It Begins! Lucca to Altopascio

 

Leaving our AirBnB this morning at 6:15

Hello y’all, our Via Francigena has begun.  We left this morning at 6:15 hoping to beat the heat. 🥵. It ended up 100 degrees, 20 degrees over average temperatures.  It was relatively cool as we started out this morning, we chose to take the longer, more scenic route.  We walked out of Lucca along the aqueduct, that is no longer in use, for 3 miles or so.  We then started up into the hills, where the spring waters used to supply the aqueduct, it got amazingly cool, and we thought, maybe this won’t be so bad.  It stayed cool as we continued up and across the ridge, but as we descended, the temperature and sun became more brutal.  Another factor on the alternative route, was there would be few places to get drinks or food.  As it turned out, nothing was open, and we didn’t find a place until around 1:00(after12 miles), as the alternate route met the standard route.  We were exhausted and in need of some cold drinks, we still were not hungry(seemed too hot to eat), so just had several drinks, and got back on the trail to finish up the total 16 mile day. The second half of the hike was not as interesting as the first half.  We did not see one other hiker today.  We are very tired and sore, I think the last couple weeks off without training are haunting us.  Hoping to see other hikers tomorrow, and beat the heat starting even earlier in the morning.
This heat is no joke!
Walking along the aqueduct, this is an amazing structure for the water to run on top.
It went on for miles
Part of the complex feeding system to the aqueduct, a mile or so of this as well.  Truly amazing how much work we into this!
Then we went up……

And up…..

To catch this view!
On the way down, the path was so narrow at times, that you couldn’t see it.
Finally back on to flat land and some corn fields.


Tomorrow, as we talk about it tonight is up in the air, we need to consider if continuing at this pace, in this heat will have an effect on finishing.  We will get to our planned destination one way or another tomorrow, so as to continue the rest of the hike.  Until tomorrow.


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