The wings of angels

You get up, you are worn out by long days of work that keep you nailed to a computer until two in the morning. Then there are family commitments, how can you avoid them... these are the things of life. And yet you throw yourself out of bed, drawing strength from who knows what hidden reserve. You would much rather stay in bed and sleep, throw it all up in the air and laze about with no other aim than idleness and rest.  
But you know how it will end, you want to avoid the regrets you have every time you stay at home wasting precious chances.... so you get up and put the coffee pot on.
You have got older and you need your quarter of an hour in the bathroom. These are the things nobody dares talk about, and yet there they are.
Your heart is pounding in your chest from waking up suddenly in the middle of the night. Perhaps I was dreaming, and the interruption still leaves me with an unpleasant feeling of confusion...
The smell of coffee is the only familiar thing that comforts me and gives me strength; I start to imagine the day and the pleasant feeling of walking.

The wings of angels give shade when the sun is too strong, the wings of angels shelter you from the rain, the wings of angels are the courage of an autumn morning, the overcoat of a cold winter. The wings of angels are an early-morning dream, a smiling glance, the words of a friend. The wings of angels are the hopes that make you fly towards the future, even the nearest one, the one that gives you a surprise just around the corner.

So you find yourself saying the usual things: this really is a wonderful mountain, then if you think about it you realise that every mountain is the most beautiful ever. It is the present, tactile, visual and sensory, that draws us. It is here and now that you can feel good... if you live with awareness, then even the difficult moments make sense.

With Alessandro we choose an outing that is not technically too complex but that will train our legs. We have to get ready for winter. On snow, tiredness is not an option. So we think about our fitness in good time.

The route we choose is a loop that gives us time to see a bit of woodland and leaves us the chance to discover a bit of the area. Monte San Franco from the Passo delle Capannelle would be too banal a route, so we decide to make it harder by looking for a bit of trouble in the wood. And we find the trouble straight away, because after the first two kilometres we get lost in the wood. But we are quick to find our way again. Map in hand we manage to find our bearings marvellously well. Experience must be good for something, right?

The wood that leads us to Rifugio Panepucci is beautiful, and I picture it in spring. I might decide to come back to see it in a new light.

This time the wings of angels led me along a long and tiring path to discover that, luckily, there are still a lot of mountains left to discover. That the Apennines, soft or rocky, damp or parched by the sun, tangled or straightforward, are a land that offers endless opportunities for rest. Yes… rest... because it is possible to rest even while walking or panting along the steep ridge that leads to the summit.

The climb, taken without too much hurry, gives us long chats, reflections, memories... there is nothing better. Then the summit gives us rest, stretched out in the sun, without asking for anything more: nature (sun, grass, smells and sensations) and friendship (with its load of trust and harmony) .

Another very lucky day in the mountains.