The Vagabond Hiker

Hiking, trekking, and climbing the world

Flowers and Ferratas (and a few hikes) around Lago di Garda

Before you shake your head at another post from Northern Italy, this last month was the earliest in the season by far that I’d been hiking and climbing there. The wildflowers were stupendous and featured many I hadn’t seen before, at least in Italy. Add in some ferratas that I hadn’t done from my last visit to Lago di Garda in 2019 and I definitely thought it was worthy of another blog post. I hope you agree.

Torrente Barbarano, seen during my approach to Via Ferrata (VF) Spigola della Bandiera. This rather short and boring ferrata was the one I climbed while I was located on the southwest side of Lago di Garda for 2 days waiting for my Arco-area apartment to be ready. (The southern 2/3rds of the lake is in Lombardy and has completely different geology from the northern third, in Trentino. Definitely stay in the north if you’re visiting the area).
The Rifugio Pirlo allo Spino above VF Spigola della Bandiera. No decent photos of the ferrata were possible as it was highly vegetated. I was the only one here as the main access road was closed much of that day due to the Giro d’Italia bike race passing through.
Torrente Toscolano, Valle delle Cartiere, near my hotel. Paper mills from this valley flourished in the 15th and 16th centuries as the major supplier of paper to Venice.
Dark Columbine (Aquilegia atrata). Absolutely stunning.
Castello d’Arco. With some friends from St George, I visited the castle as part of a day of nearby ferratas and scrambles.
Poppy field, Castello d’Arco
Burning-bush (Dictamnus albus)
The amazing “Garda View” apartment in Gavazzo (Tenno), where I stayed for 5 weeks. The upper left balcony on the near house was mine.
Riva and Lago di Garda from my balcony in the morning light
Goats on Monte Misone. The hike to the summit of this nearby peak was one of four I did as warm ups for Mount Toubkal (see my previous post).
Coral peony (Paeonia mascula)
Trumpet gentian (Gentiana acaulus). One of my faves. I’ve shared photos of this species before.
Cave Alte, Troiana. A nearby marble quarry that supplied much statuary marble. It fascinated me how they dug out these galleries from which they hauled the marble down to the valley near Arco.
Cima d’Oro, Lago di Ledro vista. Another Toubkal warmup.
World War I trench on Cima d’Oro
Alpine pasque flower (Pulsitilla alpina). I finally saw the flower! Later in the season all I ever saw were the distinctive seed pods.
Early purple orchid (Orchis mascula). First of four orchids you’ll see in this post. . .
Balm-leaved archangel (Lamium orvale). I’ve seen another species of archangel in Hastings, England.
View to the north from Croce (cross) di Ceniga, taken on another hike nearby Arco, to the summit of Monte Colt.
Pyramidal orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis). Aptly named.
Monte Stivo summit view towards the Brenta Dolomites, with globe flowers and buttercups. Monte Stivo, northeast of Lago Garda, is a very popular hike. Even on a weekday I saw many people on my descent.
Cima di Rocca. This ferrata I did was an extended version of one my my favorites, Cima Capi, documented in my 2019 Lago di Garda post.
Part of an extensive WWI tunnel complex in Cima Rocca
Chiese di San Giovanni, on the descent from Cima Rocca. I’m not sure this church holds many services anymore.
Dane’s Blood bell-flower (Campanula glomerata). I saw many species of bell-flower this past month, but I’ve posted photos of most before, but not I think this one.
Cascata di Ballino, at the start of VF Signora delle Acque. This ferrata essentially climbs the waterfall. How cool is that?
Looking down the Cascata di Ballino, VF Signora delle Acque. Yes, I am attached to ferrata cables!
Giro di tre Cime, Monte Bondone. The three peaks are all visible here; right to left: Cornetto, dos Abramos, and Verde. The wildflowers were amazing on this hike, which started at a much higher elevation (about 1500m) than most, a wise choice on this hot day.
Fragrant orchid (Gymnadenia conopsea)
Orange lily (Lilium bulbiferum)
Paradise lily (Paradisea liliastrum). I also saw Bruno’s and St. Bernard’s lilies this past month, but they all look similar so I’m posting only this one.
Monte Cornetto on the Giro di tre Cime hike. Cornetto is Italian for croissant. I also saw signs saying “Cornet,” which is French for horn. It resembles neither a croissant nor a horn to me.
Velvetbells (Bartsia alpina)
Dos Abramos, seen from the col between that peak and Cima Verde. It transpired that to reach the summit and descend the other side required following a path with cables (i.e., a Via Ferrata). I had no gear with me, but fortunately those two short sections were not too difficult or exposed.
Globe orchid (Traunsteinera globosa). Another aptly-named orchid.
Monte Casale at dawn, from the Pietramurata parking lot where I started the VF Che Guevara. While only technically moderate, this ferrata is very long and gains about 1400m in elevation. The dawn start was essential to beat the heat as the wall faces southeast.
A view northeast towards Lago Toblino on the ascent of VF Che Guevara. I mentioned in a previous post that around Lago Toblino are found the northern-most olive trees in the world.
Monte Casale summit plateau, end point of VF Che Guevara. The vertical world I’s spent the last four hours in suddenly changed to an alpine meadow!
Cima Tosa (3,136m) and the Brenta Dolomites from Monte Casale summit plateau. I previously posted on a ferrata trip I took in the Brenta Group in 2018. This fantastic day in the mountains was a fitting culmination to my month in Italy.

Although I’m back in Windsor, England, settled into my cozy (read: small) casita, tomorrow I depart for the Causasus for three weeks, split about equally between Armenia and Georgia. One piece of luggage still hasn’t arrived from Italy, so yesterday I spent about $700 buying replacement gear. Oh, well, the price of traveling. In a month or so I’ll post some photos from hikes and treks in those two countries, long on my bucket list.

Enjoy your summer!

The Vagabond Hiker

Mount Toubkal, Morocco

In August 2019 I posted photos from a two week trekking trip of the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco, on which our KE group attempted four 4000m (13,130 ft) peaks, including Mount Toubkal, the highest point in North Africa. Although I summitted the other three, Mount Toubkal eluded me due to an untimely gout flare up. Four years later I returned for a weekend (!) of hiking to complete that unfinished business. . .

Friday: Arrival in Marrakech

Flying from Milan via Lisbon required the best part of the day. Having no checked luggage, my biggest worry was having my trekking poles confiscated by the security. However, they – and I – made it to our Riad (traditional inn) located just outside of the Medina (walled city). An oasis in this chaotic city.

Riad Alida courtyard, Marrakech
Dar Marjana terrace, where I had my first Moroccan dinner and a glass of chilled white wine, about a two minute walk from Riad Alida.

Saturday: Approach hike to Mouflons Refuge

Following the path nearly everyone takes who wishes to climb Toubkal, we left the road head at Imlil Village late morning following a two hour drive from Marrakech. Our strong group of four clients and one guide had about 11km and 1500m of ascent to accomplish.

The hillside hamlet of Aroumd, near the start of our trek, heading up the Ait Mizane Valley
Hiking towards the Shrine Sidi Chamharouch (white dome in the middle of the photo). Our cook prepared a traditional Moroccan lunch for us here (the halfway point), with a salad and tagine – vegetable in my case.
Cascade Sidi Chamharouch. There was a lot more water flowing than 4 years ago, due to a relatively wet winter.
Mouflons (left) and Neltner refuges with the start of the Toubkal summit route seen here. The actual summit is far above to the left.
Toubkal as seen from the summit of Ouanoukrim (4089m). The climbing route is not visible here, off to the left. I took this photo in 2019.

Sunday: Summit day and return to Marrakech

Many summiters start at a reasonable hour, say 7 AM. However, this compressed weekend trip meant we had not only to summit – about 1000m of ascent on an often rough, bouldery trail – but trek back all the way to Imlil. A wake up call at 3 AM and departure before 4:30 was the solution.

Dawn on the flanks of Toubkal. By this time we were almost to the top.
Alpenglow on Ouanoukrim at dawn
The Vagabond Hiker on Toubkal summit (4167m). It was a chilly, windy hike in the pre-dawn hours, but probably not below freezing.
Goats and goatherd on descent. My biggest concern was my knees on the 2500m (8000+ ft.) of descent, but that proved unfounded.
Our group back in the shade, approaching Imlil after a long day.
Koutoubia Mosque at sunset from our Marrakech terrace restaurant where we celebrated a 100% success rate.

Monday: return home

After any endeavor of this nature, a let down is natural, and so it was with me as I headed home, a long day of travel back through Lisbon to Milan, followed by a 3 hour drive to my apartment above Riva del Garda. After a couple of days to decompress and wait for the weather to improve, I am back hiking and climbing Via Ferrate for another week before my summer adventures continue from my base near Windsor, England. I may do a short post at the end of my sojourn in Italy as it has been nearly three years since I’ve been in the Lago di Garda region, and then not during the spring flower bloom.

The Vagabond Hiker

Hiking Southwest Utah, Part 2

As my time winds down in Utah and my focus shifts to the numerous overseas trips this summer, I’d like to share some more photos from hiking the past two years in this amazing place. I think they speak more eloquently than words about what draws me to keep returning here. Except for two, all photos were all taken in Washington County, the Southwestern most county in Utah.

BLM-managed lands

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) administers one of every ten acres in the United States. The local field office in St. George manages public lands in Washington County in the “Three Corners” area where the Utah, Arizona, and Nevada meet. The southern region of the Great Basin, and the northern part of the Mojave Desert merge here at Utah’s lowest elevation of 2,000 feet above sea level. The field office includes two national conservation areas and 15 wilderness areas, to totaling approximately 630,000 acres of public land located at the convergence of three different ecoregions: the Mojave Desert, Great Basin, and Colorado Plateau.

Dwarf Bearclaw Poppy (Arctomecon humilis) and pollinator, St. George Utah. There exists only a handful of sites of this endangered poppy species
The Vagabond Hiker in a Cole Spring slot canyon, near Gunlock Reservoir northwest of St. George. A hidden gem amongst pinyon-juniper scrub-land.
Early morning vista from the West Cinder Knoll trail, Hurricane Utah, part of the Red Cliffs Reserve
Colorado Four O’clock (Mirabilis multiflora), West Cinder Knoll Trail
Helping with the removal of graffiti on a petroglyph panel, Canaan Mountain Wilderness. This wilderness, adjacent to the southern boundary of Zion National Park, consists of nearly 45,000 acres.
The Vagabond Hiker above the Eagle Crags trail, Canaan Mountain Wilderness
Quail Creek in the Cottonwood Canyon Wilderness. This is a very popular hike/scramble in the area.
A field of Filaree (stork’s-bill), Cottonwood Canyon Wilderness. The snow-covered Pine Valley Mountains provide a backdrop. I spent many days this past spring in Cottonwood Canyon as a Wilderness Steward, picking up litter, making sure signage is in good condition, removing graffiti, etc.
Another view of the Cottonwood Canyon Wilderness, which consists of nearly 12,000 acres.
Likely a Prairie Prickly-pear cactus blooming, Red Cliffs National Conservation Area
The Virgin River, Hurricane. A five minute walk from my most recent AirBnb house, this is the first season I have ever seen such a sustained high flow.
Confluence Park, LaVerkin, with another view of the Virgin River. LaVerkin is the next town to the north of Hurricane. (This and the preceding photo were on locally owned park land).
A slot canyon in Mineral Gulch, east of Zion (Kane County). Autumn light in the slots makes it a great time to hike.
Mineral Gulch in the autumn. One of the other hikers on a hike I led took this fantastic photo.
Snow Canyon State Park and the Pine Valley Mountains, from the Red Mountain Wilderness. The high point of the Pine Valley Mountains, Signal Peak, is about 10,400 ft in elevation.

Snow Canyon State Park

The previous photo provides a good segue to our premier state park in Washington County. Several other state parks center around reservoirs in the county, but Snow Canyon (its name derives from two Mormon pioneers who helped settle the area in the 1860s) is the most popular, and to me by a long way the most spectacular.

Some Outback Hiking Club members on Snow Canyon’s great sandstone.
The Vagabond Hiker on Island in the Sky, Snow Canyon State Park. Note the park road in the extreme lower left. Island is a short but challenging scramble route for which one needs a canyoneering (!) permit.
Climbing the chimney crux, Island in the Sky. I lead about one hike per month with Outback, which has been around for more than 30 years.
Climbing a flake on the Diedre Peak loop, Snow Canyon
Quail Creek State Park Reservoir with Pine Valley Mountains in the background. This reservoir is less than a mile as the crow flies from my AirBnb home in Hurricane. The Pine Valley Mountains rarely have this much snow on the south side, especially in March.

Zion National Park

In a sense, perhaps I saved the best until last! Zion National Park in Washington and Kane Counties, Utah, was the second most popular National Park in 2021, with more than 5 million visitors, a number that has doubled in little more than a decade. It consists of more than 145,000 acres and ranges in elevation from 3670 feet in Coal Pits Wash to 8720 feet on Horse Ranch Mountain. The great majority of visitors stay in the Main Canyon, using a shuttle bus system to explore that spectacular area.

However, Zion is much more than the Main Canyon. All of these photos were taken on hikes I did in other, less frequented (and in some cases rarely visited) areas of the park.

Gregory Butte (left) and Timbertop from Mt. Langston. Kolob Arch, one of the largest in the world, is below and to the right of Gregory Butte. It is difficult to see in this photo as there is no daylight behind it. Mt. Langston with its Ponderosa Pine forest summit dome, is one of the most remote in Zion, and rarely climbed.
A hiker in The Narrows, Zion NP. A friend got a permit and organized a Narrows top-down day hike last spring. High snowfall and the subsequent spring runoff has closed this iconic 15 mile canyon hike this year. (Technically, the lower portion of the Narrows is in the Main Canyon).
View of the East (right side) and West (left side) Temples, Zion. A friend and I scrambled three peaks known as the Triplets last autumn on the East Side of Zion, from where this photo was taken.
A vista South from a high ridge on the East Side. The peaks in the middle are the Triplets.
One of the main attractions of the East Side of Zion is all the sandstone. Our horseshoe hike here took in miles of this fun slick-rock.
Jolley Gulch waterfall. Another East Side hike I did recently, from the East Entrance to the plateau overlooking the main canyon, 18 miles out and back. This waterfall is usually no more than a trickle.
The Big Bend of the Virgin River, viewed from the Cableworks on the plateau one half mile vertically above the Main Canyon. The Cableworks were used last century to lower timber for construction in the park. The renowned Angel’s Landing can be seen directly above the bend, rising about 1/2 way up to the plateau to the west.
Trail Canyon icicles, Cougar Mountain. Cougar Mountain rises from the Southwest Desert sector of Zion, and though very prominent to the East when driving along the southern portion of Kolob Reservoir Road, it is a long, complex hike and climb to the summit, rarely attempted.
Sweet Arch, Cougar Mountain. This diminutive (perhaps 5′ tall) free-standing arch near the summit is sweet indeed.
The Guardian Angels, seen from East Northgate Peak in the Kolob Terrace sector of Zion. North Guardian is closer, with South Guardian appearing from behind it. North Guardian Angel is a relatively short hike from the trailhead, but involves steep slickrock friction climbing. Although probably less than one mile separates these peaks, several hours of intense hiking and scrambling through amazingly complex topography are required to summit the isolated South Guardian Angel. I’ve only managed it once, despite several attempts.
A tufted evening primrose (Oenothera caespitosa), taken on a hike up South Guardian Angel.

And one final photo, from my condo in St. George two years ago. . .

Sunset from my balcony, February 2021 (zoom).

Where to next?

My main summer trekking trips have all been planned. Details of timing can be seen using the Calendar Tab above right. I will be returning to the Lago Garda area of northern Italy for 5 weeks in late May through most of June. The following 3 months I will be based in southeast England, not far from Heathrow Airport. A small AirBnb (what else?) annexe (casita), located within walking distance to both Windsor Great Park and Runnymede (where the Magna Carta was signed a while ago) will provide me some down time between my monthly trekking and culture trips:

July: Armenia and Georgia. Trekking, hiking, and culture will feature equally in these ancient Caucasus countries, formerly part of the Soviet Union, situated between the Black and Caspian Seas.

August: K2 Base-camp trek, Pakistan. Long on my bucket list, fingers crossed the febrile political situation calms down a bit for this epic trek.

September: Tajikistan & Uzbekistan. Two of the ‘stans I have yet to visit. Five days trekking around some amazing lakes in the Fann Mountains (part of the Pamirs) of Tajikistan will be followed by a week touring the ancient silk road cities of Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva in Uzbekistan.

Several shorter (long weekend type) trips this summer, some still in the planning stages, should provide some photos for additional short blog posts.

Enjoy your summer hiking, wherever you may be,

The Vagabond Hiker

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