Sunday, July 31, 2011

Monte Cusna

Mount Cusna is the highest point in the Apennines in the province of Reggio Emilia. It is also one of the most interesting parts of the mountains here.

When I left the car at Passo Cisa the weather seemed to be clearing up, so I thought that by the time I got to below Monte Cusna it would have become a nice day. How wrong I was.

Monte Cusna from Prati di Sara

Prati  (Fields of) di Sara

When I arrived below Cusna  I decided to deviate to the “Prati di Sara”  a high plain with isolated clumps of trees. From there I then took the  footpath that skirts around Cusna to arrive at the Costa delle Veline.  It  seemed to  have become a nice day.

Prati di Sara

Prati di Sara

Cusna from Prati di Sara


Prati di Sara

The weather now decided to deteriorate rapidly as it often does in the mountains  with thunder in the near distance and the fog came down.  Rather than risking the footbath that more or less circles Cusna I decided to go up and over Cusna and back to the car  on the seemingly almost vertical 625 footpath.  When I got to the top the fog cleared as quickly as it had arrived.

Canale del Lavacchiello
 
Canale del Lavacchiello

Under the west side of Cusna


Rock formation, under the west side of Cusna

Under the west side of Cusna

Under the west side of Cusna

Under the west side of Cusna

Descending down from Cusna, it had now become a nice evening.

From Monte Cusna

From Monte Cusna


From Monte Cusna

Sasso del Morto, from Monte Cusna

Sheep on the top of Monte Cusna

Monte Cusna

Monte Cusna

Monte Cusna

Monte Cusna


Saturday, July 23, 2011

Parco Cento Laghi True to Form

The weather forecast indicated that it would be a nice day, but as usual I managed to find some bad weather  on the Apennines in the province of Parma. The 100 lakes park for me is the most spectacular part of the  Tosco-Emilian Apennines, but its proximity to the coast means that the high ridge is often covered with cloud.
Looking down to I Lagoni from under Monte Pumacciolo
Looking down to I Lagoni from under Monte Pumacciolo
I started my walk from I Lagoni  crossing over Rocca Pumacciolo meeting the “Crinale” at Mount Pattino. On the footpath between Rocca Pumacciolo on some stretches its best not to look down. Here the weather started slowly to turn bad.
 Monte Pumacciolo

Looking east from Rocca Pumacciolo
Monte Scala
Monte Scala
Monte Scala

Monte Sillara

Rocca Pumacciolo

Mount Paitino

 Rocca Pumacciolo

Under Monte Piatino

I then went onto Lake Sillara and Lake Compione.

Lake Sillara
From Mount Sillara

To return I followed the crest before descending down to Lake Bicchiere , the weather had now become really  foul. By the time I reached the Capanna di Bagigiana I was out of the clouds and back into sunshine.    
Monte Scala

Monte Scala

Monte Scala
 Bad weather often leads to some interesting photographs, which made up for getting rather wet walking through the hot and very humid clouds for the last part of my walk.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Monte Cimone

My first foray into the high Apennines this year  did not start well. I wanted to do a stretch of “Crinale” on the 00 footpath  from San Pellegrino in Alpe towards Lago Santo (Modena).  The  “Crinale”  was in the  clouds and walking in thick fog with high winds is no fun.
Il Balzone, Cimone
Monte Cimone

I switched to Monte Cimone which seemed to be quite free of cloud. From Doccia near Fumalbo I climbed up to Appicella di Cimone, skirted around Cimone ending up at Lake Ninfa.

Pian Cavallaro, Cimone

Salto della Capra (Goats jump) , Cimone
Cimone
Lago di Terzo, Cimone
Cimone
Cimone

For me the area around Cimone ( full of ski lifts) is not one of the most interesting walks I have done in the Apennines and Lake Ninfa was too crowded for my tastes.

Lake Ninfa, Cimone
I visited on the way back one of the “Celtic houses”  a particular type of dwelling once used by Sheppard’s found  only in this area. These buildings with the particular gable ends are also to be found in Brittany. Perhaps the most interesting thing I came across on this trip.
Casa Celtica ( Celtic House) , Doccia, Fiumalbo MO
Casa Celtica ( Celtic House) , Doccia, Fiumalbo MO

Casa Celtica ( Celtic House) , Doccia, Fiumalbo MO

Casa Celtica ( Celtic House) , Doccia, Fiumalbo MO

Casa Celtica ( Celtic House) , Doccia, Fiumalbo MO

Fiumalbo MO

Fiumalbo MO