OK, it wasn't Mount Doom. In fact it was quite lovely. But the Epic Journeyers bit off a little more than we expected when we took the trail from Portofino to San Fruttuoso.
We DID prepare ourselves with a good number of the "Ten Essentials" we talk about in Cub Scouts. Our minor calamity in Plitviče National Park taught us well. We had food and water. Extra layers of clothes. A map. Focaccia. We had a plan.
There were a mind-boggling number of steps up from Portofino to the top of the hill where our trail effectively begins. The view was gorgeous and we enjoyed the olive trees and small farms that dotted the hill. We had lots of shade to protect us from the sun. But, oh! Those steps!
There are many trails that branch off like veins throughout the area, which is a regional park. But the Italians did a good job of marking the trail. Ours was the "two dot" trail and the kids enjoyed searching for the dots as we walked. Sometimes on a tree, sometimes a rock, sometimes a post. They appeared frequently enough that I didn't worry about having lost our way.
There are many trails that branch off like veins throughout the area, which is a regional park. But the Italians did a good job of marking the trail. Ours was the "two dot" trail and the kids enjoyed searching for the dots as we walked. Sometimes on a tree, sometimes a rock, sometimes a post. They appeared frequently enough that I didn't worry about having lost our way.
After a while the climb evened out and the hike became a more pleasant journey through the hills. We talked with the kids about how the landscape had gone from palm trees to pines. We quizzed them on what they would do if they became lost on their own. A nice family hike.
We finally arrived at our destination. An interesting note about San Fruttuoso is that there are two ways to get there, and neither includes wheels. First is via the path from Portofino. Second is by ferry. The ferry has only limited service during the off season. In fact, when you read the signs they say the off-season ferry is "by appointment only" and only when there are 25 or more passengers. As much as we enjoyed the hike, we didn't see ourselves wanting to repeat the effort on the same day. So the first thing we did in San Fruttuoso was investigate exactly what needed to happen in order to make sure we departed on the ferry.
Sojourner toured the abbey while the kids skipped rocks on the beach and I recharged in the sun. The ferry arrived as promised and we made our way to Camogli.