Hermitage of San Bartolomeo 2, October 14, 2013, Parco Nazionale della Maiella

We returned to Decontra for the short hike to the Hermitage of San Bartolomeo in the Maiella's Santo Spirito River Gorge for two reasons. One: On our first visit there, we had really enjoyed the open landscape, the backdrop of jagged mountains, the melodious sound of thousands of buzzing bees, and the cultural experience of exploring a Catholic chapel carved into the cliff walls. Two, we wanted to see our friend "biscotto" - the little black and white dog that accompanied us on the same hike the year before.

We parked the car in Decontra, next to the church, and got out of our Ford Fiesta rental (what, no Fiat?) with the secret hope of "biscotto" scampering out of the bushes and greeting us like old friends. We listened, waited, even called. But it was not meant to be. So we set off on our hike with a reconfirmed notion that biscotto was indeed a "ghost dog sherpa." At the stone well at the end of the auto road, we noticed some new signage. Especially a very prominent one announcing the emergency number for mountain rescue in Abruzzo. Yikes.

Following the same trail as last year, we soon emerged into the open landscape that we cherished so endearingly last year. In parts, the fields are filled with stone piles likely gathered and stacked by shepherds hundreds of years ago to build shelters and sheep pens.

In the Maiella, park officials and local hiking groups are working together to remark many of the trails. We observed a lot of new signage that didn't exist last year. Problem: Some signs contain distances in kilometers; others in time... i.e., the hours and minutes that it takes to get to that destination. Seeing the sign above, we figured that another hermitage that we had not seen the year before was only 2.5 kilometers away. Why not? Let's do it.

The trail towards the Hermitage of Santo Spirito was very pleasant, descending through tall beech trees along a well graded 4x4 track with the river and gorge to our left (north). As we plodded along for an hour without reaching our destination, we realized the error. The sign really meant it would take 2 1/2 hours to get to the hermitage. Since we had envisioned the day as a short hike, we decided to turn around. As we retraced our steps, we blamed both the signs and our own stupidity for the error.

At the junction, we headed towards the Hermitage of San Bartolomeo and found the same picnic spot that we had shared with our canine friend the year before. From this spot, located just before the trail descends into the gorge, one has an incredible view of the cliffside shrine. We decided not to visit the Hermitage this year, opting instead for an extended rest at the picnic spot before returning to the car.