article_snippet.sent: ' was the question on everyone's lips as soon as they spotted my hiking boots.
article_snippet.sent: After trudging up a stony ledge high above the valley floor the first morning, I began to wonder what I had taken on.
article_snippet.sent: Over the following days I found myself scrambling over dry river beds, scaling rock-strewn gullies and clinging to cable handrails as I inched across wobbly suspension bridges.
article_snippet.sent: Most of the trails were clearly marked with orange daubs of paint
article_snippet.sent: Even so, there were times when I got hopelessly lost.
article_snippet.sent: The average hike was five to seven hours and at times I walked for ages without meeting another soul.
article_snippet.sent: Joining the Mare Norstrum II for a boat trip, I looked up at the remains of fortifications built on impossibly steep precipices.