Number 35: Navigating the 'middle of nowhere', Madonie National Park, Sicily

It's one thing to pull on walking clothes, tie shoelaces and get walking. These last two days of traversing the Madonie Mountains have tested my physical and mental fitness, and rather surprisingly the real challenge for Fred and me has been navigating and following instructions in the walking booklet.

Number 35:

Navigating the 'middle of nowhere', Madonie National Park, Sicily

In the wild, with the absence of landmarks, the paths overgrown with wild fennel, uneven terrain, an outright crazy terrain, made for some really stressful moments on the 4th day of our hiking.
Here are just some of Fred's photos!

"Find the tree with a Y-shape..."

'Navigate between brambles, holly, gorse, streams...'

'Take care on the scree slopes...' I say!!

'Find the dead tree, look for the water hole...'

'So Sharon, where to now says Fred'. who knows, lets find a road and call Uber!

Number 34: Being in the Middle of Nowhere

A Kostantin Grcic quote caught our attention as we were hiking in the Madonie National Reserve on day 3 of our ‘Sicily: From the Centre to the Sea hike.’ 

I cannot improve on the sentiment.

Remarkable beauty of the Madonie Mountains

Number 34:

Being in the Middle of Nowhere.

‘Being in the Middle of Nowhere. This saying expresses the silent beauty of a far away place, a remote spot on this planet without the distraction of disturbance. For us Gimmeti is such a place. Where everything is about pure sensation of the pristine Madonien landscape that surrounds you. An ambiance that invites you to be there, to linger, to contemplate; that makes you feel its wildness and infinity, where your view is free and unrestricted in every sense.’

 

A view that is free and unrestricted....rugged, tough hiking!