Day 52..

I’ve finally notched my first half century of the season. It’s been a tough innings up to now, but still plenty of determination to go on and get the ton, and then some (176 to be exact). I mentioned in my last post a few tough days, unfortunately these continued..

I had plenty of rain over these preceding days. Trails that led me to torrents, meaning I had to wade (knee deep) through a flowing “river”. This happened on multiple occasions over the next few days despite trying to avoid any that I could. I did take off my boots to cross these torrents, however my boots/socks & clothing (basically everything) still managed to get saturated, and also mostly covered in mud.

I had to walk through mud that would sink my entire boot into it and require significant force to try to make the next step.

Because of this rain, many of the trails had turned to mud. This was terrifying at times, when trying to walk down or up steep slopes, and knowing how easy it was to fall due to sliding significantly with each step. I had fallen multiple times due to the rain so was terrified it would happen again and cause injury.

Each day I managed to get through these challenges unscathed, and spent plenty of time with the hair dryer each night trying to get my boots and gear dry for the next day.

Admittedly the guide to this route did say the route was “impossible” after heavy rain. I chose that nothing was going to be impossible, which proved correct. It was a tough challenge, but certainly one I will remember!

Finally the sun came out!! 🌞🌞 I still had to be careful as this did not mean the flooding was down or the mud was dry just yet. I had to change some routes to ensure safety, adding a few KM on top of the day.

With the sun also came horrible hay fever, mosquitoes, and dehydration. I was walking on asphalt for most of the day today which was quite demanding and quite hot. I had loaded up 3L of water in my backpack, but finished this not far in and there were no stops for a long while at this stage. I started to feel quite dehydrated and sick and had to get to the closest town on route to try to find some water. It was still a fair way away at this point, but I managed to get there in one piece and found a water tap! Italy is amazing for free/clean public water spots, however unfortunately today’s route was an exception.

Now relaxed & rehydrated in my accomodation and planning for the next few days ahead! Due to being ahead of schedule still, I may be able to take one day off this weekend in Milan! My first day off in almost a month. 🤗

Thanks for the continued support from everyone! Absolutely overwhelming! 💕