Italy - Pania Secca

Top of the Apuane
The Pania Secca and Pania della Croce are two of the higher granite peaks in the Appenines.  They stand between Benabbio and the ocean and from their peaks you can see all the way to Corsica on a clear day.  We set off on a hike from the nearby village of Piglionico to take a closer look.

It looked to be a steep climb from where we parked.  This time, no underestimation - they are 6,000 feet high.

The trail led to the edge of a birch forest.

This photo doesn't quite capture the beauty.  The few birds we'd heard just minutes before were no longer.  Matter of fact, there was no sound at all, not even our footfalls on the dry leaves.  It was quiet in a way that you don't think is possible.

Like every other hike we'd done so far, this one skipped the appetizer.  It was up and away almost immediately and slow-going as we were scrambling up sharp granite.  

After 45 minutes, the birch gave way to a less dense shrubbery and we got a few peeks out to the east towards Barga.

An hour in we began to see rays of light and I stupidly thought we were nearing the top.  I should have known better - when I looked up to see what our guide book referred to as "the nose", I knew there was a way to go.

I paused to catch my breath and then kept on, trying to keep up with Dodo, who must have been feeling spry for she was setting an unfamiliar pace.  I made it to a colorful signpost and took another breather.  According to this, the Pania Secca was on my left and the "rifugio" or hiking camp was only ten more minutes up.

I looked to my left and got quite a surprise - the Pania Secca - half-lit by the sun.  I'd not noticed it while hiking with my head down.  It's a striking, sharp knife of rock, blade pointing skyward.  I didn't believe the guidebook, which claimed you can somehow walk to the summit.  I couldn't see how that was possible.

We turned our attention towards the rifugio, a small wooden cabin near the bridge of the nose.  You can just make it out in this photo at the bottom of the cloud.

The views from the rifugio were arresting.  This is looking north.

Looking due west towards the nose.

Looking northwest towards the cross which marks the peak of Pania della Croce.  We got some snacks and drinks in the rifugio.  It was reminiscent of a Nepalese tea house.  There was a small kitchen, dining room and ten bunk beds set up around a wood burning stove.