Continuing from my previous hike, I decided to embark on an evening trek, taking advantage of the long days at the end of August when darkness doesn’t fall before 8:30 or 8:45 PM in this region.
Among the various options, I chose Monte Due Mani, a peak I had wanted to climb for a while but hadn’t yet reached. I knew it wasn’t particularly demanding, neither in terms of elevation gain (around 600 meters) nor technical difficulty (mostly a well-marked trail).
I downloaded a map but opted to skip the loop route as it would have taken a few extra hours, and I wanted to avoid hiking alone in the dark on an unfamiliar trail.
I drove to the Culmine San Pietro area, specifically to the parking lot of the bar-restaurant of the same name. From there, I began the hike, which took me less than two hours to reach the summit of Monte Due Mani.
The view from the top was stunning, surpassing my expectations. The Resegone was visible from a new perspective, and I also had a great view of the Grigna and the Grignetta. Additionally, the summit features an iconic igloo-shaped bivouac that somewhat resembles the memorable one on the Grignetta’s peak. It almost made me want to spend the night there, but I didn’t have the necessary gear, so I decided to start my descent.
About 10 minutes from the parking lot, with still a decent amount of daylight remaining (about 30 minutes), I found myself on a trail blocked by two large dogs that growled and blocked my way.
Unfortunately, there was no escape as the trail ran along a corridor flanked by electric wire and stinging nettles. There were no detours or safe places away from the dogs. Sadly, no one responded from the cabin the dogs were evidently guarding. Fortunately, the first dog eventually lost interest and left. The second one stayed for a few more minutes but decided to stop right in the middle of the trail.
After being stung by nettles and shocked by the electric wires, I had a breakthrough idea. I took out the bresaola I had planned to eat for dinner and used it to lure the dog away, throwing pieces of it farther and farther from the trail. Finally, I managed to pass and complete the hike.
At that point, however, I had to turn on my headlamp due to the late hour.