Today I covered 25 km (15.6 mi) and climbed some 1650 ft. It was a marvelous hiking day: no mud, no rain, not too many rocky paths, and no slippery places. I struggled with the last third energy-wise, maybe because it reached the high 70s and I was a bit tight on water—I expected some water sources on the last third that never materialized. Finally just outside of my destination town I found a bar/cafe and guzzled a liter of Powerade.
Much of the route along the middle of the way hugged the rolling hills of Tuscany—I felt the rare essence of solitude and serenity. The landscape consumed me, as I did it—we bonded—no one else around. No houses close by, no arable land, no vineyards, just spotty forests and wild grasses. This is the priceless quintessence of a pilgrimage that one never forgets. And I may never experience that euphoria again on this Camino—that’s OK—today was worth it. That was “the hole-in-one” that keeps the golfer coming back.
By the way, this city, Sansepolcro, has a fantastic 1000-year history and a crazy reason why it was spared damage in WW II. That’s for another place and time.