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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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
