Wednesday 11th September : Weather: 5°C Alpe Masnee to 22°C Locarno:
Alpe Masnee to Spluga: 7.7k walk:
Ascent and Descent: Ascent 190m, Descent 1443m,
Time: 8am to 2.30pm: Walk time 5hrs 50 min + 2 x 20 min stops
Accommodation: Locarno Pardo Apartments
Rainer Alpine guide settting ropes
Michael & Jan waiting to rope down
Scrambling down rocky gorge
Coffee looking down to Brione
Weather Map of sub zero temps
Highlight was the steep descent from Alpe Masnee to Brione in the Verzasco valley, lead by Rainer, an alpine guide, with his client Michael. It was only 7.7k down to but such a steep drop of 1,443 metres, it took as almost 6 hours, at a rate of about one kilometre per hour.
We awake at 6.30am to a cold 5°C, but we’re snug under a thick doona and wait til Rainer the Alpine Guide who is in the same room as us with his client Michael, gets up at 7am. He suggested last night that we follow him down to Brione in the Verzasca Valley. There are five others in the second hut, and they are up early and ready to leave at 7am. One of them is going to Spluga, and is prepared for the sub zero temperatures and technical alpine walk. We’re up and changed, and I put a pot of water on the gas stove for a cup of tea.
After a quick breakfast (Ian has meusli with powdered milk, I have bread and jam), we meet Rainer the guide and Michael and follow the signs to Brione. We clamber down rocks and boulders and soon run out of red and white markers. Rainer picks a path down a steep rocky gorge, and at one point sets up a climbing rope to help us swing down around a large boulder. At 9.15am, after 1 hour 15 minutes we reach a deserted stone hut with a path junction - blue and white markers to Spluga, and red and white markers to Brione.
Rainer and Michael head off in a rush as they must be at the bottom before 12 noon, to catch a bus into Locarno, otherwise the next bus isn’t until 3pm. We sit for a while to recover from the scrambling hoping it gets better on the descent from here on. Setting off at 9.30 down the steep rocky path, the descent is relentless. By midday, we stop for a coffee near a waterfall with views down to Brione, still a long way down in the valley.
Down and down through the zagging pine forest. The sign back at the path junction said 1h4 45 minutes to Brione, but we arrive at the bottom after 4 hrs 35 minutes, a total walking time of 5hrs 50 minutes adding the 1hr 15 minutes we walked with the guide. We arrive at 2.30pm, just in time to catch the 3pm bus. No way we could have made the 12pm bus! We sit at the bus stop and have stale bread and cheese with a hot cup of tea.
The bus is full, and I’m caught out trying to give the driver an “old” 20 CHF note. We were caught out in the UK with a change of notes, but we weren’t aware it would happen in Switzerland. He’s a bit cranky as I try to undo my back pack for “new” notes, and he drives off leaving us to try to find a seat on the swaying bus. He hurtles down the winding road to Tenero where everyone gets off and he’s arguing with passengers about not going all the way into Locarno and isn’t interested in my “new” note so we hop off. Some people walk to the other side to catch a bus into Locarno but we elect to walk 4k around the lake on flat ground on a beautiful afternoon.
It’s 5pm when we get to the tourist office to check out the bus options up the Maggia Valley. Next we need to find accommodation for the night. We could stay at the youth hostel but they ony have 4 person expensive family rooms available but booking.com finds us Pardo Apartments in the heart of the old city for 215 CHF for two nights. Its just up the road but no one knows where this place is. It turns out it’s a private apartment run by Quokka 360, situated above a restaurant which knows nothing about it. it takes us 30 minutes to check in online, while standing in the drizzling rain trying to find out how to get in. A real pain. A phone call to Quokka 360, and someone helps us find the lock box - at last.
It’s a really nice apartment with kitchen, queen bed and bathroom and spotlessly clean. Ian trots off to the Coop 100 metres away, and I walk back to the youth hostel to retrieve my computer from the locker. Dinner is everything from last night - lettuce mayonnaise, ham cheese and 2 beers. After a shower and some washing it’s almost 10 when we’re in bed.