Renato & Pulce together on the longest mountain trail in the world: Sentiero Italia

After several adventures around the world I finally recognized: Hey I live in Italy and I actually don´t know anything about my country except for the touristy areas. I travel the world in search of new mountain ranges and Italy is built upon them! So why not hike through all the mountain ranges on my own door step, instead of flying across the planet? I did a lot of research and found the Sentiero Italia which has existed since the 80s and leads through Italy. So little by little I planned the route with Outdooractive, books and a variety of websites. During planning I got more and more excited as it was slowly dawning on me I was actually doing this thing! A little bonus I added at the beginning was the Traverse of the Island Elba.

Two months into my hike I was at the Passo della Crocetta when I spotted this vulnerable, little white Maremmano puppy between trash bags on the street. From this moment my journey changed - it was like I had become a father! By making the decision to take this little guy with me and care for him, to save his life, I gave up a lot. I was a traveler and explored the world and in that moment I would have to stop pursuing those dreams. I had a new companion, and it wasn't just my adventure that had taken a turn, my life had just changed drastically too! 

Now I had to adapt my journey for the dog, which meant, slowing down the pace, and choosing new routes according to his physical capabilities. 

So we kept going together along the Sentiero Italia. In the beginning, I carried him in a bag in front of my body but then it just got far too heavy and I told him: "Buddy if we want to continue this adventure, you have to walk!" So we continued - but making very slow progress along the way.

I have several jobs: Storyteller (I tell stories about my adventures), gardener and I am also a certified hiking guide. I work as such in my home region near Trento, I accompany & guide people on hikes, and tell them stories about nature and history - including a lot about the first world war. Where I live and work, there was a military frontline between Austria and Italy so there is a lot of history to be told. For planning, I use Outdooractive, I make great use of the hiking trail layer with which I can plan my routes effectively and add huts for lunch breaks. The elevation profile and terrain surface overview give me a good indication of what fitness levels are required from my customers for any given hike. In the mountains, it is really cool to know which peaks surround us. With Skyline, I can check and let my customers know with ease! This summer I will facilitate a summer camp for kids, teaching in orientation, building tents and nature awareness.

Despite good preparation and the appropriate equipment, you have to be prepared for incidents. Once I had to take a break for several days because I sprained my ankle. Another time I got infected foot and had to take antibiotics and rest for 5 days. These physical injuries taught me an important lesson: never be arrogant and overconfident in the mountains! Nature is powerful and you are only a small human being. Even after thousands of kilometers you still have to pay attention to every step and keep your eyes open. What I also learned: Don't stick to your plan too closely when things could get dangerous. Due to the delay with Pulce, we reached Piemonte so late that there was already snow. Even if the actual path would lead through this mountain range, it would have been just too dangerous with a small dog and snow. Instead of giving up, we just continued hiking below the snow line. But the biggest thing I learned was a new side of myself - a caring and brave one.

I created a route through South Spain, Andalusia. Spring is beautiful there so that's why we chose that location. Honestly, though, I have to admit: for me and Pulce the way to explore the world is by hiking. It is what he grew up with and the activity we got used to. We had so much trouble on our biking journey. We nearly had a road accident, and Pulce got in contact with a Processionary moth and nearly died. He was saved in the last seconds in the clinic in Marbella. 

It grew up little by little. I got inspired from people in the internet talking about their hikes and had the feeling, I can and want to do that, too. I had several hikes and but also bike tours for about 2 weeks. Like the Pamir in Tajikistan I did with a friend. Also I rode the Pacific coast highway by bike, which was the longest route I did back then. Besides that, hiking to the Everest base camp was an adventure. And piece by piece I started dreaming bigger and came into the long distance bike or hike adventures like the Sentiero Italia.

I like to stay by myself so I can manage it all for myself. Shorter hikes I can share with people but when it is too long everything can happen and I prefer to stay on my own which means staying spontaneous and flexible. Anyways I also like meeting people for some days to accompany me. But when I met Pulce I became a different Renato after. Maybe Pulce should be there for me on purpose. Until that moment it was only me but then it seemed like Pulce was there to remind me, your not alone and you should start to take care of someone else also. Put yourself on the side and take care of this dog. He is going to be your friend. So I decided not to call help but stay with this guy and take care of him which meant at the beginning, going to a veterinary, feeding him and reducing my pace very much! Stopping, even when I want to go, going left instead of right, be patient. And he was patient to me. Because when I found him, I was of course not able to ask him if he wanted to hike with me for another 280 days. I just decided for the both of us to go together. And he chose to stay with me and accompany me and be my friend.

If you want to know more about Renato, the adventures he has been on and the routes he has created, visit his profile on Outdooractive HERE