Hiking Monte Cucco: I Am Not Athletic Enough

January 31, 2016August 5, 2019 / morganonthemap / Leave a comment

Before we get started I want you to take a look at this picture. It’s me, on the day I (tried to) hike up Monte Cucco.

You may notice, that this is NOT a picture of a highly athletic person.

This trip to Italy found me fresh out of a two year desk job, programming e-learning software. Not a physically demanding job, not one where I found myself working on my leg muscles or doing much hiking. I was acutely aware that I was not in the best shape of my life. So when I was asked to take a hiking day trip I had some clear concerns. Let me start at the beginning of the story.

I was staying in a lovely Italian farmhouse outside of the town of Chiusi in Siena, Italy. I set up this stay through workaway.info, a site that matches travellers willing to work with host families all over the world. When I arrived I met the other three young people who were staying there and learned that my dreams of picking olives had been dashed by a bought of freezing rain. So, our newly formed group of four ended up sanding shutters, for days. Finally our first day off came around and as you can imagine we were all excited to get out and explore Italy! Two went in one direction and the third, Martin, asked me if I wanted to go hiking with him. This brings us back to where we started: I am not athletic. Nervous about the hike I asked a ton of questions. Most notably I asked the same questions over and over again: Is this hike ok for beginners? Will I survive? I am not athletic, are you absolutely SURE that this is an easy hike? Martin is a nice guy, I truly believe that he meant me no harm when he repeatedly answered yes to all of these questions. So off we set for Monte Cucco.

We began our adventure in an absolutely beautiful little grouping of houses, so small I don’t know if you could call it a town. There were a couple of chickens running around, and one person, who we saw for just a few moments before he went into a building.

Such a beautiful view from such a tiny little town.

We found the beginning of the trail in the back of one of the small buildings and set off. In the beginning I was hopeful. Everything was beautiful and the trail wasn’t very difficult.

This is where the trail began, you can see it heading into the trees at the bottom of the photo. Look at it all calm and winding into that nice flatish looking valley.

We spent an hour and a half on this nice trail. At times I was uncomfortable when the trail would narrow to less than a foot wide right beside a steep drop into a stream way below; eventually I learned this was because we were actually hiking on a bike trail – who knew? Regardless I was getting a bit tired, but I was enjoying myself for the most part. Then we came around a corner and my life basically ended. This is what I saw:

You see that little white strip three quarters of the way up the mountain? That’s a building. It’s hard to see, I know, that’s because it is very far away, and very high up…

This was the moment that I realized that so far we had only actually been on the trail that my new friend Martin considered to be one used to get to the actual beginning of the hike. This was actually my first view of Monte Cucco, the mountain we had come to hike. I hadn’t even set foot on the mountain yet. As I came to the realization that I was just now seeing Monte Cucco, I was also hit with another horrible revelation: not only were we heading up the mountain to that building, a monastery that we couldn’t even go inside of, but we were supposed to then go all the way to to top of the mountain. Remember today’s motto: I am not athletic. To make things more interesting, the road to the monastery was an actual road. Yes, we could have driven this far. However, we couldn’t have driven all the way to the monastery as there was a small gate blocking the road before it began to steepen. Imagine how this made me feel, I could still have had energy!

I mean, looking downhill, I can’t imagine why they would gate off a road that was so steep and so clearly well maintained…

I soldiered on. Martin blazed ahead. For the majority of the next couple of hours of my absolutely struggling up this mountain he was nowhere in sight. I could have had a heart attack and died – he wouldn’t have noticed for at least twenty minutes. That’s about how often he yelled down the mountain to check on me. At this point I was about ready to curse Martin to endless suffering. Again, Martin was a very nice guy, he was just way more athletic than me, and I was angry and in pain. Eventually he stopped at a small waterfall and I caught up. This is around the time that I learned that Martin was an avid hiker. He hadn’t lied to me, this trail was one he considered to be super easy. He really thought I could do it because he had no concept of what it was like to be out of shape and stuck on the side of a mountain. You see, Martin was such an avid hiker that he had once completed a thirty-six hour long, non-stop hiking RACE. Yes, that’s a real thing people do. I didn’t even know those types of races existed. I was finding this out at a highly inopportune time. After this brief chat Matrin went back to mountain climbing and I went back to dragging my butt up the side of a heart attack waiting to happen. By this point I had even found a stick, and was painfully using it in an effort to get my arms to help drag my feet up the road. Then, finally, after what seemed like eons and was literally hours and hours, I rounded a bend in the road and a gate came into view.

For me, this moment was like seeing a giant glass of ice water after being stuck in a desert for a year and a half.

You remember that building perched on the side of the mountain that you saw a couple pictures ago? This is it, we had made it! I was so relieved it wasn’t even funny. This is Eremo di San Girolamo, a monastery and home to the solitary religious man who takes care of it. We saw him briefly, from a distance, but he kept to himself and didn’t seem to mind us taking photos of each other on his door step. Visitors aren’t permitted inside so that was the best we could do. One thing is for sure, the views he has are absolutely spectacular.

Standing there at the monastery, looking out over the mountains was revitalizing. I don’t look or feel nearly as close to having a heart attack at this point, as I did a half hour prior.

After spending a few minutes at the monastery, soaking in the views, resting and having a snack, it was time to move on. Martin was determined to make it to the top. I decided to try to carry on. He lead me to where the trail continued and it was once again like I was standing at the beginning of the actual hiking portion of the day. My feelings of nearing death and exhaustion came rushing back. This new trail left the road and went straight up the forest on the side of Monte Cucco. I pressed on for about 10 minutes. This was horribly slow going, I had to find places for my feet between all the rocks and roots, and I had to then haul myself up another step on leg muscles that were completely shot by this point. I am a strong person, and I never give up. I hate giving up. Here, on this mountain, I gave up. I realized a couple of things:

I didn’t care if I got to the top, I enjoyed the views from the monastery.
I couldn’t make it to the top, my body was simply not athletic enough.
If I tried to keep going much longer I wouldn’t make it back down the mountain, and I wanted nothing more than to make it back down the mountain.
If I stayed at the monastery for a while I could sit on the little stone retaining wall and rest.
I COULD REST!

I hollered up the mountain to Martin and told him I was done. He didn’t want to stop, so we came to an agreement. He had half an hour to reach the top and come back again (which would have taken me at least two more hours, had I been able to keep going) and I would sit at the monastery and wait for him. After he left I ate an apple and discovered the best thing yet: I had cell service. So I sent a text to my mom from the side of a mountain and took a selfie – I am a millennial after all.

It’s not the best selfie, but I was a bit out of it at the time so work with me here.

In the end, I look back on my day of not making it to the top of Monte Cucco as a success. I hadn’t ever thought that I would have made it as far as I did. I am so glad that I pushed myself and got to stand at Eremo di San Girolamo and look out over the incredible Italian countryside. As we finally made our way back to Martin’s car, I stopped and truly appreciated where I was and what I had managed to accomplish. While on that day I wasn’t athletic enough, perhaps someday I will be able to go back and make that final climb to the top.

I took this final look back and knew that I had made memories that I would never forget… Even if some of them are of creative and extravagant ways that I could curse poor Martin.

Do Not Be Alarmed! Venice Floods!

January 28, 2016 / morganonthemap / Leave a comment

As I was sitting on the train heading to Venice I was researching what I might do when I arrived. This is how I stumbled upon a news article that literally left me in a panic. I’m not kidding, I even had to call my mom. What was in this news article that had me all worked up? It was all about how, at the very specific time of year that I was currently heading to Venice (November), Venice was typically in a state of flooding. It talked about roads filled with water, tourists not being able to get around or see anything and people being stuck in their hotels.

I. Was. In. Crisis.

What was I going to do? Could I even get to my hotel? Would I be able to see anything that Venice was famous for???? Now that I’ve been, experienced, seen and know the answers, I am here to tell you not to worry. Everything was fine. In fact, I recommend going in the Fall when the flooding is happening. It’s quite an interesting experience.

Venice, as you likely know, is a city famous for its water. Water is to Venice as roads are to basically everywhere else. What you may never have thought to consider is what body of water all this wet is coming from. Venice is situated on the Adriatic Sea, which, as seas tend to, just so happens to have tides. In the wintertime, when the tides are different than the summer and the winds are blowing from the south you get exceptionally high tides. The Venetians call this acqua alta (high water.) Do not let it scare you away from visiting Venice in the Fall and Winter months. I repeat Do. Not. It can be quite beautiful, and serene, and by midday when the tide goes down it’s all a moot point anyway. Plus, it really only effects the lowest areas of Venice, most notably, St. Mark’s Square.

I get it, it looks scary. I promise it really isn’t. It’s like a freak lake suddenly appears in the middle of town, then goes away again… ok, I admit that makes it sound worse. It’s isn’t!

With all this water (that is only there for a couple of hours a day) how ever will I get around? I hear you asking this, I think, through the power of digital screen thought transfer or something. Well luckily for you you actually have a few options. Neither of which did I get a great picture of, but we’re going to make a solid effort here so bear with me.

Option one: Raised footpaths. There are people who work for the city of Venice (I assume) who, during acqua alta, quickly build raised footpaths alone the most needed walkways and across the deepest water. The people of Venice are used to this happening. They know where the water comes in, where it will be the deepest and where people will need to walk for deliveries, shopping and touristy things during the high tide. They use that knowledge to put up paths to help keep your poor, unfortunate, rubber bootless feet dry.

Here you can see two lovely people walking along one such raised footpath. Yes this is one of the best pictures I had, yes I regret not getting a better one.

Maybe you’ll like this picture better? Here you can see the raised walkway along the bottom of the image. Though you may notice there’s no water, there had been just an hour or so earlier.

Option two: If you are more adventurous or don’t like being confined to specific walkways then you can pay about 12-20 euros (depending on the guy you buy them from) and get yourself a fantastic pair of the most fashionable fake rubber boots you’ll every see. These will allow you to cover your shoes with brightly coloured fake shoes and go skipping through the mini lakes of sea water.

I mean just check out those colours! These people went for blue and orange, but there are many colours to choose from. Are they not just DIVINE? Who can go wrong with plastic booties that clearly don’t clash with anything anyone would ever wear!

Option three: This one might be hard for some people to swallow. It takes courage and guts and nerves of steel and… who am I kidding it’s not that bad. Just wear whatever shoes you have and get wet. They are just shoes and it is just water. Go out and enjoy your trip. However, if you have a full day of walking in mind, I do recommend changing into that spare set of shoes I know you couldn’t resist bringing with you “just in case” after the roads dry up. This is it, this is your just in case, congratulations you and your spare shoes have been vindicated.

Water is what makes Venice so beautiful and so famous. Water is natural and beautiful and amazing. Go to Venice, don’t be afraid of the flooding or acqua alta. It doesn’t last and you’ll get to enjoy Venice at a fantastic time of year, surrounded by what I expect to be fewer tourists than normal because it’s a little less warm and a little more wet. Don’t be afraid like they were, and don’t miss out on this wonderful and unique city.

After all, a little water never hurt anyone. It sure didn’t ruin my trip!

Walking Under the Sea at Ripley’s Aquarium in Toronto!

August 11, 2015 / morganonthemap / Leave a comment

Jellyfish have got to be my new favourite thing. They are so cute and small, or big and alien looking! After a trip through Ripley’s Aquarium in Toronto, Canada, you’ll probably love jellyfish too. Jellyfish, and sharks, and eels, and clown fish, and turtles, and rays and, and, and… this place is massive! There are so many different types of sea creatures living within this aquarium that I couldn’t possibly ever figure out what they all are called let alone name them! If you’re heading to Toronto any time soon, or ever really, then this is a place you have to go. Have to. I think it’s my new favourite place.

Here’s what the door looks like, so you know where to go, you know, when you go. (Go, now!)

Ok, so once you are through the door, head to the payment counter and get the painful part of any attraction over with. This baby is situated right beside the CN Tower, so it’s not going to be the cheapest part of your day. Wait now! Before you close the article at that and run for the hills, let me say this, considering the awesome packed into this building, it’s not an outrageous price. As of writing this article, the prices are $29.98 for an adult or kid over 14, $19.98 for those between 6 and 13 years old, $9.98 if you happen to be between the ages of 3 and 5, and finally $19.98 if you are 65 or older and, and this is key, are willing to admit it! If you are the type of person who has a schedule and can stick to it, rather unlike me, then you can even save $3 (that’s THREE WHOLE DOLLARS) off your ticket by buying a time specific ticket in advance. Which adds up if you are bringing your hoard of children with you. Which you should, they will love this place!

After you rip off that bandage and pay, you get to explore! Wander through the halls filled with tank after tank of amazing sea creatures. It wouldn’t be fitting if they didn’t start you off checking out the creatures found in Canada’s very own waters. That’s right, that means it’s time for a gigantic blue lobster!

What? You thought I was kidding? I wasn’t kidding! Look at this thing!! Not going to lie though, I did use some photo editing here… to tone down the blue. Yes, that’s right, to make it less ridiculously blue looking. So you could actually look at it without thinking that the Blue Man Group has taken to doing under water shows.

Moving right along past Mr. Blue, there are many more things to see. Granted, picture taking can be a little tough. Thanks to the extra thick glass designed to keep all that water where it is supposed to be, all the finger and face prints on said glass, the wonderfully reflective properties of, once again, the glass which kindly allows all the emergency exit signs to be clearly visible in your photos and finally the fact that those darned fish just won’t STAY STILL… it’s not the best picture taking adventure. However, even with all that, pictures are still worth taking. Just many times they don’t turn out well for use on say… a blog?

Here’s one of my favourites, in all its unedited glory! You can still see how pretty it is there right? It may not do much for you, but it brings back the memories for me.

Seriously though, one of the best parts of the whole thing is the tunnel. You can choose to walk through it while paying attention to things like where you are walking (don’t) or stand on the little moving side walk and stare with mouth gaping open at the beauty all around you without having to think of trivial things like which foot to move next (do that instead.)

I can see you over there, other tunnel people! Ok, not really, but I can see the tunnel.

The giant glass tunnel is basically a giant u-turn. You start on one side of the massive aquarium, go through to the far side and back around to a different spot on the first side again. This brings me to an important point. While you travel through the whole place in a very linear, point A to point B fashion, you can cheat the system a bit here and go back. After you exit the tunnel you can slide back through a small hallway and enter the tunnel at the beginning again. We weren’t the only people doing this, so I’m pretty sure it’s totally allowed. Either way the ride through the aquarium underwater is worth a revisit.

You’ll want to go through at least twice to have as much shark time as you’ll suddenly feel you need to have!

As much as I loved going through that tunnel. It wasn’t my absolute favourite moment. For me, that came later, as I wandered through the jellyfish exhibits. I spent an awful lot of time watching and trying to take pictures of the little jellyfish. They were just so adorable.

If they weren’t highly delicate sea creatures that can’t survive outside of water I’d have wanted to just snuggle one.

As amazing as the little ones were, the cherry on top, the crème de la crème, the icing on the cake, was when I turned a corner and found myself facing a giant wall of larger jellyfish. Standing in the darkness, surrounded by mirrors and looking into a tank of jellyfish moving up and down with the current was mesmerizing. They had it set up with lights, shining from within the tank that made the jellyfish themselves appear to be constantly changing colour. I quite literally could have stood there gaping all day. In fact I would have, had my family not come looking for me wondering what was taking me so darned long to get to the next exhibit.

Had it not been for the people walking around me also trying to see the jellyfish, I would have sat right down on the floor to forever watch these creatures move around and change colours.

If you are in Toronto, regardless of whether you are travelling with kids or not, get your butt to the Ripley’s Aquarium. See the deep sea creatures you otherwise never likely would see, and stand mesmerized in my jellyfish heaven so that you too can experience the feelings being so surrounded by such a strange beauty can invoke.

Afterwards, be a good little tourist and exit through the gift shop! Buy your kid, or yourself, a stuffed fish or get the typical souvenir spoon or shot glass (that last one should probably not be for your kid…) I hope you have fun at the Ripley’s Aquarium in Toronto! I sure believe that you will!

Visiting the Toronto Zoo

July 2, 2015 / morganonthemap / Leave a comment

My family and I recently took a trip to Toronto, which was great since we haven’t taken a family trip in ages! Or it was great, until we had to spend 14 hours together in a small pick-up truck to drive home… then things got a bit dicey. But that’s not the point of this post! The point of this post is to tell you about one of the biggest attractions in Toronto, the Toronto Zoo!

When I was a kid there used to be a TV show on all the time that was just about the Toronto Zoo. It showcased the zoo keepers and let you get to know the animals they handled. By the time I first went to the zoo I knew the names of half the animals in the place. Probably could have told you the family tree of all the apes too. However, my first trip to the Toronto Zoo as a child was a bit disappointing. It was enjoyable, but nothing like the show made it out to be. This time, returning as an adult I had high hopes. I wanted to see some animals that you just don’t find in your back yard every day.

My intentions were good, but the weather was bad. It poured buckets down on us. It rained like you wouldn’t believe! That didn’t stop us though. We hung out under cover or in the indoor exhibits during the worst rain, and during the breaks in the down poor we got to head outside to see the larger animals.

The indoor exhibits were nothing to scoff at! They were like indoor rainforests, with animals in their habitats and birds flying free.

Each building had it’s own charms and themes, but my favourites were the ones that were like stepping into a tropical forest. The reptile house was especially interesting as all those scaly things were firmly placed behind glass where I could look at them without having to actually touch them! I’m not actually that bad with snakes, and lizards certainly don’t bother me. I’m sure that somewhere in that zoo there is a building dedicated to bugs and spiders though, I’m just glad I didn’t accidentally stumble upon that one. That would have been it for me.

I really liked these guys! Green is one of my favourite colors, and they were such a nice shade!

As nice as the smaller creatures were, I wanted to see some of the bigger animals. The ones that are in all the children’s cartoons, and all the stories from my child hood and… let’s be honest here I just really wanted to see Simba… I mean a lion.

This big guy was relaxing after a big lunch. We just missed his feeding but we caught him before he laid down for his nap!

The lions were a personal favourite for me. Seeing them this close and knowing the power they have is something else. While we somehow managed to tour the zoo about a half hour behind the zoo keepers doing their feeding schedule, we still got to see most of the animals just before they nodded off for a post meal nap.

The Rhinos at the zoo were dozing off too! No one wanted to show off for us, but we were glad to see them just the same!

There were some pretty cute animals to see as well, they weren’t all of the tough or scaly variety. I mean come on, red freaking panda. It’s not even a good photo angle and it’s still adorable!

Look at this little guy! He’s so cute I could just cuddle him! (If he wasn’t a wild animal, be careful kids, don’t try this at home.)

Overall my family and I had a great day at the zoo. Rain or no rain. It still didn’t live up to my childhood visions of grandeur, but as far as zoo’s go, it’s worth a visit. Part of our problem was visiting just before high season, so a lot of the shops and food stalls weren’t open yet. That and the rain. I’d recommend going on a beautiful sunny day, just before animal feeding time. That way all the animals will be out and about, you’ll get to hear from the zoo keepers as they do their feeding’s, and the animals won’t all be napping!

…I mean really, even the frogs were asleep.

The Many Waterfalls of Iceland

September 27, 2014 / morganonthemap / Leave a comment

It would be almost impossible to visit Iceland and not notice that the country is a prime waterfall viewing location. You can’t drive more then a few minutes at a time on any the highways outside of the city without seeing another waterfall tucked into the surrounding mountains. Some are larger then others, but each has its own beauty.

I couldn’t afford to rent a car myself while I was in Iceland, mostly because I didn’t learn how to drive a standard (thanks dad.) Without a rental car my only means of getting around the country to see all the sights I wanted to see was to take the official coach tours offered by the many tourism companies in Iceland. While this wasn’t how I had originally planned on seeing the sights, the stories and information on the waterfalls and sights given by the guides was well worth the money.

Because I was on organized tours though, I mostly only got to stop to take pictures of the big, famous waterfalls, but that doesn’t mean this post lacks amazement! Keep reading and see the amazing and most famous waterfalls of Iceland! These are certainly not to be missed!

First up is Skógafoss! This is a giant and tall waterfall found not too too far outside of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik. This huge masterpiece of nature was first discovered by the vikings when they settled in Iceland. At the time of its discovery, it was surrounded by a forest. That fact explains is how it got its name, which translates to Waterfall in the Woods, as there are certainly no trees nearby now.

Skógafoss: The Waterfall in the Woods. Note: The woods are long gone, but they were there when the vikings found it, I swear.

Next up is Seljalandsfoss. Sadly our tour visited this waterfall after dark, so it was hard to capture it’s splendor. This waterfall is best known for the path that leads behind it. Apparently walking behind the falls is a fantastic experience, and I recommend you try it if you go. However, as I went when it was dark and raining heavily I decided that my chances of death or serious injury were a little too high for me to risk going behind the falls on my visit.

Seljalandsfoss: Sadly waterfalls and night time don’t work well together for photography, especially where talent is lacking.

Here’s a better picture! It should be noted that I did not take this picture.

Next up is… well I don’t actually know what this one’s called. It can be found fairly close to the geothermal area where you can find the geysers, including Geysir, the first geyser. Can I say geyser anymore? Anyway, this waterfall is a sight to see. Over to the left you can also see that it has a man made portion. This is a salmon ladder, created so that the spawning salmon can climb the waterfall and spread out through more of the river. This gives more ground area for fisherman, and thus the owners of the river are able to make more money off fishing licences.

I wish I remembered what it was called, or if we were even told what it was called. My notes just call it “the one with the fish ladder” Helpful, I know.

Finally, and I believe I saved the best for last, Gullfoss: the Golden Waterfall. This waterfall is absolutely fantastic, and it’s easy to see why it is one of the most popular in Iceland. It falls in two stages, the first drop being 11 meters and the second 21 meters, into a huge crevasse. It reminded me a lot of Niagara Falls in Canada. While it’s not as big, it’s as spectacular to me. To get the best views you should walk along the side of the crevasse, looking down into the falls, until you get to a platform out by the top portion of the falls. The rocks here are wet and slippery, but it’s worth navigating to see the waterfall so up close. Here you can get so close that the waterfall basically surrounds you, and the spray and mist flows through the air nonstop. Wear waterproof clothing for sure!

Gullfoss: The Golden Waterfall. See those little dots on the rock on the left? People. You can get THAT close.

There are many more waterfalls to find around the countryside. These are just the three highlights from my trip. You could make an adventure out of just trying to find all the named waterfalls in Iceland, let alone the smaller ones. It’s a waterfall paradise, and well worth the trip.

Morgan On The Map

The Stories of my World Travels

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