He also is a very charming polyglot with command of 7 languages, so he is indispensable as we meet other travelers on the trail.

Joe is the newest addition to our merry band of brothers. Last year, Joe was preparing for his marriage, so I am anxious to hear all about the festivities and his new married life. Joe and I have no exaggerated titles in the hiking club, so we do whatever Stephen asks (within reason).

As mentioned earlier, I have been anxiously anticipating this adventure for months. Buying the needed equipment. Checking and rechecking my travel documents. And packing and repacking to adapt to the changing weather forecast.

Packing for a trip like this, requires a lot of strategic discipline. Unlike the past 3 years, we are not carrying our full backpacks this year. (This should help my back from failing me, like it did last year.) But the porter company that will move our luggage from place to place, has limited us to only 13 kilos. (That’s only 28.6 pounds.) This required getting very choiceful about what to take and what to leave behind. Like the electric toothbrush which weighed a lot more than a manual brush (Sorry Oral B). Anyway, my final weigh-in put my luggage at exactly 26 lbs, just under the limit. (Whew)

Probably, the preparation element that caused me the most worry was preparing to hike several hours a day. To relieve some of this worry, I spent 2 hours a day hiking around the local golf course. The course is hilly and provides a great practice area for my upcoming challenge. For the last 8 weeks I have been hiking 3-7 miles a day to get my old body ready to meet the demands of my French adventure.0

As I board the plane for Paris tonight, I am filled with both anticipation and dread. I can’t wait to see my hiking companions and catch-up on their lives. And at the same time, I worry if my 67 year old body is up for the challenge. Only time will tell. Stay tuned to find out how it goes.