Saturday 14th September : Weather: 4°C to 11°C: Overcast, cold, snow just above us, really windy at dam
Fusio: 15.2k circuit to Sambuco Dam and Lake:
Ascent and Descent: Ascent 390m, Descent 390m,
Time: 10.30am to 3.00pm: 3hrs 50min walk time + 1 x 30 min stop + 1 x 10 min stop
Accommodation: Ostello Communale Fusio
It snowed last night
Ian rugged up ready to walk
Snow topped alps in distance
Ian on dam wall Lake Sambuco
Snow capped alps above Sambuco
4 cast iron hot plates for heating
Highlight today was an easy walk to the Sambuco Lake, following the road to the dam wall then along teh service road beside teh lake.
We’re awake after almost 9hrs sleep. It was a cold night so I went to bed with two doonas, two shirts, two jumpers, a neck scarf, long pants and socks. But at 2am, when the room warmed up with body heat, I had to take off my jumpers. This morning it was a freezing 4°C outside, and about 5°C inside. It snowed last night just above us. The only way to get warm was to turn on all the large square cast iron plates on the stove and sit in the kitchen. None of teh heaters in the Ostello seam to work. But it’s still a great place to stay and we were the only ones here last night. It’s such a beautiful village.
We have a cup of tea in bed and stay in bed for 2 hours until 8am, then chenge into some very warm clothes to have breakfast of meusli and yoghurt we’ve brought up from Locarno. After hanging around inside waiting for the temperature to warm up, we make a few phone calls and check emails - yes we have phone reception. Checking meteo Swiss at 10.30am tells us Fusio is now 7°C, so we pack a small bag with our jet boil, tea, sugar, milk powder and the last piece of pannetore, and take the road to Sambuco Lake.
Theer were few cars on the road but several motobikes went wizzing past. It’s a steady easy 4k climb to the dam wall with spectacular views up and down the valley, with the tops of teh mountains looking like they’ve been sprinkled with icing sugar after some snow last night. There’s a small cafe there where all the bikies have stopped for coffee. We cross the dam wall and find a place on the other side in the sun, out of the gusty wind. It’s 11.30am and a good spot for a cup of tea with the last piece of pannetone cake.
We decide to continue to walk along the old service road running beside the lake. The wind is gusting so strongly I have to hold on to my cap, but once we’re around a curve in the road, the wind slightly abates and we enjoy the walk and the wonderful views all round. Walking on a road instead of a track is not exactly hiking, but at least you don’t have to watch every footstep and can look up to enjoy the wonderfuil scenery.
After 7k we get to the end of the lake where which continues to Lake Naret, about a further 2 hrs walk. Time to turn around and walk back with the gusting wind behind us. The down hill is easy, and soon we’re past the dam wall and heading down into Fusio. I stop for 10 minutes to check out a self serve cheese shed selling Alpine cheese at about 50 CHF per kilo - $100 per kilo. We had already brought some up from Aldi in Locarno so really don’t need any more to carry around.
Then we check out a few restaurants - those with a fireplace - where we might go tomorrow night. We’re looking for one with Risotto Porcini - Mushroom Risotto - on the menu, but the closest we see is one with Tagliatelle Porcini - another classic Italian dish. Back to Ostello Fusio at 3pm after a wonderful easy 15k walk to have a small lunch of bread and cheese. Another hiker arrives for teh night. He had been up to Spluga but couldn’t carry on with the sub zero conditions and wind, so like us, he took the bus up to Fusio.
The temperature in Fusio did reach 11°C, but seemingly only for a few minutes because when I went to have a shower soon after lunch it had already dropped to 8°C. I layer up with clothes and do some blogging then Ian passes on his photos for the day to add to my stories. There’s some wonderful photos of the upper end of the Valle Maggia above Fusio, with snow capped mountains all round.
By 5pm it’s drinkies time. Ian has a beer, I have a red wine ,with some peanuts, while our hot tomato soup is cooking on the stove. We’re sitting in the kitchen, the only warm place in the Ostello, and our hiking friend Urs from Basel in Switxerland joins us. He tells us about the orrendous walk he had in gale force winds forcing him to back track down the mountain and take a bus up to Fusio. He has bread with alpine cheese, we have risotto - rice plus tomato soup. We chate a while and ay 7.30am, two girls roll in. They’d come from Capanna Crystallina in knee deep snow. We’ve now heard enough stories about the ice, snow and gale force winds high up to thank our lucky stars we’re down at 1300 metres in Fusio. An early night at 8pm.