After trying out the whole Paragliding idea and loving it I decided to try my luck camping for the night in Pescasseroli which was only about a 40 minute drive and not nearly that far, the road is just pretty windy. What I did once I got there was look up cheap campgrounds and came across one that was perfect for me.

For 15 euro I could pitch a tent, use electricity, and the restrooms on the campsite and they even locked the gate at night. There were cabins on the premises and it was getting cold enough that I was the only one out tent camping but I was feeling wild and free so I didn’t mind.

The one man tent I put together all by myself. (well, it only took 5 minutes)

After I had eaten dinner by sheep herder pals, 2 dogs that hung out at the campsite started causing a ruckus and I followed them to twee what all the commotion was about. Turns out a few cows got free and they were meandering around on the road… on the Road!

Don’t worry, my new pals took care of it. The rest of the evening afterwards was pretty uneventful, I read my book and the sheep dogs protected me well through the night with ANYTHING that goes bump. haha.

When getting hiking/camping tips from my avid camper/hiker friend Lizzy, she always reminds me that I can stop at an information desk in the town, or a refugio if I see one for a map of the area. I got lucky with this one and the campgrounds I was staying at had maps available for sale. (Most of the local areas designed for camping/hiking should). After blowing the dust off the case, I took it out to have a look at the route I wanted to do.

Putting the mental plan together, I made a hearty breakfast of bacon, bread, peppers and tomatoes, packed up the car, and was down the road in a couple blinks of an eye, hoping to find the start to a hiking trail I had in mind (or rather, Lizzy had recommended).

Luckily after a few wrong turns, I found the correct dirt road and after parking the car, I packed my day pack and off I went starting on the trail.

Almost the whole hike I didn’t see anybody else on the trail, except a few lumber jacks that were working (but they don’t count) because they weren’t hiking. Literally the leaves were falling off of the trees around me and I tried my hardest to capture a good shot but it was pretty hard because as it turns out, leaves are very unpredictable.

For 4 hours I hiked, most of the time winding upward, and I set a pretty vigorous pace, I had a lot of thinking to do out on the road.

The leaves were so beautiful and while hiking on the trails in Italy I almost forgot what country I was in and brought myself back to good old Pennsylvania and the fall there. Its so crazy how similar some countries can appear at certain times. This definitely helped me to remember home and the countryside where I grew up in all her glory.

These fall colors mesmerize and bedazzle me, like diamonds would a woman of high society.

Hello fall, sadly this was the first time I had a hard time letting summer slip away, there truly are 100.000.000 things to do in Europe during the summertime. Just as I was feeling sad, I got a glimpse of this, pulled out my pumpkin spiced yankee candle, and unpacked all of those fall friendly jackets (my absolute favorite) and I wasn’t sad to see summer go after all. There’s always next year!

In this area, the leaves hadn’t started changing colors quite yet, but within just a few days they will and with a few gusts of wind they will take flight fluttering and scattering wide headed towards the high pile of leaves on the ground.

The signs for the trails were extremely easy to follow and combined with my map, I didn’t have much trouble finding my way through the woods. Good thing since people were scarce.

This was a trail I followed for the first couple of hours. It was very well marked and the painting on the trees jumped out at me regularly as I walked through the woods.

Also some other markings indicating other pathways.

Fall was everywhere and I just couldn’t seem to take it in enough. It was just what was needed to clear the mind, practice listening skills, and just enjoy nature at her finest.

Shhh.. can you hear that, the leaves are whispering away. All you have to do is listen.

The bottom branch knows what’s up. The higher branches, receiving the most sunlight, however, haven’t caught the fall bug just yet. Soon, they will follow suite.

That’s when I ran into these fellas and after some observation realized that they are being used as work horses when clearing areas of the forrest.

This is the operation that was going on. They were clearing an area of the forest that actually upset me slightly, even though it isn’t my forest. They did have the paperwork to do it and had posted it up on the trees, so there was nothing that could be done.

This truck was taking a load of wood out at the end of the work day. They were clearing everything up as I walked back through, defending the mountain.

How can you not be enticed by the fall leaves and everything they have to say?

This was the best shot I could get of a leave following from the trees and it was taken just seconds before it actually fell. I probably stood there for 10 minutes trying to get a shot, but to no avail.

The colors are mesmerizing, a life without 4 seasons would be intolerable.

While in the woods listening to the trees and the leaves, I was also practicing with my camera, trying to get some unique shots.

There happened to be a few breaks in the woods that I found showing off the rolling hills of this landscape. I stopped her for a rest and quick snack before continuing on.

I even stumbled upon this house trying to take a shortcut on my way back down the mountain.

Goodbye Summer and Hello Fall!

Just as I was coming down through the woods right before I got back to my car. What a wonderful day for hiking.

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