Day 23 Personal Best
June 23, 2017
Monteleone Sabrino To Monterotondo
Statistics: steps=76,574
Elevation climbed=3060 feet
Distance walked =36.1 miles or 58.2 km
I leave at 5:00 am. I think the 2 Austrians are sleeping. The B&B is 5-6 km on the path. So today's path is that much shorter. As I leave the town I come across my first Roman Amphitheater ruins.
Another hour or so and I reach Paggio Moiano another hilltop town. They are all charming. It's hot at 930am. In the morning. By 11:00am I have already completed the day's walk to Ponticello.
As I walk through the town, a shop lady waves me to her grocery store. She wants to sit and talk story. Sounds like fun to me. I buyx some soda and a croissant. I ask her if there's any place to stay in this small town. She says the only place to stay is 15 km more. Wow it's at least 92 degrees. Well better get going. The walk to Ponticello was mainly flat but after Ponticello, it's rolling hills...very steep hills walking though olive groves. Every chance I buy more water or soda. By the end of the day I drink at least 12 liters.
The hills may be small but many are very steep. My shirt goes from bone dry to soaked many times through the day. I look for a stream to jump in or even a water fountain but they are junk either too shallow, too mossy green or too many bugs.
I finally reach the hotel a town 15 km and the manager looks at me and shakes her head left to right. To say not here… oh well time to move on.
The path continues to be up and down, up and down. I keep drinking all day. When I finally reach Monterotondo I am nearing the wall of exhaustion. On the way to the hotel, I buy some groceries. My pack is now loaded to the gills. Food is practically falling out.
I reach the B&B but they are full. The next hotel is another kilometer. When I reach the room, I take a shower with my clothes on. It seemed like a good idea. Wash me and my clothes. I fall out of the room and eat at the hotels restaurant.
I did a personal best- 58.2 km. My triathlon coach (jeff s.) always said finish strong. Today, I did finish strong. I still have two days of waking but it feels great to have such a strong day after weeks of walking.
Best of all I feel really good the day after. Tomorrow, I will see Rome for the first time on this walk.