So way back in the planning process of this trip, I came across an article in the Guardian about donkey trekking in Spain. The author and her family had trekked from small town to small town with a donkey in tow for their tired children. I was sold by the end of the article and I started looking into donkey trekking in Italy. I found a great 5 day trek in the Sibillini National Park of Umbria - a zone I had spent some time in when II lived in Perugia.
Brad was a little less sold and the kids well, were dubious but we went ahead and booked the trek. About two days into London, Brad looked at me on the Tube and said, "Are we really doing the donkey trek?" And I, with unfailingly certainty said, "And why not?"
However, once we faced the heat of Sevilla, Sardegna, Perugia, and Firenze it became a little less clear. I made a phone call to one of the Agriturismos where we would be staying to find out the average temperature. The place, in Castellucio, sits at 1400 meters above sea level. It is Italy's coldest town by far with only 5 inhabitants who stick around during the winter. The town often gets iced in, in fact, and helicopters are required to drop in supplies.
The Signora at the Agriturismo confirmed that it was hot during the day but cooled down significantly at night - giving us some hope that we could depart early in the morning to avoid the intense heat.
I wavered a few times but after drilling every Perugino about what to expect in this zone - I dug in and rallied the troops. We were doing it. No more questions.
This is the story of our donkey trek.
No comments:
Post a Comment