Day 193: Spotted!

Poggio di Fonte Chiusa to San Tommaso

Distance: 40km

A cold night. Therefore, my sleep wasn't that good. 

I wake well before 04:00 and eventually get ready to leave. The walk is continuing as it ended yesterday: spectacular. After 3 hours I reach Castelluccio. A bit of a detour but worth every extra step.

While the village itself got mostly destroyed by an earthquake and thus is off-limits, the view down a massive flat area are breathtaking. And then there's the live webcam of Castelluccio. While I initially stand at the wrong place, too close to the camera, I eventually move into the picture and get spotted by some of my most trusted followers.

Since the cumulus are towering again, even earlier than yesterday, I keep on walking. Thunderstorm cells everywhere. Just as one comes very close, I enter the temporarily relocated village of Accumoli, where to my surprise, the Cafe is open. Inside I meet Francesco, a wonderful hiker and firefighter from Trento. He's doing a hike connecting different areas, all affected by earthquakes. As it turns out, we both are avgeeks and spend probably 2 hours talking about aircraft. It feels great to have a longer, deeper conversation with someone after hardly talking to anyone for over a week. By the time we say goodbye, the rain has stopped and I continue my hike. The last couple of kilometers are rough and the trail not always easy to find. Luckily, it's surprisingly well marked. Which I appreciate because due all the earthquake damage, the maps I am using are not always accurate.

Good places to pitch my tent are rare and before getting into populated areas again I pitch it just a short distance from a farm in the forest. The farm dog is barking and I have already spotted four boars. I'm not convinced I'm going to have a peaceful night.