Altopascio to San Miniato

Leaving out of Altopascio this morning.

Hello y’all, after good nights sleep, we woke up feeling well both physically and mentally.  We felt like we could do the 18 mile hike in the heat today.  As we left the Hotel at 6:20, it was already warm out, we decided to get some miles in before it got much hotter.  We also knew that this hike today would afford us plenty of little towns to stop and get a drink and something to eat, and for the most part that means a coke and a pastry.   We stopped in 5 little towns today along the way, it keeps you up mentally , and gives you a rest physically.  We finally encountered other hikers along the Via Francigena, after our third stop, we came along a young couple taking a break along the sidewalk, Rudy walked by, but I had to engage.  Sveva and Nikolo, from Milan, had just started their hike today.  They are only doing 5 days because of their schedule.  We would run into them several more times on the trail, they were faster, but took more breaks.  The hike varied from road hiking though the many towns, and through fields in between.  We were fortunate that we had a descent amount of the hike shaded.  The terrain was much more normal today and did not vary too much in elevation……until approaching San Miniato, we could see it in the distance way up on a hill.  We hiked our last mile, at the hottest point of the day up that hill.  We had already committed to finishing the day, but our bodies were worn, we put our head down and kept moving.  We are both pretty sore again this evening, but expect to recover by morning.  Tomorrow’s hike is only 15 miles, and it will be another few degrees cooler again.  Until then.

Early on the trail, sun out.

He was the first one we encountered today, but he wasn’t hiking.
Break time!
And again!
San Miniato on the hill in the distance.
The final climb on the elevation chart.












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