Sunday 28th August: Weather: 18°C to 22°C: Sunny, misty, overcast but no rain
Day 12 Sassa to Rifugio Barma: 13.3k: 8am to 4.45pm: 8hrs 45mins: 1 x 30 min break, 1 x 10 min break
Ascent/Descent: Ascent 1,533m, Descent 924m, Total up and down 2,457m
Accommodation: Rifugio Barma
Leaving Steinboch 8.15am
Track around the Achensee
On top of old Smokey - sorry Col di Carisey 2,124 metres
Mist rolling to Rifugio Coda
HALF WAY - Rifugio Coda 175km and Cumulative Ascent 15,024 metres
Coffee in the mist at Rifugio Coda
Mont Blanc and Monte Rosa is out there somewhere
Mont Mars National Park on way to Rifugio Barma
Across the dam wall at Vargno
Rifugio Barma - very new with a bar, showers and room to ourselves
Rifugion Barma - Blonde beer for Ian and Red (Brown) beer for me
Day 12 was a significant highlight. WE’RE HALF WAY AROUND THE TOR DE GEANTS. We left Sassa this morning and at 11am reached Rifugio Coda en route to Rifugio Barma. This was half way of our journey - a distance of 175k and Cumulative Ascent of 15,024 metres. A thrilling moment. The rest of the day wasn’t so thrilling as there was a difficult descent down gorges and rocky paths and it took four hours to reach the Vargno dam wall where we were lucky to enter the Mont Mars National park and the Ascent of 400 metres was along a very graded roman like path (built for tourists) to Rifugio Barma.
The Hotel L’Etoile was a magnificent stop over and we had the best nights sleep. We asked for an early breakfast at 7.30am because we knew it would be a long day. So we’re awake at 6am having a Jet Boiled cup of tea then packed ready to leave as soon as we have breakfast which was a lovely spread of tarts, coffee, yoghurt, muesli and an assortment of breads. There were other hikers who had stayed overnight, but they were day hikers.
We leave at 8am and the hike up to the Col Portola is through wet grass. It had rained heavily through the night. After 2 hrs, we think we’ve reached Col Portola, but there’s no sign. It was a non-event - just a stroll over a hill. Soon we’re at Col di Carisey at 2,124 metres - also a non event as it was an easy climb. At 11am after 3hrs hiking, we’re at Rifugio Coda. A significant milestone for us as it is exactly half way around the Tor des Geants - 175k distance and 15,000 Cumulative Ascent. There’s mist rolling up from the plains of Northern Italy, typical for this area. Not cold or wet, just misty. We find a spot away from the tables set outside Rifugio Coda and have a coffee and Left over apple strudel for morning tea. There’s no signs to Rifugio Barma as it’s only a relatively new Refugio, but we estimate it will take about 3 hrs. Wrong! The descent from Coda to the valley below takes forever as we wind our way over boulders and gorges to finally reach a level farm track which only lasts for 1 kilometre. But it’s a welcome relief to stride out on a flat wide path for a little while.
But that’s short lived and soon we’re ascending through a pine forest looking for Lake Vargno to have a lunch break. We’ve seen many commercial signs to Rifugio Barma (the Rifugio is too new to be officially signposted) but none of them say how far. We never find Lake Vargno until 4pm way down in a valley, when we have to stop for a 5 minute break of bread and jam. We descent further and cross the dam wall of the lake where’s there’s lots of tourists and day hikers. The poster boards tell us we are in the Mont Mars National Park but nothing bout Barma At last an official sign to Rifugio Barma for 1hr 10 mins and the path is like an old paved roman path - probably specially built for the tourists. The 400 metres ascent is easy up this graded path and we’re at the top in an hour looking down on the brand spanking new Rifugio Barma just 5 minutes away.
We arrive at 4.45 at Barma and it’s so new, the place smells of new timber. The bar is open and we’re shown to our room of 8 persons, but we are the only 2 in it. Hooray! There’s other rooms for families with kids. Thank God it’s not another Rifugio Miserin where we were stacked like cattle. Straight away we’re having a hot shower in a large shower room, with unlimited hot water, washing just our shirts for the next day. Then down to the bar for a beer and blog. We check out the route for tomorrow. A BIG DAY! 3,460metres up and down to Neil Grab where we have booked a Relais (hotel) and at the time of booking, the owner said, good luck we will wait for you for dinner. He knew it would be a big day. So we have arranged for a 6.30am breakfast to get away early at 7am.
Dinner is at 7.15 tonight - a tad earlier. We have ordered a mix of polenta, salad and something else. It’s always a bit of a poker hand when we don’t speak Italian.