 |
|
Photo albums:Corsica 2003
|
Our trip to Corsica and the GR20 in late May, 2003
Click an image for a larger (800 x 600) view. Click the larger image for the full-size original.
You might also be interested in some thoughts on planning a GR20 trek.
|
|
|
|
Map of Corsica
From Trekking in Corsica by David Abram. It's the least he could do in exchange for getting us lost. Click for larger (legible) view.
|
Map of the GR20
Also from Abram
|
Monte d'Oro (1)
Monte d'Oro, Corsica's fifth highest peak (2389 m), seen from the GR20 just above Vizzavona
|
Monte d'Oro (2)
Another view of Monte d'Oro
|
|
Cybelle on day one
On the trail from Vizzavona to E'Campannelle
|
Monte d'Oro (3)
Monte d'Oro, seen from the Bocca Palmenti
|
Bocca Palmenti (1)
Another view (north) from the Palmenti pass
|
Bocca Palmenti (2)
Looking east from the pass. You can see the coastal plain and the ocean in the distance.
|
|
Bergeries d'Alzeta (1)
A small seasonal farm
|
Bergeries d'Alzeta (2)
You can see stone-walled livestock pens on the right
|
Scenic tree
|
View north
|
|
Lizard
These lizards are everywhere, but they're skittish and don't usually let you get very close.
|
Crête de Cardu
The first view of Monte Renoso, the highlight of tomorrow's stage
|
More scenic trees
Still on the Crete de Cardu
|
Cybelle on the Crête
With Monte Renoso in the background
|
|
Monte Renoso from the Crête de Cardu
|
Family of cows
Other than the lizards, cows were about the only animals we saw
|
More cows
|
YAST
Yet Another Scenic Tree
|
|
Road to E'Campannelle
E'Campannelle is a ski station served by this little road
|
E'Campannelle
The ski slope at E'Campannelle. One of the buildings of the bergeries is in the foreground. (Scan from film, lower quality than the digital photos.)
|
Bergeries at E'Campannelle (1)
This is where we camped at the end of our first day on the trail. (Another film scan.)
|
E'Campannelle bergeries (2)
The last film scan for a while
|
|
Bergeries (3)
|
Campsite at E'Campannelle
|
Leaving E'Campannelle
The morning of day two, looking back at last night's campsite
|
Monte Renoso from E'Campannelle
That's where we're headed (2352 m). This is the (aptly named) high-level variant of the GR20; it involves leaving the GR20 proper for a while (on which more later).
|
|
E'Campannelle from above
Our last look at the ski station
|
Matt on day two
At a spring on the way up Monte Renoso
|
Cybelle on day two
Our first bit of snow
|
Lac de Bastiani (1)
It's about 1,000 feet up from here to the summit of Monte Renoso
|
|
Lac de Bastiani (2)
|
Monte Renoso from the Lac
|
Lower slopes of Monte Renoso
This isn't the path of the GR20; I'm standing on the edge of a huge cliff
|
Climbing snow
Cybelle, about to start the snowy part of the climb up to the ridge line
|
|
Footprints in snow
Midway up the snowy part of the climb
|
Lac de Bastiani from ridgeline
Looking east. You can see the ocean in the distance.
|
Lac de Bastiani from above
|
Ridge to Monte Renoso
Looking back the way we probably should have come rather than climb the snow
|
|
Top of snow climb
The top of the snow climb where it joins the ridge. You can see our footprints on the right.
|
Skeleton
Something that didn't fare well on the mountain
|
Punta Orlandino
Looking ahead from Monte Renoso
|
Eastern slope of Monte Renoso
|
|
Monte Renoso under clouds
It was chilly and sometimes dark up here, but luckily free of storms
|
Cybelle atop Monte Renoso
|
Dark skies over Monte Renoso
|
I Pozzi
Looking down into the hanging valley where we're headed
|
|
Down from the ridge
Entering the valley after scrambling down from the ridgeline
|
Pozzine
The floor of the valley is covered with short, thick grass cut by small streams that run almost level with it. This stream is maybe eight inches wide and six inches deep.
|
The valley
Looking back the way we came
|
Trail junction
It doesn't look like much here, but this is where we lost our way on day two. Should have gone left; we took the trail to the right.
|
|
Trees
Cybelle liked these wind-bent trees
|
Matt on day two
|
Wrong trail
At least the views were nice
|
Campsite, day two
Once it was clear we were in the wrong place, we decided to camp for the night. Cybelle is going to eat something tasty and dehydrated.
|
|
Tent
We are a walking LL Bean commercial, except for the incompetence of taking the wrong trail
|
Scenic root
A tree growing over a rock
|
Back on track
Day three now. This is where we should have gone, more or less.
|
Cybelle and tree
The Sapin de Marmaro, the biggest tree in Europe (53 m tall). We're back on the GR20 now.
|
|
Another cow
|
Climb to Prati
On the trail between the Bocca di Verdi and the Refuge de Prati
|
Cow with bell
|
Bocca d'Oro (1)
Looking back over the climb
|
|
Bocca d'Oro (2)
Looking east over the plain and the Mediterranean
|
Refuge de Prati
The first refuge in which we slept
|
|
