Innsbruck to Rome 2018

Celebrated my first rest day in this city of about 100,000–it’s an amazingly interesting place. I started with a visit to Ötzi, the 5000 year old man found in the nearby Ötz Area from the copper era. He underwent extensive analysis in Innsbruck and now rests in a special ice cold, humidity controlled  chamber that allows viewing. The archeological museum was specially created for him.

Next stop was the WW I Victory Monument with a permanent exhibit underneath. What makes it so unique is that it was started by the Germans to honor their fallen soldiers before the war even ended. Well, after the tide turned and the Allies won, Mussolini some 10 years later built on the same spot a monument honoring the Italy’s victory. The politics was amazing because of the autonomous nature given to South Tirol Province (Bolzano). My grandfather fought here on the Austria-Hungarian side—saw lots of pictures, but none popped out as being of him!

Lots if people at their Saturday Market on Victory Square around the Monument. Still want to visit the Bolzano City Museum.

Othet pics include what appears as Ötzi‘s first aid kit with description, and  some avocados costing $3.40 a piece—they‘re from New Zealand (European demand has skyrocketed and so its price as well).

BTW, next time we celebrate our anniversary, we‘ll toast to Ötzi—he was discovered just a few months before we were married!

Another great day: 14 miles and constant descent of about 700 ft. Felt a few raindrops—overreacted by dawning my poncho, then packed it away again in an hour!

The entire 14 miles, I spent off and on pondering that I was walking in a narrow valley where Kaisers and other noblemen, then later artists like Albrecht Dürer and Göthe, traveled when they went to Rome. It was the only way to go to Rome from the north. They all had to go through the gates of where I stayed last night!

Here are some impressions from along the way: an artistic bike path for miles on end north of Bolzano (Bozen, in German)—had a rest stop in front of the cat; an elevation scare that showed I was climbing 400 ft and down over a very short distance—it was a tunnel I went through; and thankful I wasn’t walking down on the highway where there was no shoulder and trucks barely had enough room to pass each other.

Covered 15 some miles, nearly all of it downhill (with the usual uphills in between) and in a light drizzle. I decided to wear only my jacket and not the pancho—dumb idea. The good news is that I didn’t have to walk through any mud—my real nemesis! Didn’t get to stay where I wanted to, but managed to get a hotel in town.

So while all my things are drying (everything in my backpack is wrapped in a plastic bag—hence little “water damage”), I worked on a reservation 2 days down the road for Bolzano—BAD outlook. Hostel was booked as were the cheapies, so I blew the budget (a little).

From the pic you can see how everything gets an aura of mysticism—kind of fun walking in the rain. The other picture is the entrance into the old part of Bressanone—quaint town with lots of tourists.

Same as my Facebook Post, except more pictures.

Pilgrims, All—hear ye, hear ye. Today was the bar for my pilgrimage: great weather; gentle downhill for 12 miles on a bike/walker path next to a roaring stream (the Eisack River fast and big enough for hydro power); the path meandering through small villages some with farmers markets plus; then ending in the town of Colma (1 day short of Bolzano, Italy) with my lodging being in a former archduke’s residence dating to 1482 (and used them as a toll station); and last but not least featuring a Bierstube (Beer Hall) within 150ft. And being in South Tirol, everyone speaks Italian and German (the Austrian type)—works for me! It’s the bar.

Great day that started with a biting cold 38 deg and lots of windchill to make it feel even colder. It was the first day I put on my light jacket over two other layers, but only for a few hours as I descended from the 4500 ft elevation. After walking some 14 miles, I’m now at 3850 ft.

Great landscapes along the way, and I always pick one where I can eat the to-go sandwich I make at breakfast. Streams and small waterfalls are everywhere to hasten away the melting  snow.

I was duly impressed as I walked through a cycle/pedestrian tunnel bored through the side of the mountain. Then about three miles before my destination I was walking through a jewel of a town Vipiteno. I could have spent hours there.

I pretty much followed the Sill River and made it over the Brenner Pass into Italy. Yeahhhh!

But I had a challenging day not only because of 13 miles and over 2,000 feet of climbing, but some small parts of which were so steep that I had to side step up the hill. The weather was gorgeous except for some gusts of heavy winds. But, NO rain. Then during  one very steep forest climb, the foresters blocked about 200 feet of the path with newly cut tree branches—couldn’t go around because it was too steep and I didn’t want to go back. So thanks to Pam (fellow mission walker), I invoked her mantra: “Suck it up, buttercup.” And 30 min later I made it through and without a fall. Interestingly, as I came out of this section there was a “Forbidden Entry Sign due to forestry activities,” but not when I entered at the bottom of the hill. Oh well.

Still gorgeous scenery. Am now at 4503 feet and the snow is still a bit higher.

The quad picture just shows a sampling of the types of trails. And, of course, there’s the “Do not enter” sign.

On my second day, I walked an easy 9 miles from Patsch to Matrei am Brenner—and still in the Austrian State of Tirol. Beautiful weather and breathtaking scenery all around me. Learned (or, refreshed) two lessons today: (1) when you think the path has ended, it surprises you and keeps going, and (2) stop to smell the roses!

The picture of the path says it all. Then I came across a miniature scene in front of a secluded house on a huge slope. He had an inviting bench for visitors to appreciate his miniature  scene as well as the grand scene all around. I stopped and truly  smelled the roses.

First day of hiking from Innsbruck to Rome—only 10 km, but 1500 ft climb. The symbols were clear: (1) The smaller the sign (2” x 3”), the more brutal the climb, and (2) barely 10 min into my first brutal climb, I met a life-sized crucifix telling me “to suck it up, because I suffered much, much more”!

Am now at the small town of Patsch, at an elevation of 3326 ft with breathing just a little bit harder than it was yesterday, but I’m quickly acclimatizing. Staying at the Bär Hotel and into my routine to be repeated 47 more times: arrive, check-in, shower, do laundry, nap, eat, and sleep—pretty simple.

The views all around are breathtaking.

Tomorrow, April 28th, I actually start walking from Innsbruck, Austria on the Via Roma toward Rome. On the 17th of May, I’ll take a train from Padua, Italy over to Florence and walk the Via Francigena to Assisi and on to Rome. Am I excited or what! Innsbruck is so beautiful and its old town is so quaint—I could spend a week here. It’s like a homecoming! Situated in a valley and surrounded by mountains, Innsbruck is the perfect place to start for me, and where else but at its St James Cathedral!

(1) St James (on right side of the main altar) (2) Old Town Innsbruck, (3) St James Cathedral

Started in Stockholm, Sweden today then flew to Munich and having a 6-minute Connection from Munich Airport train to train to Innsbruck, I made it. All this after three travel days, but what scenery there’s here in Innsbruck, Austria at the foot of the Alps. All in all, it went pretty well. I love Google Maps now that they keep the route you googled and it updates your location (all in airplane mode without using anyone’s WiFi). That allows me to use the route and walk without getting lost as in from train stations to hostels.

Plan to rest here tomorrow and look around and get myself a pilgrim’s credential for the first part (pre-Florence).

Had to attach the awesome snow-packed alps all around.

With only four days to go, I finished my last week of training. On Monday, April 16th, I met my goal of climbing 3000 ft and a round trip of 15 miles. The pics above were taken at my high point. On Wednesday, Belle Cook (one of my two hiking buddies) was my “trainer”—-who pushed me to finish our 16.4 mile hike from Ventura to Carpinteria (and that was with my backpack). Geoff (also our hiking compadre) met us near the end and treated for beer and snacks.

Had an exhausting training session of 10 miles round trip with an elevation gain of 2100 ft at my favorite area behind St Thomas Aquinas in Sisar Canyon. This area still shows the charred landscape caused by the fire that can be seen in the pictures.

Although I led a group of 17 members of our Southern California Chapter of the American Pilgrims on the Camino on a fantastic mile-high hike, it was good training for me as well. The trail was in the San Gabriel Mountains behind Altadena, CA, known as the Mount Lowe Road Trail to Inspiration Point. A scrumptious picnic followed as well as a shell ceremony for one of our members who would soon depart on his own Camino. We all huffed and puffed together on the 1000-foot climb. Here are pictures of our group at the start and destination of our hike.

I had to add this picture of my role model, Hugo, given to me by dearest friends JLoRo and Delfino. “Old pilgrims never fade away, they just never know when to stop”—my follow-on saying to MacArthur’s, “Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.”

This tests my Innsbruck-to-Rome blog.

This is the group I recently led on a hike through a rocky, bouldery landscape--good practice for my Rome pilgrimage.