Official Guides to the Pollino: a reflection of Emanuele Pisarra THE SAD END OF THE OFFICIAL GUIDE OF THE NATIONAL PARK POLLINO
Emanuele Pisarra
One January morning we drove along the main street of the Round when he passes a motion of the driver's seat with skill by a skilled female drivers, all yaw in official uniform complete with helmet and badge hanging around his neck.
slowed down to look better this novel pilot and I realize that this is Angela, an Official Guide the Park.
But how?
an official guide who does the postman.
The stationary and after the customary greetings, I ask for explanations for this sudden change in his profession; " why you changed jobs? You're tired of going around our mountains ? "
ever ... But when I answered Angela.
" only that the work of manual does not allow me to carry on the family, so I reluctantly accepted to work as a postman in perpetuity.
Angela is bitter. The way things are going to the park and the park, to be considered as guides in the park: that is nothing. Zero!
" Yet we were in times of great hardship and abandonment of the territory of the points advanced in the promotion, preservation and protection of the territory.
How many times have we - as a result of our continued service in the area - reported havoc, illegal and many more.
That is the reward.
I am very saddened to everything!
In the last wishes of the director of the park for the new job. Instead of worrying about the loss of a guide, compliments. "
Unfortunately, the job of delivering mail forces us to stop talking.
back on my car and I reflect on the words of Angela.
As in a flashback I remember the first time since I met Angela. It was the fall of 1989 as a teacher and I planned output of corso per aspiranti guide del Parco organizzato dalla gloriosa cooperativa I° maggio di Rotonda.
Come il solito ero troppo pignolo e puntuale per aspettare i soliti ritardatari. Bisognava raggiungere il Colle dell’Impiso e salire fino ai Piani del Pollino e rientrare prima che arrivasse il buio.
Angela non arrivò in orario e noi partimmo senza di lei.
Appena giunti al Colle dell’Impiso, stavo facendo le solite raccomandazioni per l’escursione che ci apprestavamo a compiere; all’improvviso il silenzio fu interrotto dal roboante motore “a palla” di una panda bianca che stava arrivando a tutto gas.
L’auto si ferma a pochi centimetri dietro al nostro pullmino tra uno stridio di freni e una sgommata; dato il bordo strada senza protezioni, temetti il peggio.
E finalmente tutti vedemmo la temeraria pilota scendere di corsa, afferrare dal sedile posteriore lo zaino e raggiungerci, scusandosi per il ritardo.
In quella circostanza capii che Angela sarebbe divenuta un’ottima guida.
Gli anni successivi sono stati intensi di attività escursionistiche sia come liberi professionisti sia come collaboratori ingaggiati dalla Proloco di Rotonda.
In quegli anni portammo in giro migliaia di persone.
Qualche anno dopo facemmo tutti insieme il corso per Guide Ufficiali del Parco.
Eravamo una bella squadra, animata da una grande volontà di conoscere e far conoscere il Pollino ad un pubblico sempre più ampio.
Abbiamo iniziato un cammino di pubblicizzazione del territorio che ancora oggi non ha eguali in tutta Italia.
Poi Angela e gli altri decisero di creare l’Associazione delle Guide (io ne stetti fuori), con a capo in una prima parte, da Pino Di Thomas, later replaced by Gary Lofrano.
The constant changes at the top of the park do not warrant a departure "right". Gaetano policy was to find a role of guides in the context of the management mechanisms of the protected area. As if to say that we too can participate in the initiation of this machine.
From this point began the first disagreements with the Park Authority.
From an initial position is too pro-government in the opposition. Very harshly criticizing the actions of the entity that does not show much attention to the Guide.
After a series of grants to rain masked with pseudo targets ranging from monitoring to environmental education, is the epilogue came last year when the Board decided not to fund most of the Guides Association.
As if by magic it was dissolved.
Then a second one was born - according to many - to manage the funds made available by the Foundation South
In consequence, the old association gave some hint of rebirth.
Today, both associations, vivacchiano slow to take off. ... For lack of members.
In fact, after the disappearance of Beppe Scutari, who on several occasions tried to revive the role of the Official Guide, all you gave to other jobs.
All these fatal thoughts accompany me to San Severino Lucano.
If crying Athens Sparta does not laugh.
I try and tell me that George is on Frido to open a path.
join him.
Story the meeting in the morning and he says: " but how? You, too, you wonder?
to survive See I work as a forest worker and I'm here to clean up these unnecessary branches from old trees that are along the shore of Frido ... here is a nice nature trail easy to get a few minutes Adventures from the field and the facilities of forest Magnano . "
The simplicity of George is contagious.
The spectacle of Frido, at this point, it is truly spectacular. Large boulders of rock of various colors, square, almost a brain mass floating in the icy waters of the river relaxes you, make you forget the problems of the day.
The roots of a large wild pear, shaped by the violence of the water, by rubbing the stone which they roll a few inches after every flood, appear like so many tentacles of an octopus trying to wrap the whole world.
" I really like this job. It's like going back to times when I was working on the Stelvio - tells George - the sedan chair to carry Pietroni to build trails.
An experience that I am now here to help coordinate the forestry workers who work with me in the cleaning and recovery of these old trails .. "
However, George is happy. I am thin, always with his enthusiasm, he tells me when to wear the red pants to venture along the paths of fishermen Frido, now completely abandoned and covered by brambles, to search for a track can be obtained for the tourist who finds it hard to get .
Back on the issue of the Guide.
And he tells me that if Angela does not surf the postman the other better. Narduzzo, is a painter, raccoglie e vende legna, Luigi fa l’elettricista, Quirino fa il musicista e costruisce zampogne, Gaetano si occupa di arte contemporanea, Peppino gestisce il rifugio, Primo ha problemi con la dentiera, Peppe studia inglese, Silvio progetta fattorie didattiche e Alba non si sa cosa faccia.
È ora di pranzo e la giornata è finita.
Giorgio raccoglie gli attrezzi di lavoro, però prima mi fa vedere come si è ingegnato, con cordini e scalette, moschettoni e discensori, casco e guanti, tronchesina e seghetto da potatore e sale su di un tronco per recidere l’ultimo ramo del giorno.
recover the old backpack that recalls the work in Trentino, office tools, remove the harness, place the ropes, carabiners, and we move along the path to reach the car.
" see how I cleaned outcrop of this rock? I even passed the wire brush to remove excess soil, look at that view from this hill! But see how that managed to be born among the rocks. It's crazy, how nature can survive in environments as severe ".
We go along the path well stepped between large oaks and oak leaves in a blanket of color arancio, con il sottofondo del rumore dell’acqua.
Vista l’ora, ci facciamo un piatto di pasta all’antica Baita, splendido locale a pochi metri dalla statale, a Bosco Magnano.
Incominciamo con un ottimo e abbondante antipasto a base di prosciutto, soppressate e salsiccia lucana.
Il tutto innaffiato con una caraffa di ottimo vino aglianico rosso, di corpo, molto tannico che si fa bere a meraviglia.
Inevitabilmente il discorso cade sulla realtà delle Guide, sul loro patrimonio di saperi, sulla loro passione per la montagna; concordiamo on the principle that we are undervalued and not taken into account.
not participating in any decision-making process of The government of the territory.
And here the conversation turns to the extent the park.
than ever to complete the organization, the Council and all its mechanisms. However, it is devoid of purpose, of ideas, projects and things to do now. It is without a cent. Indeed, a €! Although this design works great Pharaonic destined to become the new cathedrals in the desert.
to stop our " pessimism of reason "comes a lovely veal steak, well done, on the edge of the burner with a side dish of green salad.
disagree only sull'insalata: 'm not a herbivore !
The steak requires silence.
Outside the weather clouds.
arrives a few laggard customer and ask if there is still something to eat.
After a first bite "savage" our conversation turns to the steak still there: the figure della Guida che in più occasione ha salvato la faccia al territorio, mettendoci una pezza quando il turista chiedeva come mai da anni il rifugio De Gasperi è chiuso,così come sono chiuse le altre venti strutture; così come non funziona nessun centro visita.
Evidenzio come ci pervade un certo “ pessimismo della ragione ”, tipico del meridionale che si lamenta sempre, che è rassegnato fin dalla nascita, che “ tutto deve andare così e non si può far niente .”
Ma se noi siamo rimasti sul posto come l’ultimo dei Moicani qualcosa vuol dire.
We can not give us an answer.
Perhaps it is best to water the entire fence with a brandy!
But the speech is screwed and gets more complex. Just like when one can not find the thread of a skein that at first glance it seems easy to unravel.
Suddenly there whale head an idea alien, bizarre and little chance of concreteness.
And if we assume the body?
With little money is not fucked up a heritage di conoscenze e ci potrebbe utilizzare nei periodi morti come educatori nelle scuole come avevamo pensato in uno dei tanti corsi con i lavoratori socialmente utili.
L’Ente naviga in brutte acque.
Non ha una lira.
Figuriamoci se prende in carico dei vecchi catorci come noi.
Ne ha già più di cento ereditati dai veterani LSU buttati da qualche parte a far nulla.
Certo noi non vogliamo fare la stessa fine.
Alla fine sarebbe dare un mezzo stipendio a quattro o cinque persone.
Che vuoi che sia?
Ci alziamo e usciamo nel freddo di Bosco Magnano.
Meglio stare con i piedi per terra.
Saluti e convenevoli di rito e poi ci promettiamo che la prossima volta ci vediamo in montagna su uno dei nostri sentieri, ad arrancare verso qualche cima, così, sotto pressione, con il cuore in gola per la fatica, non ci vengono strane idee.
Riprendo la strada per go home, driving rain that washes out the road and were it not for the fact that I know by heart, would agree to stop and wait until the storm passes.
The radio speaks of professionals in the environmental field: I would like to call to tell the story of an Official Guide to a park in Italy.
Then I think the question of an official of the park that a few months ago he asked me what I thought of the fact that the Park Authority would announce a course for new guides and I remember my answer dry:
you still want to create starving?
We were in forty-five and we were six.
The radio signal "comes and goes," and in a bend near Viggianello I get strong and clear voice of a radio speaker of three, which concluded a speech which I do not know the contents with a famous phrase Woody Allen: God is dead, Marx is dead ... and I do not feel very well today!
I fully endorse!
Emanuele Pisarra
