Going back

My friend Markus and I walked the GR20 North in June 2006, as I've chronicled here. We had great weather, met some interesting people, and planned on returning some day to complete the trail south of Vizzavona. Over the next year and a half we made several attempts to find a time when both our schedules would allow another trip, and in late winter 2008 things finally seemed to come together for July.

Planning the trip in 2008 was much easier than it had been in 2006. In those few years it seems that the Web found Corsica, and several new information-packed travel and hiking sites had started up. Up-to-date train, bus, and ferry schedules were now available on official web sites, while trip reports, first-hand experiences, and active forums provided unofficial and indispensable details.

Our loose itinerary was to fly into Bastia, take the train to Vizzavona, walk to Conca, then ride the bus back to Bastia for our return flights. We had hotel reservations for the first night in Bastia with plans to take the earliest train south to Vizzavona.

After arriving in Bastia and checking into the hotel, we went to the Place St Nicolas to get some food and our first Pietra in two years. Then, following the usual restless pre-hike overnight, jet lagged and groggy, we were up at 6 AM to catch the 6:40 out of Bastia.

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