My summer climb on Monte Sernio

When driving along the A23 Motorway towards Austria, you soon hit the wall of the Alps around Gemona, where the 'gap', created by the mighty Tagliamento River, allows you not just to enter the beautiful world of the mountains, but also to see one wonderful peak, which stands a little behind the others. I always like to invest a bit more experience and adventure to discover such hidden gems. The sharp peak above the Tagliamento's gap is Monte Sernio.
When I am done with the ride across Tolmezzo and leave behind the narrow hairpins through Lovea to Stavoli Chiampees, the real pleasure begins. The climb is first steep, but it soon gets easier and the high mountain peak soon catches my sight.
I could spend entire day just around the idyllic Rifugio Monte Sernio or on the nearby viewpoint of Creta di Mezzodi (1806m), but today I am here for something more serious. The northwestern face of Monte Sernio gets my attention. After reaching the sunny meadows and crossing the first rocks it's time to hide my head under the helmet. The red and yellow dot - marked climb makes fun, steeper sections exchange with rocky shelves, offering incredible views across the beautiful Carnia.
The heart beats faster when the sounds of the little bell, pulled by the hikers from the other side, invite me to make the last steps. And than the pleasure of chatting mixes with all  the »wows« as our eyes are travelling together from the ridge on the Austrian border, across Slovenian peaks nearby, down to the Adriatic and it's lagoons.
Turning back to the starting point, I cross the idyllic alpine Casera del Mestri on the north side of the mountain and yeah...I also reach the peak of Creta di Mezzodi. Just to catch the already low Sun above Carnia and it's valleys. Seriously, the mighty Sernio gave me much more than just it's 2187 meters.