Day 2 Hike – Praia de Luz to Salema

Good decision to take a day off after carrying our fully-loaded packs the first leg of the Fisherman’s Trail.  We knew we would probably downsize our packs and the day off afforded us the opportunity to rest and reassess our gear.  It also allowed us to enjoy the pool area and have a nice late lunch at a beachside cafe.  When we awoke we decided to try the hotel breakfast buffet — we both wanted protein and that seemed the easiest way.  Nothing fancy, but we did make a couple sandwiches and grabbed a pear for the hike (good call).    We had made the decision to pack a light pack so we could build stamina for hiking without adding the extra weight from the get go. We thoughtfully packed Joe’s pack with essentials for the trip, to include water, lunch, quick-dry towel and a few alternative clothing options (e.g., long sleeve shirt). 

We headed out to the west side of the beach and walked up a road to pick up the trail.  Unfortunately, we misinterpreted a sign and ended up walking the wrong way for about 2km.  Fortunately, we were heading in the proper direction, but instead of walking along the cliffs we were walking along a road about 1km inland.  Lesson learned is that the trail was very well marked during the first segment — we should have realized sooner that we were not on the route.  As we looked toward the coast we thought there has to be a way to get to the ocean.  We consulted google maps and felt we could get close following marked roads.  When those ended, we followed a road built for house construction in the area and also bush whacked across open terrain.  Success.  We celebrated by sitting along the cliff top, drinking a Coke Zero (which was now warm) and admiring the stunning scenery.  

The terrain was much steeper and uneven compared to the previous day, however because we were not carrying heavy packs in many ways it was easier.  In total we hiked 14-15 km (~9 miles) and it was not until the last steep downhill segment that our feet started to really ache.  The feet seem to recover quickly and the primary concern up to this point is the impact on Julie’s runner’s knees when going down steep hills and overall soreness in Joe’s ankle from his Achille’s injury.  The hiking poles really help in that regard.  

We took an Uber back to our hotel.  Yep, because we decided we needed to build up our strength and stamina to carry our full packs it made sense to stay in one place and Uber back and forth, instead of paying for a service to carry our bags to the next stop and dealing with having to find a new location.  We took quick showers and rested our feet before heading into town for a classic Portuguese meal — loaded nachos, cheeseburger with fries and very large cold beers! That seems to be a very common dish at all of the beach towns.