Zero-day @ hostel
Day 7
Day 6
Today we had a 21.5 km flat road-walk. It was a kinda not interesting. Luckily we found a short-cut into town, went to Decathlon to buy some stuff and checked in at the hostel we already stayed at last week. If you ever come and visit Catania, this hostel is the place to stay. Friendly staff and affordable prices in the center of town. Check it out: ostello degli elefanti
The first shower for a week was a blessing! Tomorrow we take a day off before we go and climb Etna.
Day 5
We headed out at 7:10 a.m.. It rained; I thought it would all day, but it didn’t.
After 2.5 km we had the chance on either roadwalking for another 2.5 km or stick to the trail, take the scenic route over the mountains which was about 12.5 km long. Luckily J. insisted on the scenic route. With the rain it was only somewhat beautiful, but it was still worth it. We seldom spoke as we climbed wet ’n’ slippery rocks uphill. As we reached the top we found our first official E1 trail-mark, we both were excited about that.
As we hiked downhill it stopped raining and our mood lightened up and we chit-chatted our way into town. We got there at 11:30 and already had 22 km on the clock; we are getting stronger. In town we got some resupply for tonight’s dinner and tomorrow’s breakfast and lunch. After a good break for lunch we decided to keep going.
There was supposed to be a lake we chose to aim for the night. The lake turned out to be some sort of reservoir and not a good idea to sleep. As we were running out of water, we asked a farmer for some and he poured us water out of a canister. As we couldn’t camp as desired we still had to find a place for the night and luckily we found one behind some trees on the side of the road. While I decided to keep my 1 ltr. of water for tomorrow, J. decided to cook hoping to find some water early tomorrow. We’ll see…
On the way to the lake we again were disgusted by the piles of garbage we find on the side of the roads everywhere. It truly is a shame!
For pictures visit www.instagram.com/jaredturtlechip #thatshowlivinisdone
For other stats click here.
Day 4
Last night was cold, well below freezing. But we had to get out of our sleeping-bags and start walking. Our first 2.5 hrs was walking in the shade of the mountains around us in the valley. It was beautiful but as there was no sunshine it was cold all morning, even the water in my drinking bottle froze. At around 10 a.m. we hit the 100 km mark of our adventure and we were pretty excited about it. Afterwards we had some uphill hiking and finally got out of the shade into the warming sun. After climbing to the highest point south of Etna we walked for about another 10 km to find our home for the night in an abandoned locker-room at an abandoned sports-park. We enter the building through a hole in the wall; a bit creepy but that’s just how livin’ is done!
As always, for pictures visit www.instagram.com/jaredturtlechip #thatshowlivinisdone
And for all you stat-freaks, click here.
Day 3
Today we started at 7:15 a.m. and had a nice morning walking in the woods with beautiful scenery. After walking through the old town of Noto yesterday we passed through Ancient Noto this morning, a town dating back all the way to the 11th century but was destroyed in an earthquake in the 17th.
We had some river-crossings in ice-cold water and we handled them like men 😀
After 34 km we pitched our tents between some orange trees a little offside the road.
For pictures click here. #thatshowlivinisdone
Hiking stats can be found here.
Day 2
Today we walked 32 km, which is more than expected. The weather was nice with no wind. Yeah!
The first 20 km was walking on roads again but then we finally hit a real hiking trail. That was quite enjoyable.
We passed through the town of Noto, a UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE. The city looks old, but I still need to figure out why it is a UWH.
Even though we find some nice landscape I want to say something serious about and to Sicily. It is full of trash. There is garbage, piles of garbage everywhere. It‘s really disgusting.
Traffic here is an adventure. People drive like crazy. It seems they take laws for a suggestion. With us road-walking it is quite an adventure sometimes.
I want to end today’s story with a sad encounter. We found a stray dog sitting on the side of the road hiding behind a garbage bag. He was too weak to get up and really scared of us. I tried to feed him with something out of my bag, but it worked only semi-well. I decided to pick him up and carry him to next town, Noto, to bring him to a pet-doctor. After a little while carrying the dog he jumped out of my arms into some bushes. I couldn‘t follow him but begged him to come back. He didn’t so I had to leave him behind knowing well he‘s probably going to die soon. That made me sad.
For pics, visit www.instagram.com/jaredturtlechip, #thatshowlivinisdone
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Day 1
Yesterday afternoon we arrived in Portopalo di Capo Passero, our starting-point and southern terminus of our adventure. We decided to cowboy-camp, to sleep under the night sky with no shelter, right at the beach. Our first trail-dinner was Pasta with sauce. Since we forgot to buy salt, it tasted a bit pale. During that night my mattress ripped and I had to fix it at 2:33 a.m.. What a start! We woke up at around 8 and started to hike at around 9 a.m. The night was cold, maybe 5 degrees Celsius max. with a breeze making it feeling way colder.
It’s a sunny day and we start out with a 21.5 km street-walk. Even at day-time the wind is cold. We find a nice place to pitch our tents between some ruins nearby a lake. For dinner it’s Pasta with sauce again, and nosalt, of course. It gets dark at 5:30 p.m. and I decide to sit in my tent. Sunrise is at 7:15 a.m. It’s going to be a long lonely night, but I’m tired and fall asleep quickly. I hope it’s a bit warmer tomorrow, maybe with a little less wind. I’m really excited about this trip.
Every beginning holds its magic!
For many pictures more please check out Jared’s instagram at www.instagram.com/jaredturtlechip, #thatshowlivinisdone
For hiking stats go here.
Exploring Catania
Here are a few impressions from today’s walk around Catania:
Sicily…finally
14 month ago, while hiking on the Camino in Spain, Jared and I made the plan to meet here in Sicily. Since then we haven’t talked or written a lot. After me arriving last night, Jared arrived today. I think it’s safe to say it was a big joy for both of us to see each other again. I personally had a tough month of work in December with its peak in the last week. As I worked in the entertainment business, the christmas season and up to New Year’s eve is one of the most stressful time of the year. I flew here from Germany via Rome and when I got here last night I soon went to bed and slept to mid-day today.
Jared arrived today in the afternoon after an exhausting 5 day trip from the USA. His last month, so he told me at dinner, was filled with work and meeting up with friends. But he finally got here. Tomorrow is dedicated to some sight-seeing and buying last necessities before we start hitting the trail by the end of the week.
Gear-list
It’s only 5 days to go; excitement is on the rise. Here is my gear-list:
Backpack: Mountainsmith Scream 55
Tent: Hilleberg Akto incl. footprint
Sleeping-bag: Mountain Equipment Helium 400
Mattres: Therm-a-rest NeoAir XLite
Shoes: Hanwag Canyon wide
Keen Arroyo II
Clothing: Mammut Fleecejacke
RAB Neo Guide Jacket
Fjällräven Karl Pro Trousers
Icebreaker Merino longsleeve base layer
Icebreaker Merino Shortsleeve base layer
Icebreaker long underwear
2 x Woolpower underwear
2 x Woolpower Merino socks
Electronics: Black Diamond headlamp
Powerbank 10.000 mAh
iPod touch
Garmin Oregon 750t incl 3 battery-packs
Hygiene: Towel
Toothbrush and -paste
Dr. Bronner Soap
Toilet-paper
Sawwyer Squeeze Waterfilter
Safety: compass
First Aid Kid
Emergency blanket
Miscellaneous: Esbit Titanium Silverware
Leatherman Multitool
Black Diamond Trekking-poles