Gole di Celano, October 20, 2017, Parco Regionale Sirente-Velino

Navigating the giant boulders in the Celano Gorges

Our visit to the Celano Gorges was years in the making. The hike was on our must-do list during a trip back in 2012. But on that occasion, when we arrived at the trail head, we found the place plastered with caution signs showing crude stick figures with X-ed out eyes and the word CHIUSO - CLOSED. The signs were kind of like those popular Italian t-shirts from a few years back with drunken-looking figures and the English words "This is my face after party." But instead of beer bottles in hand, the stick figures had huge rocks landing on their heads. So we quickly deciphered that the gorge was closed due to rock falls.

Lonely trees in the gorge

Despite being back to Abruzzo other times, it took five years before we made it back to Celano. We were glad we finally did. Since it was a weekday in October, we fortunately found the super-sized parking lot totally empty and didn't encounter a single hiker throughout the day. From the parking area, the trail heads north through a pleasant meadow and into the gole - which in the winter and spring is totally impassable due to snow and ice and then raging runoff from the snow melt. In parts, there is no trail to speak of, just boulder scrambles beneath massive canyon walls.

Collecting water from the Fonte delgli Innamorati

The path through the gole continues for many miles, eventually connecting with another trans-Sirente trail heading to the northern reaches of the preserve, so we set our day's objective as La Fonte degli Innamorati and reached the pleasant little glade in two hours. The fonte is actually a waterfall that trickles down the canyon walls. We cooled off by letting the water fall on our heads and filled up our water supply before setting up a lunch spot within earshot of the cascade.

Narrow passage

We took our time on the return and arrived to a still-empty parking lot, a frequent occurrence when hiking in Abruzzo in October.

Diminutive Fiat

Una gita alle Gole di Celano. Five years in the making, but definitely worth the wait.

Destination: Fonte degli Innamorati
Elevation: 3,375 feet (752 feet)
Distance: 5 miles round trip
Route: Up and back
Conditions: Sunny, 80 degrees F

Colle Brignole, October 19, 2017, Bosco di Sant'Antonio, Parco Nazionale della Maiella, Abruzzo, Italy

Looking south to Monte Amaro, Monte Mileto and Monte Mattone, from summit of Colle Brignole

In Italy, I am usually the one to research and plot our hiking adventures. After the evening passeggiata and/or while killing time waiting for the (hopelessly late) hour when restaurants open for dinner, I spend my time pouring over my stash of outdated-yet-still-useful topographic maps from Edizioni Il Lupo. Using these mountaineering maps instead of free tourist maps or guidebooks means that we can find trails that are seldom used, especially on weekdays in autumn.

Autumn colors in the Bosco Sant'Antonio

The hike to Colle Brignole, however, was all K. She got the word from our landlords about a nice little nature preserve called Bosco di Sant'Antonio about 20 km south of Sulmona. I have to admit that I was a little hesitant of following through on an Italian's recommendation, thinking that it would be too tourist-centered. But I reluctantly got on board with the idea. I am glad that I did.

Meadow ascent to Colle Brignole

Situated the next valley over from the one that holds the SS17 highway, the Bosco was located in area that we had never visited despite our many years of traveling to the Abruzzo. The drive to this new valley was quite pleasant. When we arrived at our destination, we saw the telltale signs of it being a very popular spot - plenty of parking, picnic tables, informational signs, and even a cafe, albeit shuttered for the season. We opted for a loop trail around the perimeter of the Bosco which wound its way past a stone hermitage and gnarly old trees. To K, it all resembled a magical home for "elves and sprites and fairies and shit."

Sumit marker, Colle Brigole

The trails through the forest are quite short, so we followed the fairly well-marked signs to the 01 trail leading north to a summit point called "Colle Brignole." To get to the colle, we proceeded out of the forest up through a meadow, then back into the woods along a series of fairly steep switchbacks. All in all, though, it was a pretty easy climb up to a long, wooded ridgeline that eventually opens up to wide open views in all directions. We most liked the view to the north. So we plopped down for lunch admiring the nice view of Passo San Leonardo and the profile of our favorite mountain, Monte Mileto. We lamented the fact that we wouldn't have time to climb Mileto this year, but took comfort in the fact that we had found a new enjoyable hike that we would surely like to do again.

Peak: Colle Brignole
Elevation: 1,625 meters (5,331 feet) Gain: 550 meters (1,804 feet)

Distance: 7 km (4.3 miles) roundtrip

Route: 01 trail from Bosco Sant'Antonio, up and back

Conditions: Sunny, 70 degrees F

Corno Grande, October 15, 2017, Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso

Corno Grande, Via Normale

It looks tranquil and lonely from the photo above, but a hike up the Corno Grande on a beautiful Sunday in October is not an ascendant outing that I will ever do again. The craggy summit was absolutely mobbed with people, so much so that I had to sit and wait, sometimes for tens of minutes at a time, just to move a few meters. In all the times that I've hiked in Italy, I can count the number of other hikers that I've encountered on the fingers of one hand. On the Corno, I lost track once I hit several hundred.

View to the northest from the Corno Grande shoulder

In 2012, K and I made the drive up to the Campo Imperatore hotel/observatory complex from Sulmona with the intent of hiking the Corno Grande - the highest peak in central Italy. That sunny day was deceptive as gale force winds forced us to turn around in mid-hike. This time, I monitored both temperature, precipitation and wind speed, and knew that the day would be perfect. So too, apparently, did every Italian peakbagger. There are two main approaches to the Corno Grande. Via Normale loops around the summit and affords a more moderate, though still steep, approach from the north. Alternatively, Via Direttissima, the "most direct way," takes you right up the face. I chose the former, thinking it might be less crowded. Wrong.

Panorama from Corno Grande

Despite the views, it wasn't a very enjoyable hike and I sought to get up and back as quickly as possible. I even had to skip out on making it to the true summit because of a backlog of hikers crowding the cone. I didn't have the patience to wait since K was back at the trail head. As it turns out, making quick time was the best thing to do. Our whole plan was predicated on the fact that she could spend the three hours hanging out in the Campo Imperatore hotel/cafe to relax, knit, have biscotti and espressi, and use the bathroom when needed. But the hotel and cafe were both closed on an absolutely gorgeous autumn Sunday with literally thousands of potential customers milling about...

Italy.

Peak: Corno Grande
Elevation: 2,912 meters (9,554 feet); Gain 5,500 feet
Distance: 7.7 miles (round trip); up and back/partial loop
Conditions: Sunny, 55 degrees F

Mount Cabot, August 17, 2017, North Country, White Mountain National Forest

With APC and APC, Jr. at the Summit of Mount Cabot

The 48th peak!

On one of our longer NH48 hikes - I think that it was the marathon traverse of the Bonds - my brother resolved that his final peak would be the first peak climbed by son APC, Jr. So for many years we pocketed the relatively-gentle Mount Cabot, knowing that it would be a suitable first peak when the little one came of age to hit the 4,000 footers with dad and uncle. The intergenerational feel of the day possessed me to wear a baseball cap that once belonged to our late father, an enthusiastic hiker himself.

Any doubt of APC, Jr.'s ability to do a full-day, 2,900-foot-gain peak hike quickly dissipated as he zipped onwards and upwards, a plush toy brush wolf peaking from his pack, towards a late-day dual celebration at the summit.

Goldenrod Meadow on York Pond Trail

We hit the East York Pond trailhead at 8:45 AM and were pleasantly surprised to find only one car and a pair of hikers at the trailhead. Noticing the AMC sticker on their car, we got to talking and learned that Cabot marked their 47th peak, with plans to complete their NH48 list at Jefferson a few days later. The pleasant interaction, which continued at several point throughout the day as our paths crossed on the trail, reconfirmed one of the great things about the AMC hiking community - its camaraderie.

Bunnell Notch Ascent

Though overgrown, the meadowy lower reaches of the hike were quite pretty, with that favorite late-summer bloomer goldenrod decorating long stretches with its striking color. The trek through Bunnell Notch affords the sounds of a tumbling brook for long sections and ascends at a fairly easy grade. We plodded along at a slow but steady pace all morning and stopped for lunch on the open ledges of Bunnell Rock.

Bunnell Rock Ledges

After a leisurely break, we pressed on to the Mount Cabot cabin and then to the large cairn at a high point directly behind it, which I suppose many hikers mistakenly identify as the Cabot summit. Knowing better, we pressed northwest along the summit ridge, descended briefly, and then climbed to the true summit.

Mount Cabot. Our 48th peak. And a young, upstart hiker's 1st. Most people call Cabot's viewless summit unremarkable. For us, nothing could be further from the truth.

Peak: Mount Cabot
Elevation: 4,170 feet (Gain: 2,900 feet)
Distance: 9.6 miles
Route: Up and back, York Pond Trail, Bunnell Notch Trail, Kilkenny Ridge Trail, Mount Cabot Trail
Conditions: Partly sunny, 85 degrees F

Mount Jefferson, June 8, 2017, Presidential Range, White Mountain National Forest

Ascending the Castles towards Mt. Jefferson

If one mountain could be considered a nemesis, it would be Mount Jefferson. My brother saw at least three different attempts thwarted over the years. Then, in 2013, gale force winds, freezing fog and day-long precipiation made a summit ascent impossible during our joint Presidential traverse. We finally knocked the third highest peak off our list in 2014 using the express ascent route - the Caps Ridge Trail.

Considering the tally of so many failed attempts, one visit to Mount Jefferson just didn't seem like enough. One summit fail. One summit success. It was time to take the lead.

Long way to go, View of Mt. Jefferson and the Castles from Bowman's

The best way to do Mount Jefferson isn't the Caps Ridge. It is the Castle. This picturesque trail with sweeping, panoramic views follows the craggy, castellated ridge rising towards the summit from the northwest. It's not easy. One White Mountain hiking blogger rates its difficulty as "Bring the Alieve." Lots of folks suggest doing the Castle Trail as an up and back, but I'd say that turning it into a loop with the Israel Ridge Path makes for one of the best hikes in all the Whites.

Rock hopping is par for the course on Castle

I hit the trail at 5:55 AM. The previous day was a total rainout, so the Israel River crossing at the start of the Castle Trail was a tad tricky. The place to cross is immediately when the trail hits the river, not the actual signed crossing point upstream. The trail is a long, plodding slog up seemingly-endless rocky steps, then a brief respite of level terrain before leaving treeline and crossing the Castles - a series of vertical rock pillars that form the ridgeline.

View of the way up from the way down, the Castellated Ridge from Israel Ridge

The 360-degree views were remarkable on a windless, near-cloudless day in early June. The final stretch of the trail is the familiar half-mile of rock-hopping over the huge boulders that form Jefferson's summit. Once there, I hung out for nearly an hour. No one came.

Summit Selfie with U.F.O. or whatever that is

For the descent, I hopped down to the Gulfside Trail and had to navigate over a somehwat scary snowbank in Edmand's Col that covered the trail and angled downward into the ravine. My route down, the Israel Ridge Trail, is a great contrast to the Castle. It's a steep but attractive trail featuring tree canopy, moss and lichen formations, a series of amazing water cascades, and the sound of the river most of the way. Izzy Ridge ends with a double crossing of the Israel River and then reconnects with the Castle Trail to the finish line. I was back at the Bowman's lot at 1:00 PM.

The Cascades, Israel Ridge Path

All in all, it was a day of perfect trails and perfect weather. And, since the only humans who I saw all day were some horizon silhouettes on Gulfside and a pair of RMC trailbuilders on Israel, perfect solitude.

Peak: Mount Jefferson
Elevation: 5,716 feet (Gain: 4,200 feet)
Distance: 10 miles
Route: Loop, Castle Trail, Loop Trail, Gulfside Trail, Israel Ridge Path
Conditions: Sunny and calm