OK, the title of this may be a bit misleading. Jon and I actually did not finish walking all 509km of the Lycian Way. Instead, we walked about 409km of it (just a few miles over 250). We made it to the ancient ruins of the city Olympus. If you don`t count our two rest days, we were out for two full weeks walking. That is nearly 18 miles per day. You may be wondering why we didn't just buck it up and finish the thing. Well, there are a couple of reasons I suppose;
1) Once we hit Finike for Thanksgiving, our perception of the trek changed. For me, it moved from working hard to bust out a ton of miles each day to something more resembling two guys out on a camping trip. Our notion of what a good day walking would be dropped in mileage, and we were both content to take it a lot easier.
2) After walking 250 miles with a lot of weight on your back, your body gets a little soar (all over). We both thought we could use a much more "extended" break.
3) Finishing the trail would have meant very little time to see anything urban in Turkey, and there were definitely some places we wanted to visit (and relax in).
4) Come on, are you really going to fault us for ONLY having hiked 250 miles? A bit harsh, don`t you think?
Anyway, we are both feeling good about what we accomplished. And we learned a few things along the way. For one, even if the entire trail is marked by red and white paint, bringing a map with you is still a good idea (we bought one five days into the walk). Or, even if you have decided to not ride in a motor vehicle, if the police stop you after dark and tell you to get in for a ride, you don`t refuse. Most importantly though, we learned how dependable Turkish hospitality is. Yes we learned this one many times over.
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