Italy - Day 24: A last autumny day hiking in Italy

The day started wet, so I decided to delayed my start. Perfect, since it just stopped to rain, when I put my things together. It was very autumn like:  foggy and most of the day there was a light drizzle and some wind. Not too bad in the forest, but annoying on open pastures.

I ended up picking up a white friend: a dog. Honestly, me and a dog?! I ignored it but it followed me through ugly weather and now it is still there, laying infront of my tent!

I had only a short hiking day, since I didn't wanted to end up in town. I'm planning on a tent day tomorrow and then I will go to town the day after. So its basically my last day hiking in Italy today and thus the last blog entry. 

Looking out of my tent this morning

These colours...

My new friend with fleas 

Italy - Day 23: Little paths, uphill, a broken hip belt and the coming end of my Italy hike

The night was incredible warm. So warm, that I even crawled out of my sleeping bag. But later on, I put it over me again. And it rained at night. I was already worried, cause it wasn't supposed to rain before the afternoon and I wanted to get some hiking in before the rain. But it stopped and was dry all day!!! The weatherforcast for the next week was really bad, starting with rain on Sunday, REALLY wet on Monday and cold and rainy until the end if the week. I had thought about rushing it a bit, so I could be in town on Sunday and find a place to hide. But then there was no hint of any trail when I wanted to take a short cut I had seen on maps.me. At the end I walked the SI, which was over 10 km longer and involved about 600 m more of elevation gain. So my plan didn't work out...

But the day was beautiful warm and sunny. Most of the paths were small paths, they were marked very well and I had some nice views. But cows seem to be everywhere in Italys National Parks!

Now I am camping in a wonderful yellow beech forest. It just sucks, that I don't have internet. Because my hip belt snapped today. It isn't too bad, carrying the pack with only the half part of the hip belt (the hip belt makes an Y and only one part broke) but I had decided to stop the hike, once it breaks. Putting tape on this morning wasn't enough... Since I will be in a bigish town tomorrow or on Monday (or later if I have to hide in my tent from all the predicted rain!), it could have been a worse time that my backpack broke. But without internet I can't make any further plans.

So my Italy hike will end very soon in Castrovillari, as well as my blog for now!

I can't get enough of these beautiful colours! 

Broken hip belt

Italy - Day 22: A day in the forest and entering Pollino National Park

This morning was warm and I enjoyed walking in the forest on wide forest roads, winding around the mountains. It was just sad, that I spent all morning in the shadow of the mountains.

I short cut a long part around the mountain by walking over the top. The trail on Maps.me was eroded and endet in blackberry bushed in the river. But I found another old forest road, that worked well. It was just bloody steep and I was sweating like crazy.

Then I passed some lakes with their obviousely popular picnic spots and thus lots of garbage! I left the forest only for a short time but got a wonderful view on the mountains within Pollino National Park.

Again, the official trail of the SI is on roads, but was reroute to the shortcut I wanted to take. It was steep but even marked. However, the sinage said it goes to the village that I want to avoid. So now I camp exactly at the junction of the marked trail and the trail that is on my map. Not sure which one I'll take tomorrow...

Mountains of Pollino National Park

Italy - Day 21: Roads, cloudy mountains and fire salamanders

This morning, I heard people talk somewhere close to my tent, so I quickly packed and left. It was lots of road walk, but on a quiet roads. It was not cold but gray. While I woke up, looking onto a nice blue sky, my trail brought me into the mountains with clouds and thus fog. Normally I like to walk in the mountains, but today it would have been much nicer in the valley!

I walked some short cuts and over pastures, following the gas line, before I climbed over a fence and was back on some dirt roads. I hit the Camino di San Francesco di Paola and other marked trails, which is so much nicer than having to find out where to go, when there are many options that don't even show up on my map!

In the afternoon, I headed again into cloudy mountains after some short views into the sunny valley, but through beautiful beech forests. Thus I managed to see 8 fire salamanders before I sat up my tent on a windy ridge in the beech forest.

And there the next near disaster happened: I broke the edge of a segment of my tent pole. Because the cord is so loose by now, there is no tension and the segments weren't put together entirely. I fixed it with tape but thought that it can't be long anymore, before all my gear is garbage. I also discovered a hole in my shoe yesterday evening...

Off into the clouds...

Walking just on the edge of the clouds

A very still fire salamander - perfect for close up pictures :)

Can you see those 2 salamanders?

Italy - Day 20: Roads, resupply and a train ride

The morning wasn't too cold, so I managed to leave at 7 am. It was a long descended into town, with some wonderful views in the morning. After the short forest bit, it was a long road walk, partly on very busy and always narrow and winding roads.

At Decathlon I checked out the backpacks and then decided against a new one. But I bought some straps to somehow fix my backpack, on case the hip belt will break entirely.

A quick stop to resupply and then I walked to the train station. The next part of the Sentiero Italia would follow the train line. Great idea, just that there is a train running (at least every hour) and there are plenty of tunnels and bridges - rather a lethal trail and not recommended. So I took the train instead! Perfect timing, since the next train was going right when I got to the train station and about 45 min later I stood in Piano Lago to continue hiking. The first 8 km were on a big (but wide) road, followed by about 3 km on a smaller road and then some overgrown path, before I set up my tent on a little hill.

Beautiful morning 

My train

Walking up on a smaller road

Italy - Day 19: Apples and Lake Arvo

Today I spent most of the time walking around Lago Arvo, another dammed Lake. There were some clouds above the lake, but I never got a good spot with a view. But I passed several apple trees and ate loads!

The morning was nice sunny again  but in the afternoon there were dark clouds above. Again, it did not rain but was so cold, that I took out my gloves. This was probably also due to the elevation, as I reached around 1900 m, where there was a tiny bit if snow. 

Seems like there is no internet in this area, the next blog post might be very delayed!

Clouds over lake Arvo

Snow!!!

Italy - Day 18: Cow pastures in Sila National Park

It was a cool morning so I waited for the sun to be up before I started. I was still in Sila National Park, but walked over cow pastures most of the day. When I walked along small creeks and over meadows, it was very beautiful! The sun was shining, the beech leaves were colorful and the meadows still frozen. Compared to the day before, I walked on smaller or even without paths today, which was very nice.

Already way before noon, there were some dark clouds in the sky. And although lots of times it looked like it would rain every minute, it stayed dry apart from a few single drops. When I walked around Lago Ampollino, I ended up standing in the mud with both feet, so I used a creek later on to wash my socks, which was necessary anyways. 

Frozen meadows 

Dark clouds