BICCHIERE DELLA STAFFA: MONTE BOLETTO

On Saturday I bought a hiking map of the Lake Como region to plan future adventures. Unfamiliar with the scale of the mountains and length of trails I was very ambitious to conquer Mount Boletto which sits between Como and the town of Torno. Early in the morning I caught the ferry to Torno and started my hike back to Como.

I have been running in the mornings and I feel that I am almost back in shape, but once I started hiking straight up the mountain I was getting tired quickly. The trail I was on led me up the steep slope of the mountain side on a rough trail. My first landmark was an abandoned castle, Castello d’Ardona, located at 1000 meters (3000 feet) above the lake. Along the hike I was wondering who would want to hike up the mountain to get to their castle, but once I reached the top the view was self explanatory. The trail flattened out on my way to the summit of Monte Uccellera (1039m) and at this point I was only a quarter of the way to Como and I was debating whether I would be able to make it back before dark. I really didn’t have any other choice, but to press on and walk faster. I continued on my way towards the summit of Monte Boletto and I took a break at a resting place along the trail. I was drinking water and looking at my map and apparently, to those who were walking by, it appeared that I was lost. An old Italian couple approached me and asked me in Italian if I was lost. With my horrible Italian I explained where I had hiked from and where I was going, but the couple was very concerned because it was a long hike back to Como. When I showed them on the map that I was planning on taking a small trail down the mountain side they told me that it was a bad idea—I on the other hand had no doubts. Anyways, I hiked up to the Summit (3711 feet) and back down the other side along the narrow trail into the valley. At this point I was getting very tired and ready to get home, but as I descended down the trail my fate did not look good. The trail followed the mountain ridge and when I could no longer see the trail before it dropped off into a densely wooded valley I realized that I needed to turn around. The only way back was over the top of the Monte Boletto summit! When I reached the top of the summit for the second time, sweaty and red in the face, I saw the old Italian couple lying in the sun and I had to admit my defeat. I followed the wider trail down to the town of Brunate and I could see Como bellow. Following along the trail that I thought would lead me home I seemed to be heading the wrong direction but I was going down hill instead of up and that was all that mattered at the time. At the end of the trail I was in the town of Blevio and the only way to get back to Como was along the main road. While I was walking through the town I passed a father and his two sons getting into a van. When they saw me walking on the shoulder of the highway they kindly pulled over and gave me a ride back home. A great way to end a 9-hour hike, by hitch hiking! I was thankful to be home before dark and in one piece!