A short walk

Day 10 on the Via di Francesco

It may have been a short walk but it started with a steep climb. Maybe walking uphill matches my mood. I had received an email last night to tell me my train from Assisi on the way back was not running so I will need to get a bus replacement at some unearthly hour in the morning. That together with me beginning to think about how I would feel about getting to La Verna made me all the more determined to be present as I walked. I can’t do anything about the future so I just have to make the most of each mpment on the trail.

Catching your breath going uphill is always a good time to look back.

In the spirit of noticing things I came across this Pilgrim’s Fountain – I didn’t need a drink but it was good to know that people still look after pilgrims.

Each piece of forest I walk through seems to have a different character with different species of trees and undergrowth. It’s means that days and days of forest is not boring in the slightest.

Today I was musing about route finding and finding my way through life’s journey. Because the forest is so dense I often have no external points of reference so rely on the stripes on trees. Red and white ones mainly denoting I am on a recognised trail.

Looking at my phone will tell me almost exactly where I am and there will be a route description but it doesn’t always help when you are faced with indistinct paths through the forest, I did come across this one which I am calling the Way of the Cross. I’m not sure the cross added anything to route finding in this case.

My destination for today was on a spur from the main route and once I had decided at a crossroads which direction I was going in I had to trust I had had made the right decision for a while before I came across a signpost. I can spend quite a lot of time second guessing myself.

However my place to stay eventually appeared through the trees and I was welcomed by a lovely playful dog.

In the end I was one of only three pilgrims staying here. It was a joy to share an evening meal together, Thankfully the other guests were both American so on this occasion language wasn’t a problem. It was a joy to share stories of how we came to be on this pilgrimage.