Читать книгу The GR20 Corsica. The High Level Route онлайн

56 страница из 66

Pots and pans outside a bergerie, where cows, goats and sheep are milked

THE GR20

Towering peaks above Lac du Melo and Lac de Capitellu (link route from Stage 7 to Bergeries to Grotelle)

STAGE 1A

Calenzana to Refuge d’Ortu di u Piobbu (high-level)

Start Calenzana Finish Refuge d’Ortu di u Piobbu Distance 12km (7½ miles) Total ascent 1550m (5085ft) Total descent 235m (770ft) Time 7hrs Terrain Mixed, including steep slopes of maquis, forest and rocky mountainsides. This is a tough day’s trek because of the relentless ascent, and scrambling is required at times. Take it slow and steady, as some trekkers overtax themselves and finish the day exhausted and dehydrated. Maps IGN 4149 OT and 4250 OT Food and drink All necessary last-minute food supplies are available in Calenzana. There are a couple of streams on the ascent, but they dry up in the summer. The Refuge d’Ortu di u Piobbu serves meals and sells provisions. Shelter Shade is available in isolated stands of forest along the way. There is a drystone windbreak shelter on Bocca a u Salto. The higher parts are exposed in wind and rain.

The first day on the GR20 is a shock to the system. Trekkers leave Calenzana with everything on their back, probably in hot weather, with a question mark over the availability of water along the way. Learn which plants in the maquis are the thorniest! Lizards scuttle for cover with every few footfalls. The ascent is unremitting – uphill all the way, climbing higher than anywhere in Britain, then climbing further, scrambling across a rocky mountainside. Carefully ration your water and hope that it will last. When the refuge is finally reached, take the accommodation and services as you find them, knowing that there is nowhere else within reach. This day is a fine introduction to the rigours and the delights of the GR20 – it’s your baptism of fire!