Sep

Hut Città di Clusone

Maurizio Milesi, 25 now.

This is a personal goal/project I’m trying to pursue as I write. I find English to be an easier-to-compose-language as for writing and since I’m not a writer, that’s why I’m starting to write in this language rather than Italian.

I am currently being both a waiter and an entrepreneur, a photographer to be precise. I’ve always liked the idea of being able to express myself through images and still I love it, especially with still imagery where you let the viewers the time they choose to watch it, in opposition to video where you keep the viewer attached for a precise time and you decide how much to let him exposed to a certain picture. Recently, I found myself wondering whether this felt enough for me or not. Guess my answer. I have no arrogance in saying I’m a writer, I’m literally not one, I’m like everybody else, just trying to fulfill my feelings and sensations.

The idea here is to write a diary, both personal and public, where I tell these adventures’ stories through images and words. Alastair Humpreys defines micro adventure an overnight in the wild which could fit between 9-5 work schedule. If that’s micro, mine could be mini advetnure, but anyway, they’re gonna be adventures for me. You can help me keep this project funded by buying prints allowing me to keep on doing this.

Years ago, I felt the call for the wild for the first time.

I was about 18 and I started to talk to my friends about this. Some of them were in for my first long trip, an interrail through Europe to Scandinavia. I’m gonna be honest, the main reason I actually accepted all the compromises that come with people on your own imagined trip, was that I was scared of going alone. I wasn’t feeling confident enough to approach this trip alone.

I guess from there, my journey started.

The following year I tried planning a walking trip from Bergamo to the sea. The idea didn’t get much appeal so I eventually gave up.

One year later I was going to Poland for Erasmus+ and I was leaving alone.

There was a forest I found, I still remember the name, Stary Gay, the old forest. Being there was awesome. At that time I was slowly moving toward becoming a professional photographer and one day I went there for a shooting. That day changed my life somehow.

During my stay in Poland, I was in a quite flat area and there I was maybe feeling a little homesick so I started looking for mountains and I planned a little escape to Tatra mountains.

Three years have passed from there and now I’m here looking for that spirit of adventure again.

Now I’m working but having a pretty cool schedule, working from Wednesday to Saturday, I could easily pick up the backpack and head out for a couple of nights.

I firmly believe you don’t need to go thousands of miles away to get into adventure.

My first solo overnight was at Bivacco Città di Clusone, right under the Presolana, the Orobie’s queen, where I could sleep in that hut instead of bringing a tent along.

An overnight alone at 2050m, in a little hut with nobody and nothing else but the silence in which you can immerse yourself; a camp stove to cook a quick ready risotto. Cold and windy right after sunset, but awesome. Forecasts announcing rain for the next day, I got to the car all wet and damp but happy.

Now I’ve been planning a trip with a friend starting by my house and going to Resegone, a 60km hike with 4000 meters of uphill. We are going to do it the next week, by the time I am writing.

30 September 2018, I leave for the hut “city of Clusone” where I will spend the night. Alone. The first night in the mountains alone. Alberto comes with me for the hike and the day but will come down before sunset. We face the winter trail, completely immersed in the clouds, and in just over an hour we are at the hut.