Saturday 16 February 2008
Monte Viglio is what I consider my reference mountain, and at least once a year I like going back there to remember the first incredible experiences I had on it.
We're talking about a simple route, with no great technical difficulties to overcome.
For a couple of years I have been a member of a Rome association in which we also organise interesting hikes in the mountains of the central Apennines.
I suggested a winter hike on Monte Viglio to my friends of the Associazione Alta Quota because I think it is an exceptional mountain both orographically (shape and layout) and naturally (vegetation and rocks). The route is fairly simple and within the reach of the most inexperienced. At the same time it is a route that, running along the long ridge and the humps of Monte Viglio, offers the chance to admire very rewarding views. At the Valico di Serra S. Antonio, where a junction opens into a large clearing, near an abandoned house, we leave the cars. From this clearing a mule track goes into a beech wood of medium-tall trunks. The mule track follows the 1600-metre contour as far as the Fonte della Moscosa, a watering trough that lies right beneath the imposing bulk of Monte Piano, already visible from inside the wood. From the Fonte della Moscosa you climb up to the right through a deep little valley in which we find Norway spruces planted for reafforestation. Once across the valley, a short pull of about a hundred metres of height gain leads to a balcony overlooking the Val Roveto. Here there used to be a little statue of the Madonna, which mysteriously disappeared in the previous months. From this balcony you enjoy a wonderful view over the Velino and Sirente and over the group of Pizzo Deta and Monte Passeggio. From here, looking at the Val Roveto, on the right we have a view of the northern ridge of Monte Piano. In summer the ridge is normally marked by an obvious path. In winter the ridge must be walked with caution, keeping not too far to the left. It's a pull of another hundred and fifty metres on a slope inclined at about 30-35 degrees. From here the route continues with a series of ups and downs over what are marked as “i cantari”, big rounded humps following one another, all at around 2000 metres. The route gets more “technical” towards the end, where an exposed passage of rock and snow forces us to be careful and to use hands and ice axe on the way down too. Past the little passage the well-known “Gendarme” looms up in front of us, an imposing rocky tooth covered with ice and well-settled snow. You can avoid the passage over the “Gendarme” by going round its base without running too many risks. The route ends with a long inclined traverse, a ridge exposed to the icy currents of the wind that is almost permanently covered in ice, at least during the coldest part of winter.
The group is made up of friends with different hiking skills and experience. Some more, some less, we all know the mountains in their most varied aspects. I'm physically in pieces. In recent months I've put on weight and I weigh more than eighty kilos. My pace is slow, I'm constantly overtaken by the other members of the group. But by choice I also lag behind to stay close to Luca M., who almost from the start has suffered from cramps in his left quadriceps. Luca and I take the opportunity to take a few more photos of this wonderful mountain, of which we never feel completely sated. The day is freezing: in the early morning we reached temperatures approaching –15°. Luckily the dry air and the sun help us get over that unpleasant feeling of… frost. The warmth of the group, the jokes, the cheerfulness keep us warm all the time too.
Deep down I feel responsible because I can't keep the group together. I would like us to have the chance to get to know each other better and, in any case, to manage to adapt our pace to the slowest one. Clearly, because of each person's different physical condition, we end up rather spread out along the ridge of the "cantari", always regrouping at the key points of the route.
At last we're all on the summit. The sun is blinding. We all have a fine reddish colour on our cheeks. But almost all of us, partly out of laziness, don't put on any sun cream.
The summit photos are de rigueur, and some go to town with countless photos of the view.
Within half an hour a group of 15 people from the C.A.I. (Italian Alpine Club) arrives at the summit. We are getting ready for the return.
As usual I haven't laced my boots tightly enough, my foot is swimming around inside, banging the tips of my toes against the front of the boot. I decide to concentrate harder on the simple operation of “walking”. I place my foot regularly flat, paying particular attention to my stability. The pain in my toes soon passes. We reach Fonte della Moscosa between slides on the icy snow and long slogs through snow that has melted during the day.
The return along the mule track seems, as usual, far too long. Psychologically we no longer have that enthusiasm we have when climbing to the summit. We take the opportunity to talk about our past experiences, remember the finest hikes, our little moments of glory.
Another wonderful day on Monte Viglio ends with tea and pastries in a bar in Filettino. We trade jokes and are already imagining our next outings.
Thank you, friends of Alta Quota, thank you for living this splendid day together.
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