Last day on GR20, and I wake up with an odd feeling. Well aware that by the end of the day I'll have finished the whole route from Calenzana in the north to Conca in the south. Outside the view is a little gloomy; a grey veil is hanging over Village de Bavella. I do have a small hope of coming to Conca when it's sunny, it would feel better to end the journey in good weather.
A grey morning in Village de Bavella at the start of the last day on the GR20.
As mentioned, it's sort of an odd feeling starting on the last day of a long walk and knowing that by the end of the day you'll have finished it. So in the grey light I can't hide that I'm a little bit more excited than usual. From Bavella I start the walk through the forest where the fog creeps between the trees and then by going down a descent below the layer of clouds. Down below the cloud cover the clouds are dissolving, peaks and spires are appearing over me. My mood is lifting at the same time.
A great view from Foce Finosa. The characteristic peak of Punta di l'Anima Damnata standing up prominent in the landscape.
The warmth comes with the sun up at Foce Finosa, 1206m, and with that the greatest view of today. I scramble on top of some rocks above the pass and from there the valley below unfolds. The valley is covered in a pale blur giving it a fairy tale look. The sea can be seen in the horizon to a bigger extent than before, which reminds me further that I'll soon be at the end of the journey. But what really steals the focus of the landscape is the towering cliff of Punta di l'Anima Damnata.
From Foce Finosa the trail looks like it has almost been built up where it goes up and down below the ridge on the way to Refuge de Paliri. Before I arrive at the last cabin on the GR20 la Trou de la Bombe appears slightly visible above. High above a hole is making yet another eye in a mountain, Punta Tafunata d'I Paliri. It's tempting to try to climb up to the hole, but I disregard the idea when I arrive at Paliri. It looks very steep up there from the cabin, and I don't think I will have the time. The hole gets to watch over my last walk in peace.
View down towards the valley below Foce Finosa.
When I was at Manganu someone said that I shouldn't stay at the Refuge de Paliri, since the gardien there was supposedly very grumpy. My first impression when I arrive is that it's a nice place; the camping area is very nice. I meet the gardien outside the cabin and he wasn't the least grumpy, he was a little bit sleepy though. Maybe it would have been a better decision to continue here yesterday, instead of staying behind in Village de Bavella. Then I might have got the time to visit the hole in the mountain above as well.
Punta di l'Anima Damnata.
From Paliri the trail goes on further through a very nice landscape, with a nice mix of views and woods. The point of the damned soul reaches now more and more over me than before me. The trail goes around the high cliff and below the valley is expanding outwards, up from the forest several other cliffs are rising up from the trees. The trail is mostly sloping downhill now.
The path is turning round Foce di u Bracciu and at the same time the weather also turns. The view is still nice, but later when I'm relaxing a little bit before the ascent to Bocca di u Sordu clouds have arrived over the mountains. And they are dark. I arrive at the ruins of the Bergeries de Capeddu, where I sit down and eat some food. Next to the ruins a rusty skip filled with rubbish is standing, it's incredible what people are throwing away.
View down towards the valley below Punta di l'Anima Damnata.
I expect it to rain any moment now, in the horizon I can clearly see the grey veil of rain falling to the ground. There are noticeably fewer wanderers here; I haven't met anybody since I left Refuge de Paliri. Along the GR20 there have never been so few people like there are now. It’s only when I’m on my way down to Ruisseau de Punta Pinzuta when I meet someone again. And then it's suddenly a crowd around me. Here the trail crosses the river beneath some nice ponds, for then to ascent in a zigzag up towards a little pass.
Clouds drifting in over the landscape on the way to Conca.
From the little pass I can see that the sea has gotten nearer by giant steps and the cloud cover has gotten a lot lighter. A blue line in the horizon marks that the journey are near its end. Excited by the clear change of weather I move towards the last pass of the trail, behind me the mountains of Corsica are still lying obscured by the rainclouds.
A gaze in the direction backwards on the GR20, the mountains covered by clouds. A journey is almost over.
After an easy walk along the ridge the clouds have dissolved more and more, I go up to the curious looking gap of Bocca d'Usciolu (587m). It feels a little bit like going through a portal to the civilization when I'm going through the gap, where the GR20 in a way stays behind. Since I'm now looking out over the landscape down to the sea. Conca lies below.
The sea has gotten nearer and nearer, walking along the ridge before Bocca d'Usciolu.
Now only a short descent remains before I've finished the GR20, so I sit down to gather my thoughts. I can look back to 19 days in the mountains of Corsica along the iconic GR20. A part of me is looking forward to be finished, but there is also one part of me that wants to keep on going. Though it's still clouds in the sky, the sun is more prominent.
I walk down through the woods and then I arrive out on the road. Sun above. Here there are signs pointing in the northern direction. I stand still for a while looking around, it's hard to understand at once that it's done. Then I move on to the little village at the end of GR20, a journey behind me. Down by Bar Le Soleil Levant in Conca there are a lot of wanderers and familiar faces gathered. I celebrate with a cold beer.
Bocca d'Usciolu. View down towards Conca and the further on towards the sea.
Then the navette appears at the bar, I climb aboard and leaves Conca and the GR20. I have finished the trail after about 180 kilometers and over 12000 altitude meters since I set out from Calenzana on the 28. of august. Now new adventures await me, but first I'll spend some more days here at Corsica (but that's another story).
Walking down to Conca I leave the GR20 behind. A journey is over....another begins?
<- Village de Bavella
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