by Paty | Apr 17, 2025 | Italy, Trail Journals, Via Francigena
Wednesday, April 16, 2025 Start: Siena, Italy End: Ponte d’Arbia Distance walked: 27.2 km (17 miles) Cumulative distance: 169.5 km (105.3 miles) Yesterday’s near-marathon day in the rain nearly broke me. My feet were a mess after 23 miles in...
by Paty | Apr 16, 2025 | Italy, Trail Journals, Via Francigena
Tuesday, April 15, 2025 Start: Colle di Val d’Elsa, Italy End: Siena Distance walked: 37.4 km (23.2 miles) Cumulative distance: 142.2 km (88.3 miles) Today was my longest day on the entire Via Francigena, and the hiking conditions weren’t great....
by Paty | Apr 15, 2025 | Italy, Trail Journals, Via Francigena
Monday, April 14, 2025 Start: Gambassi Terme, Italy End: Colle di Val d’Elsa Distance walked: 28.8 km (17.9 miles) Cumulative distance: 104.8 km (65.1 miles) I decided to split the next 65 kilometers to Siena into two days. Unfortunately,...
by Paty | Apr 14, 2025 | Italy, Trail Journals, Via Francigena
Sunday, April 13, 2025 Start: San Miniato, Italy End: Gambassi Terme Distance walked: 24.6 km (15.1 miles) Cumulative distance: 76 km (47.2 miles) A big storm came in overnight, so much of day 3 of the Via Francigena was spent hiking in moderate to...
by Paty | Apr 13, 2025 | Italy, Trail Journals, Via Francigena
Saturday, April 12, 2025 Start: Altopascio, Italy End: San Miniato Distance walked: 32.1 km (20.1 miles) Cumulative distance: 50.6 km (31.6 miles) Day 2 of the Via Francigena took me away from the pavement and sidewalks of yesterday’s route and...
by Paty | Apr 12, 2025 | Italy, Trail Journals, Via Francigena
Friday, April 11, 2025 Start: Pisa, Italy End: Altopascio Distance Traveled: 26 km (via rail from Pisa to Lucca) Distance Walked: 5 km in Pisa + 18.5 km on the Via Francigena I woke up this morning in Pisa and decided to take a detour over to the infamous...
by Paty | Apr 10, 2025 | Italy, Trail Journals, Via Francigena
Thursday, April 10, 2025 Start: Edinburgh, Scotland End: Pisa, Italy Distance Traveled: 1,494 miles (via rail, bus, and airplane) Before I could begin my trek on the Via Francigena, I had to get from my home in the Pacific Northwest US to Europe. Luckily, my sister...
by Paty | Mar 17, 2025 | Italy, Via Francigena
Amid all the chaos in the US, I’ve decided I need an escape. I cannot watch the news for one more day. I am mentally exhausted and need a break to recharge. So, I am turning to the one thing I know that brings me joy and serenity. I am escaping to nature....
by Paty | Mar 11, 2025 | Arizona High Points, Gear
I recently talked about desert hiking gear with Lauren Toner on the Trail Talk Highpointing podcast. We both love hiking in the Southwest, and episode 69 of the podcast was all about my hiking and highpointing adventures throughout the Grand Canyon State. One of the...
by Paty | Feb 23, 2025 | Arizona High Points, Day Hikes, Southwest US
Arizona County HP: #6 Difficulty: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (on a scale of 4) Summit Elevation: 9,453 feet Mountain Range: Santa Rita Mountains Ancestral Lands: O’odham Jewed, Sabaipuri, Tohono O’odham, Hohokam PLANNING DETAILS...
