Oh boy, what a cold night, and it just got colder and colder. Almost put on all I've had of clothes. But that is easily forgotten when I look out of the tent and get to understand why many means Refuge de Prati has the best camping area on the GR20. The clouds are gone and now the sea is shimmering in the horizon. A little bit of wind though, the bandit flag on the terrace is making a little dance.
Morning at Refuge de Prati. The bandit flag dances in the wind while the sun is still rising.
Today's walk follows the ridge in an almost straight line due south and down to Refuge d'Usciolu. After the coldness of the night it feels warm when I lifts up my backpack and starts to walk up towards the verdant ridge above the cabin. The trail is going upwards with the sound of a herd of goats going downwards. From up at the ridge I can see mountains stretch itself southwards towards the horizon, small peaks juts up here and there. Further on is a variation of scrambling and easy walking.
My tent at Prati at sunrise.
One of these peaks is Punta Capella, at 2041m. From the trail the top looks like a big pile of boulders stacked on top of each other's, like a cairn in a much larger proportion. I leave my backpack behind by some boulders at the trail and climbs up to the top. The last part demands a little bit of scrambling. A cross rests at the top, together with a nice view back towards Monte Renosu and further. In the east a lowland next to the sea.
View of the sea from the mountains on the way to Refuge d'Usciolu. Lowland and sun mirroring in the water.
More climbing and walking mixed together going down to Bocca di Rapari. It's nice weather to be walking in, but where you can be looking forward to the evening fog. I'm taking it easy, even though some parts are ideal for striding out and making good speed. Small Corsican villages down in the valley to the right. It's clearly more lowland visible in the surroundings here than on the northern part of the GR20.
View back towards the Refuge de Prati from Punta Capella.
View from Punta Cappella in the direction of Monte Renosu (to the right in the picture) and I Pozzi.
A small cluster of trees at Bocca di Rapari is providing some shade, which it has been little of so far. I reach Bocca di Laparo (1525m) that lies in a gap in between the two ridges the GR20 passes over between Prati and Usciolu, plenty of trees giving shade here. Here the Mare a Mare Centre is crossing the GR20 on its way over the mountains from the sea, a sign marks the way to Cozzano. An unstaffed cabin, Refuge de Laparo, should be located nearby.
After Bocca di Laparo the trail is starting to ascend again. At first the trail makes a turn inside a forest before it emerges over the tree line and then goes up a steep ascent to Punta Mozza at 1831m. Behind me the clouds are starting to appear, like clockwork. You could almost adjust your clocks after them. On the way up two fighter jets flies over the mountains, the sound they make is indescribably this high up.
The ridge down towards Bocca di Rapari and Bocca di Laparo.
I pass Punta Mozza seeing the ascent isn't finished, the trail are going further up towards Punta Bianca. There's a massive cloud attack on the mountainsides behind me now. From here the path is almost a complete copy of the ridge between Prati and Bocca di Rapari. Like a copycat I go up to Monte Furmicula (1981m), the summit is easy to walk up to. Looking back afterwards I see a sheep standing at the top. No grass at the top though, so it goes disappointed down again.
Shade in a small forest below Bocca di Rapari.
The trail continues along the Crête d'Acqua Acelli, before it goes down a steep descent to Refuge d'Usciolu. Here the camping spaces lies spread out beneath the cabin, with a good view towards Monte Incudine. The cabin has nice sitting places outside, but is as usual not very nice inside. The gardiens are living in a cabin next by, in addition to a small hut where they sell food and drink from. It's a nice place, even though the horses are going loose and are of some nuisance to the walkers sitting by the tables. The shower is however the most luxurious by appearance at the cabins along the GR20, though the water is still just as cold.
In the afternoon fog rolls in over the cabin and are locking the sun out. Wanderers or ghosts are drifting past. The dinner at Usciolu consists of only one plate with pasta, meat, mushrooms, carrots and sauce. Good, but too little meat on my plate though. Eats the dinner inside the cabin together with the French boys.
View back towards Bocca de Laparo. Cloud attack on the mountainsides.
My tent space at the Refuge d'Usciolu. Clouds coming in from the valley blocking the view towards Monte Incudine.
I finish the day resting in my tent reading while having a couple of beers, the fog lies thick over the mountains outside. Today's walk was nice, but not spectacular. The view of the sea from the ridge was great.
Refuge d'Usciolu in fog. In the last days the evenings has become a grey world.
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