Monte Morrone, October 13, 2013, Parco Nazionale della Maiella

Monte Morrone, my nemesis in 2012, became the first solo hike of the 2013 trip to Abruzzo. The year before, I had attempted the peak from the east via the Q7 from Roccacaramanico and the ensuing steep series of switchbacks up the Rava del Confine. I only got as far as the rifugio below the summit when fog set in, forcing me to descend or risk getting seriously lost above treeline. This year, I decided to make the approach from the west, via the "S" trail from Badia.

At 2141 meters - more than 7,000 feet - Monte Morrone is a huge mountain and one of what I call the "big three" peaks that overlook the city of Sulmona, our home base when visiting Italy. Knowing it would be a long haul over  whopping 5,000 feet of elevation gain, I arrived at the head of the S trail at daybreak. Fortunately, it is just a short, 15 minute drive from Sulmona to Badia and the trailhead is conveniently found just off the road to the Hermitage of San D'Onofrio. The S trail doesn't appear on the Edizioni Il Lupo Maiella map, but it does show up on the park's recently-issued Carta Turistica map. K got me a copy at the Sulmona tourist office.

The climbing starts almost immediately, with the trail crossing a meadow, entering a ravine, and then switching back to bring you high above the parking area with Badia and the valley far below. Next, it is up, up, up via switchbacks through pine woods with occasional intersections with forest roads. The trail has been recently remarked with plenty of blazes and new signs, making navigating fairly easy.

The first leg of the hike ends at the Rifugio Le Vicenne (apparently also known as La Cassetta) which sits on an open meadow at the edge of tree line with views back into the valley. As with most of the Italian huts, it is fenced off to keep out cattle, sheep, and horses that graze on the mountains. The building was open, with signs of recent use including stacked wood and fresh tomatoes on a table.

At the rifugio, the trail does get difficult to follow. A small red and white marker on the side of the hut points to the right (east/southeast) but it just says "Morrone," not "S." I set of in the direction of the arrow, following a noticeable trail through the open space to the right in the above photograph. I followed the track for a short while, but stopped to check the map when I realized that there had been no blazes since the rifugio. I backtracked to the hut and realized that the "S" trail actually proceeded through the middle of this tree cluster, not around it.

Once through the tree cluster, the S trail proceeds across a small meadow and through another copse of trees. The problem there was that a stone marker on the other side of the meadow had been toppled. I stayed on what I knew needed to be a northerly course with the compass and soon found the trail on the other side of the trees. From that point on, the trail proceeds steeply above treeline through open meadows littered with stones. The markers are spaced just at the edge of one's line of sight - easy enough to follow but still requiring focus, good eyesight, and clear weather (which I had). I spotted a herd of wild horses and startled a young chamois that bounded out of some undergrowth and disappeared into the mountain scape.

Finally, the S trail reaches the summit ridge where it crosses the Q3 coming from Passo San Leonardo. On the ridge, the markers are harder to follow. I proceeded to the right around a rocky outcropping and then took sight of the summit a little farther along. Marked by a cross and a memorial plaque, the Morrone summit offers sweeping views in all directions. My favorite was the view of the Amaro range to the southeast. I took a short break on the summit, and then began my descent. Back to the trailhead by 1:30 pm, the up and back hike took 6 hours and 15 minutes.

Peak: Monte Morrone

Elevation: 2141 meters (7,024 feet); Gain: 5,383 feet

Distance: 16 km (9.9 miles) roundtrip 

Conditions: Sunny, 60 degrees F

Notable Fauna: Chamois, wild horses