This past week I experienced first-hand the meaning of the saying, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger!" I am fairly certain that this wasn't my first such experience however it so very easy to forget yesterday's suffering while enjoying today's pleasures.
The first day of a week's cycling in Sicily greeted us all with very hot temperatures of 30C at 9am, climbing to a steaming 36C by mid-morning. Ouch!
Three days previously, to help overcome jet lag, we spent our first day abroad onboard a privately chartered sailboat. The hot sun broiling us from above was countered by the cooler sea breeze blowing all day from one side or the other. Cold drinks, lots of inactivity punctuated by a refreshing swim in the 200-foot deep Mediterranean waters, gave us good reasons for not realizing that it was actually scorching hot.
The next morning , we took a bus to the base of Mount Etna.
There, at over 1,000 metres ASL, we had effectively left the high heat below.
We had been advised weeks before to wear long pants and to take a jacket as we
should have expected temperatures as low as 5C near the summit. However, on
account of the heat wave blanketing all of Italy, it never got cooler than
about 20C. Black lava covers the entire mountain, some of it is fresh from
April's eruption, while the greater majority is left over from past eruptions.
Etna is still active today: When hiking closer to the summit I could hear the
mountain rumbling continuously as the smoke and steam belch from the crater at
the peak. The top 1,000 metres is off limits to hikers due to the high risk of
another volcanic eruption without warning.
The landscape looks exactly like images of the moon's surface that we've all seen many times by now, the only difference being the colour. I reached about 2,400 metres elevation when hiking up. Here and there along the slopes are smaller volcanos from earlier eruptions. Many are too steep to climb down into, or up onto, but some others provide a safe access. While standing at the bottom of one of these smaller extinct volcanos, everything is silent. The sounds made by Etna pass overhead.
Here's a cool fact: there are glaciers buried everywhere beneath our hiking boots. In different places, due to the shifting ground, parts of some glaciers are forced to the surface. You may see hot volcanic steam or smoke coming out of the ground a few metres to one side, while there is snow exposed on the other side.
We started our cycling week inland in the mountains, in
Caltagirone. Every town we cycled through, or spent the night in, is special,
with its unique arrangement of narrow, black (think lava), stone streets and
various restaurants, cafés and shops lining them. Our first day of cycling was
planned to be 65 km in length with 1,200 metres of net elevation gain. If you
aren't clear what this means, let me explain: On flat ground, my group can
ride 100 km without a problem. Once you mix in some climbing, it's wise to
reduce the distance in proportion. Normally, our trajectory would be considered
challenging but doable. However, with the temperatures at 36C starting at 11am,
little breeze if any, and a clear cloudless sky, we suddenly have all the
ingredients for heat stroke!
In these conditions, it is imperative to drink about a litre
of water per hour, even if not feeling thirsty. If your lips or mouth are dry,
you need to drink regardless of thirst. Even so, the day was grueling, if not
tortuous. On the one hand, the stunning views out over the panoramic valleys of
mostly dry farmland (must be between growing seasons now), the mountains in the
distance, the narrow stone wall-lined roads nearly always void of cars, and on
the other hand, the extreme heat, our relentless thirst and fatigue, it was
often confusing to know whether to feel elated or exhausted. Our climbing speeds
were most often embarrassingly slow, 7 or 8 km/hr, on account of being
overburdened from the unrelenting heat and broiling sun. Shade stops became the
norm, every half hour or so.
Even with all the precautions, two cyclists in my group
suffered from heat stroke, became delirious (in my opinion) but insisted on
finishing the ride, whatever it took: stopping often, walking the bike whenever
going uphill, keeping the speed and effort low. I frankly feared for their
health and safety, but was sadly unable to persuade them to abandon their first
day's ride. Happily, they both arrived intact, two hours after the rest of us,
at our next stop, in Palazzolo. Most of us felt completely normal again after a rest
and a cool shower, allowing us to enjoy the town's sights and a well-deserved
dinner and cold beer al fresco.
Wash, rinse, repeat. Seven days and evenings of cycling,
novelty, surprises and the occasional serendipitous moment. The perfect formula
for exploring eastern Sicily! Stay tuned for more Sicilian adventures :)
