Saturday 3rd September: Weather: 5°C to 14°C: Mist, sun, cloud, threatening rain then cold 4°C at Cuney
Day 18 Rifugio Barmasse to Rifugio Cuney: 16.9k: 8rs: 7.45am to 3.45pm: 1 x 30 min stop
Ascent/Descent: Ascent 1,812m, Descent 1,321m, Total up and down 3,133m
Accommodation: Rifugio Cuney
Rain goes - magical day in the Alps
Fenetre d’Ersa at 2,293 metres
Temporary blue skies before mist
Glacial Lake de Tzan
Morning tea spot before Col de Tzan
Misty backdrop
Fenetre de Tzan at 2,738 metres
Look closely at the steep zig zag path coming down from de Tzan
Water spout from old beast like log
Col Terray at 2,775 metres
Snow capped mountains and cloud
Day 18 was a spectacular day highlighted by 3 cols, Col Fenetra d'Ersa at 2,293 metres, Fenetra de Tzan at 2,738 metres and Col de Terray at 2,775 metres, with a mix of rugged wilderness above 2,000 meters, green grassy valleys below, and plenty of ups and downs to make it a long 16.9k day of 3,133 metres total up and down. We realised later that for the last 6k we’d followed the AV1 which isn’t always exactly the same as the Tor des Gents, and it was much higher precarious route than we should have taken down through Magio in the valley. No matter it was still a great day. Rifugio Cuney is very basic - only dorm beds - but there’s so few people here we were given a dorm to ourselves.
It rained all night. We could hear it tumbling down, but when we wake at 6 am, it had stopped. My first steps on the ladder down from the bunk bed are tentative - still a sore calf muscle from cramps, but not as bad as last night. Two more nurofen will fix it, I hope. We pack, fold up the doonas, and go down to breakfast at 7am. Cornflakes with muesli, superhot water for a Twinings English breakfast tea, and then a hot croissant arrives. A perfect breakfast at a refuge. We’re out the door at 7.30am, but the mist is rising and it’s starting to rain again, so we spend 15 minutes getting out rain gear - jackets, pack covers, rain pants, ponchos and then set off at 8.45am. Two minutes later the rain stops but it’s another hour before we strip off the rain gear as it’s a cold 5°C and still looked like it could rain. The track rises gently and zig zags through a wet grassy slope and we arrive at the easy Fenetra d’Ersa after 30 minutes. Almost a non event.
Then across more grassy slopes until we see signs up to the steep Fenetra de Tzan. By this time we’d been walking for three and a half hours and needed a coffee break before this next climb, and we soon find a nook behind a rock at 11.15am. Coffee with a spicy fruit roll - save the strudel as it’s too heavy in the belly for a steep climb. Then up and up and at 1.15pm we reach the Fenetre de Tzan at 2,738 metres. It’s cold and misty and we stay only long enough to take a selfie before descending down a very steep slippery path down to the valley below with black cows scattered around the boulders.
Then up and up and up again to into the rugged wilderness to Col de Terray at 2,775 metres. There’s a sign that says 2hrs to Rifugio Cuney but that sounds too soon, but we’re following a few hundred metres behind Chris and Tim who have a GPX and stay behind them knowing we were heading in the right direction, despite it taking more than two and a half hours to get to Rifugio Cuney at a height of 2,656 metres at 3.45pm.
It’s warm inside the dining room in the refuge. Downstairs is the bathroom and toilets and it’s cold. We’ve been told there were only cold showers here, so the plan is to give it a miss. Lunch first - bread, butter and cheese with a Moretti Bonne beer for Ian and A Moretti Rosa (red beer) for me. Ian decides to test the cold shower and comes back all smiles that it is actually hot! So I quickly go down for a nice hot shower and return to blog and sort photos in the warm dining room.
We chat to Tim and Chris and Ian plays cards with them while blog. There’s a lovey older lady at the Rifugio with her companion dog to clean and cook and she is very obliging and the young Italian warden is doing research on the old churches in the area. Dinner in the heated room is at 7.30pm - Spaghetti with parmesan cheese, followed by sausages and chopped potatoes. Dessert is chocolate Mousse.
It’s really cold outside now - about 4°C, and the toilets and basins are downstairs. No washing tonight, we don’t have time and it wouldn’t dry anyway. After dinner the four of us, me, Ian Tim and Chris play cards til 9pm, then bed. There’s only the four of us at teh refuge, so we have one dorm just for us, and they have the other with a door between. It’s cold, Ian and I each load with 4 heavy weight sherpa blankets over our sheet sleeping bag. I have my usual pillowcase stuffed with puffer jackets.