- Joined
- May 13, 2015
- Messages
- 841
Hi there! Taking the opportunity the family is still enjoying the Sardinian sun and we have a couple of days of public holidays here, I decided to go for an overnight up to the mountains 
. After so much sea I was sort of missing them and it was some years now from the last time I have spent the night outdoor there!
Safety first; the weather forecast was good, this is peak holiday time in South Europe so I was expecting many other hikers on the trails, the mountain hut on the trail (CAI # 210, 224) I was planning to keep as “base camp” was open and, as the icing on the cake, the 10th of August is the Night of the Shooting Stars, the tears of saint Lawrence, according to the tradition. During this week it’s very likely to see a number of shooting stars and, up there, where the urban light pollution is basically zero, I was confident the show would have been amazing
.
Parked the car while the village was still sleeping around 05:30 AM and hit the trail under the dawn light. Rather cloudy sky but I was confident it would have opened up during the climb. The very first part of the trail follows a forest road taking me through the woods until reaching a small hamlet. The forest road here becomes a well-marked trail and starts to climb more steeply into the woods, becoming denser and denser.
First quick “pit-stop” to have a light breakfast (a juice and some trail mix) sitting on a big rock in a clearing, enjoying the sun rays filtering through the canopy and put in action the Spyderco PM2, my pocket companion for this hike . Kept on walking with a good pace and, an hour later, I finally was above the tree line and, coasting an artificial lake and its dam (1957 mt.) for a while, I reached another small pond with crystal clear waters (1972 mt.). Cows were still grazing around it, they’ll be taken back to the valleys within the first week of September, according to the old practice of Alpine transhumance.
Time for a couple of shots and I reached the mountain hut (2026 mt.) where I got a proper coffee and had a chat with the crew and some customers. I told them about my plans and got confirmation it was fine to camp for one night as long as the rules for protected areas were respected. I strolled around the lake and the mountain hut a bit, taking some more pics and wait for lunch time. During lunch I also asked the cook if she can arrange some sandwiches and fruits I was planning to take for dinner and let her fill my thermos with her extra sweet black tea .
Hit the trail again after lunch, looking for a good camping spot. I finally set up my outpost on a mountain pass (2495 mt.). I found a good spot, a bit further away from the marked trail and put up my tent, while the many curious Alpine Ibex came quite close to my camp. I also set up my “bed”, left the backpack and went around exploring the surroundings, taking more pics and screening some interesting geological formations. Several hikers are passing by, on the way back from the mountain peaks.
continue...
. After so much sea I was sort of missing them and it was some years now from the last time I have spent the night outdoor there!Safety first; the weather forecast was good, this is peak holiday time in South Europe so I was expecting many other hikers on the trails, the mountain hut on the trail (CAI # 210, 224) I was planning to keep as “base camp” was open and, as the icing on the cake, the 10th of August is the Night of the Shooting Stars, the tears of saint Lawrence, according to the tradition. During this week it’s very likely to see a number of shooting stars and, up there, where the urban light pollution is basically zero, I was confident the show would have been amazing
.Parked the car while the village was still sleeping around 05:30 AM and hit the trail under the dawn light. Rather cloudy sky but I was confident it would have opened up during the climb. The very first part of the trail follows a forest road taking me through the woods until reaching a small hamlet. The forest road here becomes a well-marked trail and starts to climb more steeply into the woods, becoming denser and denser.
First quick “pit-stop” to have a light breakfast (a juice and some trail mix) sitting on a big rock in a clearing, enjoying the sun rays filtering through the canopy and put in action
the Spyderco PM2, my pocket companion for this hike . Kept on walking with a good pace and, an hour later, I finally was above the tree line and, coasting an artificial lake and its dam (1957 mt.) for a while, I reached another small pond with crystal clear waters (1972 mt.). Cows were still grazing around it, they’ll be taken back to the valleys within the first week of September, according to the old practice of Alpine transhumance.
Time for a couple of shots and I reached the mountain hut (2026 mt.) where I got a proper coffee
and had a chat with the crew and some customers. I told them about my plans and got confirmation it was fine to camp for one night as long as the rules for protected areas were respected. I strolled around the lake and the mountain hut a bit, taking some more pics and wait for lunch time. During lunch I also asked the cook if she can arrange some sandwiches and fruits I was planning to take for dinner and let her fill my thermos with her extra sweet black tea .
Hit the trail again after lunch, looking for a good camping spot. I finally set up my outpost on a mountain pass (2495 mt.). I found a good spot, a bit further away from the marked trail and put up my tent, while the many curious Alpine Ibex came quite close to my camp. I also set up my “bed”, left the backpack and went around exploring the surroundings, taking more pics and screening some interesting geological formations. Several hikers are passing by, on the way back from the mountain peaks.
continue...
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