Reflections on a Year's Walks - 2012

I've had an amazing year. Eight walking trips, 95 days of full- on walking and loads of adventures.   At the moment, as well as trying to keep fit on the South Downs, I'm busy working out a schedule for 2013 and reflecting on the lessons I've learnt this year.

The lessons with hindsight seem blindingly obvious.

The first - already having an impact on plans for next year - is that you can't have too much of a good thing.  I had thought that 7 weeks in Nepal would satiate my appetite for the Himalayas but it had the opposite effect.

Although I didn't get to the top of Mera Peak (the weather was exceptionally bad this spring and very few groups did),  I had an amazing adventure.  The memories of the night at high camp (perched on a 5,400m cliff on the edge of a glacier in a ferocious storm), the attempt on the summit next day (a fall into a crevasse followed by an agonising trudge through fresh snow a metre deep) and the descent the following day with arguably the best mountain view in the world (clear sight of five 8,000 m plus summits including Everest) will stay with me forever.

The view to Everest from Mera

Grande Escursione Appenninica (GEA) - a Review

For me, feeling good about something is often to do with the gap between what I was expecting and what happened.  The experience is better when your expectations are exceeded but worse when they are not.   Although it's just a few days since I got back from a 12 day, 200 kilometre walk along Italy's Grande Escursione Appenninica (GEA), I have to say disappointment with the walk is the dominant emotion.

12 days along the Grande Escursione Appenninica

Day 9 GEA Migliana

I guess it's something to do with a military career but Chris does like to keep up appearances. A couple of things worth noting: firstly he doesn't like to hang washing from his rucksack when walking through towns; secondly he doesn't like hanging those waterproof map cases around his neck. Today I finally persuaded that ready access to the map would have a real impact on his navigational effectiveness and, despite offending his sense of decor, he agreed and took us almost directly to the intended destination.

Day 7 GEA Passo del Giogo

Lack of accommodation at both Badia Moscheta and Passo della Futa meant for a short four hour walk to Passo del Giogo. Of course we did manage to make it a little longer.

After settling our biggest bill to date (yesterday's beer) we set off in the wrong direction from the lovely Locanda della Colla. Ten minutes later we were back saying our hellos and goodbyes to a party of German motorcyclists amused at our navigational excellence.

Day 6 GEA Colla di Casaglia.

We did toy with idea of walking back up from San Benedetto in Alp back up to the GEA but if I'm honest we didn't toy with it for long. We don't have a map for this section and wanted to keep things as simple as possible. It did mean we missed the waterfall that makes San Benedetto in Alp famous. Instead we made an early start and a little bus back up to Passo del Muraglione and had a coffee in the bar there.

The passes are very popular with motorcyclists, I guess they like the endless hairpin bends on the way to top. Understanding his customers the barman in the bar at Passo del Muraglione has festooned the place with the autographed photographs of many heroes of Italian motorcycling.

In the bar a fungi hunter mistook me for one of his own, I'm clearly starting to blend in.

In the woods near Passo del Muraglione

Day 5 GEA San Benedetto in Alpe

Today was supposed to be an easy walk but somehow we managed to fill all the available daylight time, a sort of Parkinson's law adjusted to walking.

Time filling started with a relatively late breakfast at the Agriturismo Poderone and it was after nine when we left and only after Chris had nearly bear hugged the life out of a clearly petrified landlady.

Crushing the landlady at the Agriturismo Poderone

Day 4 GEA Campigna

Last night I finally had to admit defeat and accept that tomorrow's planned walk was too long. Because we are staying about five kilometres north of the route today the return trip tomorrow made the day impossible, probably over 11 hours. We have had to find another stop over tomorrow and push all the other bookings back a day. It's hard work if you don't speak Italian. Incidentally I don't speak a word of Italian but Chris somehow speaks less, he seems to think I'm some sort of linguist.

Early morning in Badia Prataglia

Day 2 GEA Chuisi la Verna

I'm starting to think that my schedule for the walk might be just a bit too ambitious. Instead of the anticipated but still fairly massive 8 hours 30 minutes, today was another 10 hour slog. True we did treat ourselves to a beer stop, and true we lost the route afterwards, wasting thirty minutes, but somehow we seem to be off the pace. The timings on the route only add to the confusion. There is one route but it has separate signs for the pilgrims on the St Francis Way and the sinners on the GEA. The pilgrims, with God on their side, are expected to go a lot faster.

Saints & Sinners

Day 3 GEA Badia Pratagalia

Apart from the fact that I seem to have lost, for the time being at least, the ability to publish yesterday's blog, everything went well today. Chris is definitely speeding up and we managed to get to Badia Pratagalia when we expected to.

We left Chiusi La Verna at about 8, a lovely morning but with a touch of autumn chill in the air. 40 minutes later we were up at the La Verna Sanctuary, a place where St Francis stopped for more than just the odd night. Because I had shorts on Chris insisted that I stay outside while he went inside to take a few pictures. The nuns were sparred my knees.

La Verna Sanctuary

Walks for 2012

Definitely getting “stir crazy” and ready for another big walk. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not looking for another six month trip like last year’s walk along the E4, but I need some more adventures.  So, as well as tidying up E4 notes and photographs, doing a bit of baby minding,  I’ve spent the winter putting on weight and planning trips for next year.  I now have a schedule that takes me from the end of February through to October.

The first trip takes me back to Andalucia and four days hard walking along the GR48 Sendero de Sierra Morena. The GR48 goes west to east from Barancos, just inside Portugal, and through to Santa Elena on the eastern side of Andalucia. The total distance is 581 kilometres and over four days I’ll be doing the first 160 or so, starting at Encinsola, the first “stop” inside Spain, and finishing at Cazalla de la Sierra. I’ll be walking with Juan Holgado, the No 1 Spanish walking expert, and the mad 40 kilometre a day schedule has been set by him - just hope I can keep up.

If I have any energy left at the end of each day I’ll try and blog but will definitely be writing the trip up when I get back.  In the meantime, if you’re interested in the walk than go and have a look at the GR48 Sendero de Sierra Morena website, really good, lots of detailed information including a GPS trail and everything you need to plan your own trip.  Really nice people as well. I left a comment on their Facebook page and they came straight back offering to send me English language versions of their Topoguides.