Trek Alpi Marittime 2010

Last year we hiked the valleys to the West, this year we covered the valleys to the East in the Alpi Marritime

Day 1[ 2 August 2010]: Great weather departing from San Giacomo Entrcque and heading up, south toward theFrench border, through the Vallone del Gesso della Barra. This is the same trail that 600 Jews, from all over Europe took in September 1943, but heading north instead and trying to get to the last little safe haven in Europe, which was in Italy and not occupied by the Germans. Unfortunately, the Germans took Cuneo that same month and rounded up all the foreigners in the area (more than half of the original 600), some managed to escape being found and were hidden by the local farmers. The rest were captured and placed in a make shift concentration camp nearby until they could be taken to Auschwitz. Only 12, of the original 349, survived. It only took us a few hours to arrive at Rifugio Soria Elenna (1840 meters) [Right: Rifugio Soria-Elena behind us]

Day 2 [3 August 2010]:  Departing from Rif. Soria-Elenna to San Giacomo Engraque and then UP (again) to Rif. Pagari through the valley parallel to the last one; Vallone di Monte Colomb. There is a (shorter) route between the two rifugi without having to go all the way down but there is also an ice field and we didn't have crampons and we don't Zaven to be in unnecessarily risky situations, so we decided the long way would be better. It was 2 hours down to San Giacomo and then another 6.5 hours and over 1000 meters UP to Rif. Pagari. No one gives a shit about beautiful views after hiking for 8.5 hours. We were BEAT. We finally arrived where a hippie like dude, who totally smacked of my Uncle Kenny of evading-the-draft-going-to-Canada fame - long freaky beard, but handsome underneath, was the proprietor of Rif. Pagari. It was amazing, tucked between the steep and barren peaks and surrounded by majestic rock walls, very high at 2665 meters, very basic and very BIOlogical - Uncle Kenny just could not stop talking (to anyone who was listening) about how he has a BIOLOGICAL farm and his wife slaves away with the bio garden and then ports the goods up to the rifugio - making us all feel guilty with our synthetic non earth friendly fibered mountain gear and not fair trade friendly peanut and raisin trailmix. Zaven, our amazing non complaining kid, immediately laid down and went to sleep until our very healthy, biological and tasty dinner was served.

Yahoo - we made it! Finally. Rif Pagari, 2665 meters, behind Zaven and I above ~

So full of optimism at the beginning, having no idea we would need to get to the top of that peak over Zaven's left shoulder ~

Day 3: Rifugio Pagari to San Giacomo - we saw tons of stambecci (mountain goats - right and below - so cute but not cuddly), marmots and a million types of Alpen butterflies and wild flowers and it only took us 4 hours to get down and back to our car...and eventually our house, beds and normal toilet. We left the Serole house keys with crazy cacklin' farmer Rosanna and asked her to watch Baci - she took him out for walks with her mean dog Leo, fed him and let him back in the house so at night he could be comfortable sleeping in our vacant beds while we were sleeping with 12 strangers in dormitory conditions. I tried to pay her and she refused and said someday she might ask me a favor...I was thinking of the mortician in The Godfather and then she said, "I might ask you to feed my chickens." I made her and Franco lunch and a cake and will be indebted waiting for the "feed the chickens request"

WE did it! The car, the packs and us accounted for -  San Giacomo Entraque - August 4, 2010