Monte Cuar MTB/Hike

Monte Cuar/Flagjel is one of the distinctive peak shapes you can see for many miles; it looks like two Twin Peaks with a parabola draped between them.  I've ridden up to the malga where the gravel road  passes below them but never made it to the summit.  Until today.

You start just after Peonis at a left marked Cjanet.  This stack of tornanti has a very shady, sweet gradient for warming up.  Eventually you turn sharply right onto a gravel road and climb all the way up to the paved road for Cuel di Forchia and Avistanis.  Turn right and in a few minutes reach a gravel road on your left.  This switchbacks up toward the malga, but well before you get there turn onto side trail to your left marked Monte Cuar.  Hop off your bike and lock/hide it.  Hike steeply upward following CAI red markings.  Here I encountered my first human of the day, a middle aged hiker descending with trekking poles.  She was doing really well given the gradient.  Keep going to the top (the trail continues to Flagjel).  Great views up here though hazy today.  I descended slowly to protect my gimpy knees.  

Back on the bike the descent was great though quite jarring.  I need to let some air out of the fork.
Anyway, other than the hiker I mentioned, I saw one other MTB'er and a small reddish deer.  Naturally a Griffone vulture was lazily circling above me on the ascent, patiently waiting for me to drop.  Not today, but time is on his side.

Monte Flagjel to the west

Pielungo, Forno

Val Arzino, Fiume Tagliamento 

Peaks to northwest

View to north

Campanella Monte Cuar

Madonna
Monte Cuar

Monte Prat altopiano,
Monte Ragogna background

The climb