Saturday, September 8, 2012

GR20 // day 7 // U Vallone - Ciottulu di I Mori

Distance: 6km, altitude at start: 1440m, altitude at end: 1991m, highest point: 2050m.

Yet another exciting day lies ahead of me. From the Bergeries de Vallone the GR20 goes up towards Refuge de Ciottulu di I Mori. Above me towers Paglia Orba, the third highest mountain on Corsica, and Capu Tafunatu that observes you with its eye when you climb up towards the highest situated cabin on the route.

Nice weather in the morning when I leave Bergeries de Vallone. The time here at the auberge was one of the best stays at the journey.

It's a great morning, far from the grey and dull weather that lay spread out over the mountains for just a couple of days ago. Coming down from Refuge de Tighjettu hikers are now steadily walking past the auberge. I'm being pulled along into the shadows of the forest nearby by the queue of people walking by. The first part of the walk is a pleasant wandering through the woods pass the Ravin de Paglia Orba and up along the Ruisseau de Foggiale. In between there are openings between the trees where you can enjoy the view down the valley in the direction of Calacuccia and Albertacce, above the canopy Paglia Orba is towering.

Paglia Orba towering high above the trail.

Then the trees are gradually thinning out, indicating that I have started the ascent towards Bocca di Foggiale. The view gets better and better and more of the artificial lake of Calacuccia gets visible. It's a steep walk, and I can feel it a little bit in my knees. In my guidebook it says that mouflons often can be seen grassing on the slopes of the mastodon of a mountain above me, but I look in vain for the animals.

Great view when ascending up the steep walk towards Bocca di Foggiale.

The wind sweeps over me with great force when I come up to Bocca di Foggiale. The eye in Capu Tafunatu is looking wonderingly down upon me from high above. Looking back, I can't do anything than what I've been doing so often on the GR20, and that is to enjoy the view. From Bocca di Foggiale I can see the trail go along hills all clad in green.

I continue upwards and then I can look down upon Refuge de Ciottulu di I Mori. This is the highest situated cabin on the GR20, lying at an altitude of 1991 meters. It will be cold here in a tent during the night. The cabin is actually the nicest cabin so far on the GR20. It's built by stones, and it's actually quite nice inside as well for a change. The terrace outside has a great view towards the Golo-valley below. In the horizon there are mountains upon mountains.

Looking down the valley in the direction of Calacuccia and Albertacce.

The plan now is to relax a little bit at the cabin before attacking the mastodon above, Paglia Orba. The mountain is said to be more challenging to climb than Monte Cinto. I order an omelet with ham for lunch. Then I put on my mountaineer-hat and goes on a mission towards the third highest mountain on the island.

Bocca di Foggiale.

Down by the cabin again I decide to stay for the night. My knees are tired and Castel di Verghio doesn't look tempting. Another stay at a ski station next to a road isn't what I'm looking for now. So I find myself a nice place for the tent and make anything ready for a cold night. Clouds starts drifting in over the mountains.

From the terrace at Refuge de Ciottulu di I Mori. Great view over the Golo-valley, which I will walk down at the start of tomorrow's stage.

A helicopter flies over the cabin before taking a round along the mountainsides and then disappears into the clouds, the sound slowly getting quieter. A rescue helicopter? The Golo-valley is now only visible through a thin veil. With the sun hidden behind the clouds it gets cold quite fast. Paglia Orba is as the sun now hidden from my eyes.

Someone else at the cabin had walked up to the eye in Capu Tafunatu; I have some regrets that I didn't do the same. But my knees aren't, and at the time I was still unsure whether I should be staying at Ciottulu or continuing towards Castel di Verghio. Later on in the evening it looks like its smoking from Tafunatu, when dense clouds are being blown through the hole in the mountain. Perhaps it is fog from Valle Nebbia that drifts through the opening in Tafunatu.

Up towards Capu Tafunatu (to the left in the picture) and Paglia Orba. Col de Maures to the right in the picture, the summit of Paglia Orba lies behind the smaller top.

Darkness falls over the landscape and it gets cold outside. Pitch dark as well. A group of locals are having a cheerful time inside the cabin. Most of the hikers have gone to bed, early as usual. It had apparently really been joyful here yesterday. Two persons had fallen out of the beds in the dormitory, quite drunk, someone had thrown up. I'm glad I wasn't here then.

My tent space at Ciottulu di I Mori.

It could explain why the gardien at the cabin was grumpy. Later I've been told that he isn't that fond of foreigners (that probably includes French people from the mainland). You could then ask yourself why he chooses this kind of work. By taking a job as a gardien on a cabin along the GR20 there are two things that are certain, you will meet people and many of them will guaranteed be foreigners.

Refuge de Ciottulu di I Mori.

Despite of that, it was a nice stay at the cabin. It is fantastic situated above the valley. The dinner was quite good and it was cozy inside. I shiver a little bit when I crawl into my sleeping bag, a cold night ahead of me. I'm very pleased to have climbed to the top of Paglia Orba and all the cold nights in the world can't do anything about that.

Smokes rises from the eye in Capu Tafunatu. Clouds drifting through the hole and creates an illusion that it smokes from the mountain.

<- U VallonePaglia Orba ->

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