An Epic Day

There are days that you'll never forget. This is one of them for me.

There is a mountain, not far from Ancona: Monte San Vicino. It is not hard to reach its peak, but while the first part of the path is within the forest, the upper part is just a big open field where there is no path.

The first time I met Monte San Vicino I was with Virginia. However, she was already ill, and obviously I didn't force her, even though she was very determined.

The second time we went with some friends. However the friends were lazy, and instead of walking through the top we ended up going horseback riding and eating in a neighbouring restaurant.

Some months ago I tried for the third time. However, almost on the top, I entered into the cloud layer and was very foggy. It was also late in the day, so it was really too dangerous to get lost. Nothing also that time.

Today I tried for the fourth time. However also today there was a problem: unexpectedly there was snow (and ice!) on the top. It is several weeks that it's not snowing, but the cold temperatures of the area turned the snow into very slippery sheets of ice. However with great difficulty I managed to climb to the top, with the help of the branches of the last trees: I was feeling a little bit like Tarzan

However coming down was an issue: there was no way I could go back from the way I went up. As the path is in the north mountainside, I kept the left in order to stay more toward the east mountainside that was more clear of snow/ice. However at a certain point I had to cross a field of ice sheet. And I fell. I started going down at a crazy speed. I was really thinking to die, as I didn't know how I could stop and what there was at the bottom, a tree or a cliff. I saw the bottles of water and coke I had bounded to my backpack jumping over the ice and going down at a very high speed.

However, I was lucky. I think what saved me from splashing onto the trees below was the effect of the trees themselves in preserving the snow from the cold air; this preserved the snow for the last few meters of my rush, preventing it from becoming full ice. Snow has somehow a little bit of friction, and this helped me to slow down to a speed so that when I reached the trees I didn't break anything.

I was very scared. Also because now I was way off the path, and basically lost. However I started going east along the last trees that was bordering between the below forest and the above grass field, walking on something that was in the middle between snow and ice.

Finally after a while I reached the original path. I was very, very happy. I also kissed the dog (I never did it before haha). In a short I was down to the car, very happy to have done it. However I got the surprise: the outer pocket of my backpack was open: I put a hand: the keys were gonna! I had my car key, scooter key, Ancona's house key, Padova's house key.. all in one big bunch of keys. They must have went away when I felt.

I had no option but to leave the car there. A gentle couple helped me take me (and the dog) to Jesi, a city in the valley where, after waiting one hour on the cold (I was very wet), I boarded a coach that took me to Ancona. From there, the next bus to Montesicuro was after 3 hours, so I did the other thing that I had never done before today: I walked all the way from Ancona's city center to Montesicuro, 11 km (6.8 miles), where the neighbours left a key they had under the mat.

At the end of the day I'm happy. I still don't know how I'll get back my car, if there is a bus station that goes at least somewhere close to where it is or I need to wait next weekend to go “countryside” with my friends and pick it back.

However I did two things that for me were quite important, and showed to me that I still “can do it”

Anyway, I am sure I'll have a deep sleep tonight!

[EDITED, years later]: The following weekend I managed to reach the car by train/bus. I recall I had also been phoned by the local Carabinieri, that seeing the car parked there for days got suspicious something bad happened. Now I know they can retrieve the phone number of the owner. Anyway, I went back to the car, and from there I took the path at the opposite to look for my keys, and with my extreme surprise and joy I found them i nthe place I did fell down few days earlier. I don't think I have ever been so lucky!