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Last week, desperate for a bit of mountain action after the “August” hiatus (should they really be called the “August holidays” when nothing reopens until the 20th of September?), nine of us got together for a trek into a forgotten corner of the Sibillini National Park called Val di Tela. Things got off to a dicey start as we ended up cutting across some very exposed ground to reach the tiny saddle that gives access to the valley. But we survived and were soon meandering through a rarely visited area of the park. Video after the fold.
Following the week in Snowdonia, I met up with some shady characters from my past in the Brecon Beacons for a weekend of camping and trekking. We had selected the very fine YHA hostel in Capel y Ffin (shortly to close) in the heart of the Black Mountains as our base for excursions.
We’re back in Italy today but I’m trying to catch up on a few things I meant to post. Here’s the first…
While in the UK, I took some time off work and headed to Snowdonia in Wales for a week of mountaineering courses. The first was a weekend navigation course at Plas y Brenin, the National Mountain Centre in Capel Curig. Although isolated and tucked right into the national park, the centre was fantastically tooled up: good accommodation, indoor climbing wall, heated pool for kayak training, artificial snow slope, full on-site catering, bar, and tea and biscuits every afternoon at 4:30. The best bit was the gear store, where taciturn, long suffering quartermasters dispense everything a mountaineer could want. In their literature they recommend that you don’t buy a lot of new equipment just for a course; instead they encourage you to come and try theirs and see what works for you. I was very impressed. If I lived in this country I would be a Plas y Brenin addict.
After the navigation course I caught a ride a few miles down the road for five days of scrambling with Jagged Globe, who run their Snowdonia courses out of Cobdens Hotel. My original intention had been to spend a week at PYB doing their mountaineering skills course, but it was cancelled so navigation + scrambling was my cobbled-together solution. After the camaraderie of PYB, the Jagged Globe setup was a bit of a comedown. Rather than relaxing in the pub with crowds of fellow outdoorsy types, suddenly I found myself at a table by myself in the down-at-heel bar at Cobdens, staring into a pint of Guinness and wondering whether it was wiser to mind my own business or strike up a conversation with the freaky French barman. There was only one other person on the course (a woman, I guessed, as I’d been given a double room all to myself) but she hadn’t turned up.
Last Sunday with the alpine club we climbed up Pizzo Tre Vescovi – the peak at the intersection of three bishoprics. This was right in the thick of the latest spate of hot weather and we roasted up there on the mountainside – especially in the airless and aptly named Val di Panico. Route and videos after the fold.
We were back down in Abruzzo for Sunday’s outing with the alpine club. It’s turning into a good group of regulars and everyone is happy to see you when you roll up in the morning, unshaven and with bed hair. Besides great walks, the club has put me way ahead of schedule on the FAP with two excellent dinners so far, a lot of wine, sweet and sour eggs (who’d have thought that was an Italian dish?), a conversation partner for Tessa, and intimate knowledge of the Macerata one-way system.
From Campo Felice we climbed into the interconnecting valleys of Valle delle Sett’acque before coming out on the ridge that looks down on the town of L’Aquila and across to the Gran Sasso chain of peaks. Most of the time was spent walking crests, which made an interesting change: you could always see where you’d been and how far you still had to go. Route and video after the fold.
Back to the Sibillini last Sunday for a trek up Monte Lieto. Rough going for the first few hours but eventually we made it onto the ridge and had stunning views in all directions, from the mountains above Rome to the hills on the Adriatic – the entire width of Central Italy. Route and video after the fold. Read the rest of this entry »
Sunday’s trek was at Gola di Celano way down in Abruzzo. It was an intersezionale where lots of CAI chapters meet up for the same trek and as a result we had more than 80 people. The setting was staggering, between the vertical walls of a very deep and narrow gorge, but I tell you what, it wasn’t quiet. Because with 80 Italians in a confined space you can count on plenty of chatting, arguments, wild gesticulation, and general boisterousness.
I was pissed off for the first hour especially as I’d been assured by the head of our chapter that it wouldn’t be a big group. But in the end I gave in and enjoyed the company.
Route and videos after the fold. Read the rest of this entry »
On Sundays with the alpine club, we always carpool to the trail head. This week when we got back down the mountain we found one of the cars with its windows broken and tires slashed. Soon it was clear that the rest of the cars had had their locks forced. Documents, cash, CDs, credit cards, even gym shoes and spare clothes – all gone. This was in an isolated spot in the countryside with nothing around for miles. Who could have done something like this?
As we took stock and changed the tire (in the rain) the shock and disbelief subsided, revealing a consensus among our group of 20 or so: no Italian could possibly have done it. Read the rest of this entry »
Sunday’s trek took us to Lago di Pilato in the heart of the Monti Sibillini national park, the only natural lake in Le Marche. Legend says it became the final resting place of Pontius Pilate when the oxen carrying his body fell from Cima del Redentore into the lake. Locals say it’s been a playground for witches and devils ever since.
Here’s our route (download and open in Google Earth) from a spring near Castelluccio up to Lago di Pilato via a saddle called Forca Viola. Even as we set out you could see the sky was black over the mountains in the south, so the pace was much faster than planned.
Yesterday’s trek with the alpine club was hard work but worth it. When we got to the top we found a fireworks display of wild flowers that stretched for acres all around. I’ve never seen anything like it.
As an experiment, I’ve included a Google Earth .kml file that lets you see the route of the trek in 3-d. Just download and open it in Google Earth (file -> open). Make sure you’ve got 3-d topography turned on.
I’ve also posted a couple of videos. Let me know if all this is enjoyable to look at. It takes a while to get everything organised and uploaded.
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