climbing on avalanche - avalanche of Serra del Prete, top, Colle Impiso .
avalanche of violence: a landscape of great strength and charm - photo by Indio. below: 1. beech overwhelmed at the base terminal of the second avalanche. the clearing in the forest where the avalanche ends, 3. a "wrong"-timer 4. particular: the eradication of beech trees, 5. the initial part of the first avalanche cones beech killed ... the background Monte Pollino, 6. general view of the heart of the Pollino massif from the summit of the Serra del Prete
The recent avalanche of Serra's Priest has become a sort of event, which has aroused wonder and amazement among the many fans of the Pollino.
Already a trip in late March I noticed that on Serra del Prete there was a wound on his side of the mountain, which had changed its usual appearance. Usually climbers create new routes over the mountains, but in this case it is as if the way to the top of the mountain had drawn the same: just flashed into my head was the idea of \u200b\u200bfollowing the path of the avalanche from the base (ie the place where the race is over violent avalanche) to the top of the mountain, from which it has unleashed.
I had seen other photos taken from a distance of hikers and other on-site visits which have not only increased my curiosity. I wanted to be there, "the scene of the disaster," among the remains of the devastation. Well 'you say, you, you could get from the top without complicated life in a hard climb.
Be,' which I must say, I was excited just the idea of \u200b\u200bclimbing ... and then ... me always like to complicate my life! The problem was found in the beech forest where the avalanche is over. Meanwhile plans Vaquarro I came to realize the direction to take. The landslide is in front of me and I do keep some in the forest 'on the right. The beech is complicated. Finally I notice a group of beech trees dried and folded by the snow and I think there, going up, I should meet the clearing in the forest created by the avalanche. Trudging up the steep wooded slope but a meeting of the new dense forest. Then I met a stony ridge discovered: I decide to go back to see if it takes me somewhere and if its top stripped from the trees to finally see something.
Even if it's summer I took a short snow-ax, for have stability to ascend the steep canyon formed by the landslide, but already here gives me a great help to stay in balance on the slippery carpet of dead leaves. Check the top of the ridge.
The avalanche should be here, somewhere to the left or right side of the ridge. I am confused because I see only dense forest and began assaulting the impatience, but as soon as I close here I notice at the bottom and on my right, beeches dried slumped to the ground: I've found, is the terminus of the landslide. "I found, I found it." .. I find myself cheering half as stupid and I head straight for the spectacle that awaits me. At this point, the landslide has created a clearing in the beech forest, where they are stacked piles of beech trees uprooted or broken and dragged here even after tens of meters from the place where they put the roots. Now I have to find your way among the trees, stepping over or walking around and which does not fit the ankles. In some places the beech trees uprooted created circular holes ... remain within the stones that were stuck between the roots. I notice a lone beech and straight, who escaped the disaster, amid the general tumbled. I do a lot of pictures, almost as if I were to make a report of the event. It 's noon and I have a certain hunger. 
Lunch with prunes and biscuits, while standing watch this apocalyptic landscape that is in front of me. The slope becomes steeper and more slender beech trees are ... those unable to remain standing. The landslide has created a huge hall in the forest, but track down a kind of curve, outlining the direction being taken by the avalanche during its run. Now the climb becomes more difficult. We must proceed squatting, back and pelvis ax as a base: it is the secret to not getting tired of climbing as a teacher would say the likes of Caruso. Heavy mountaineering boots that I'm here to walk very useful. I finally brings to the limit of beech forest, below the summit. Here, the landslide has created two "streams" that have swept through the beech wood without all the trees (in fact the limit of a few beech trees have been uprooted), and then are gathered below and have swelled the flood: this is is then thrown down "ripping" the mountain, a strip of forest that cloaks its side, like a giant electric razor. I then port to the side of the corridor, including the beeches "lucky" ones who have not met the race of the avalanche.
I try to imagine the moments of the disaster, try to reconstruct what may have happened that day: a deafening noise, the snow that breaks loose from the mountain, the avalanche that is increasingly enormous, which slides into forest trees and sweeping, breaks them, uproot them and pulls them like a river down the valley.
I put myself in the role of survivor and see me here alone, to contemplate for a moment, terrified, what's going on before him down to avoid being hit by branches, but with the consciousness of having escaped the danger by a hair ... and wearing a 'unconscious delight to have attended the event and emerge alive. I go out and find myself at last from the beech forest below the summit of the Serra del Prete. I follow the rocky ridge that I rejoin the north side, where he runs the classic way to reach the top. It 's fun climbing the rocks, so that you no longer feel fatigue him. And here I am below the summit, a final stretch and finish the pile of rocks indicating the highest point. The view is proud today because the air is extremely clear and sharp. I can see perfectly the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Gulf of Policastro, but also the Ionian. And I can admire the wild forests that underlie Monte Pollino, Serra di Crispo and Cannocchiello Timpone. Also known by majestic fir trees that overhang the stream Frido under Cannocchiello, in the forest is probably the last colony in the south-west. Now I just get off the ridge north and get to Colle Impiso. In the forest, along the path, I see those as pythons twisted beech of character: the so-called "tree snake".
A mishap to remember.
I mountain bike, the only means available to me today to reach Colle Impiso. All right. They are trained and slowly proceed without effort. Note that the wheel is not as stable. I have to tighten the rear axle. Maybe squeeze a bit 'too much leverage, beaten with the palm of your hand. The fact is that obviously the pressure is too strong and the axis breaks in the vicinity of the screw is stationary. I'm really an idiot and I should not force the board on that. If you have some 'the use of force in a weighted, or threatens to do the damage that often I do (such as coffee machines with handles cut-outs or stripped for tightening too strong). Vebbè is done now and I can not go riding. But I'm not going to give up the excursion, so I decide I'll walk. I have to hide the bike somewhere and then return to pick it up, maybe in the car if I find a ride. And then from there back to my village on foot, bike in hand, down! A real bad luck / challenge today. And if it were a sign of destiny to urge them to give up the excursion? Perhaps some accident befall me, like, a beech tree that comes down on me and me for help to remain in nothing. But I'm not superstitious and I immediately get up from the head like you think. Be ', are on foot, are on the side of the road would say Robert Johnson, and given that the blues is the subject drew the MP3 player and I choose to listen to his songs on acoustic blues of the Mississippi, so I do not get bored too much for the road. A plan is a shepherd Visitone Viggianello I met last year. Precede a couple of cows and the accompanying two dogs. It stops at the chapel of St. Francis, takes off his hat and made the cross. Then heads like me to the fountain. Let's talk 'and the story of my misfortune and I tell him I'm going to climb the avalanche of Serra del Prete. She knew nothing of the avalanche in Serra del Prete, he remembered only the avalanche at the Monte Pollino. He began to give me advice on how to be more comfortable to return home after the excursion, and the paths to be taken to the trip, but then I understand that I know myself well enough seats and that we are on the Serra del Prete was also with the snow. "I'm inaccessible places - he says - there are people there that you could lose ... Get Gaudolino. Those parts where there timpe if you're not careful you get lost for sure ... are Mica all of us who know we get the ... "I filled a little 'pride that" like us ", because the greatest connoisseurs of our mountains are always been the shepherds. A touch of vanity does not hurt. It means that there is commonality between us and the mountain on his experience, even though he is a pastor and I are backpacking - photographer. I tell the pastor that the solution will return to go home and maybe take shortcuts instead of following the road. Viggianello greet the pastor and went on my way. Here I am at Impiso Hill, where the hike begins.
'm over Impiso Hill, on the path that descends from the Serra del Prete. That's great, the tour is over. Too bad that instead of a thrilling downhill mountain biking I expect only 20 kilometers to walk to my house. I could come and take me by someone, but I want on my own. It 'took over the phase of "trekking delusional," the misadventures of the stage a bit' crazy that often characterizes my outputs. A Colle Impiso I could find someone to give me a ride to where I left my bike. But I can not find anyone, I start walking along the road and do not go away. A Visitone decide to take a shortcut to the place where I left my bike. Through groves of beech paths of shepherds, climb over ditches and walk through tall grass pasture and I can bring along the rocky ridge of the Devil Timpa, a tooth of rock that stands alone in the pastures. A shelter of a rocky outcrop known a pitch used as a refuge from the wild boar I realize that the excavated soil and excrement. The typical lair of the boar. My sister calls me, I explained what happened and would like to come and get me, but I do not want them to lose half a day's work. And now has become a challenge to on my own. A challenge that part of the bad luck. This adds up to emerge on the pasture across the road that goes to Visitone. I take the bike and start walking. As long as it's paths I could walk up to 50 miles, but walking on a paved road and came down with hand-held bicycle is not something so funny! And the foot pain is unbearable when you walk on the asphalt. Before Voscari meeting a pastor who says "Why, instead of bringing the bike up by hand, so you bring it down?" "Yeah" - I say - "I always do just the opposite ..."
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