An Incredible Challenge: From Calenzana to Vizzavona (Part 1)
Only yesterday we were on the continent. Here we are finally arrived at our starting point...Calenzana...starting point in the North/South direction. We pitch the tent for the first time in Corsica. It is 10 am, the day will be long. We can't wait to really begin our journey. The other hikers arrive little by little... each one settles down.
Tomorrow 186km and 14000m of elevation gain and as many negatives await us for the next 15 days. For today, small visit of the village, purchase of the meal for midday and last restaurant the evening... It is necessary to take forces!! We are ready to face this GR20.
The morning rises...it will be the first of a long series that will take us from Calenzana to Conca. Calenzana - refuge of Ortu di U Piobbu It is 6h30, 1300m of ascent (1800m cumulative) and 80 negative for 14km. This first stage reminds us that Corsica is not just a beach...from the start, the climb is tough, the body is not yet used to so much effort at such an early hour. We quickly gain altitude, the breath is short, the 14 or 15 kg of the backpack are felt...we finally reach the pass after an ascent of nearly 1000m. Cows are waiting for us... It's time to take a well-deserved break.
Morale is good, a cereal bar quickly swallowed, a few photos and we resume our journey. In this 2nd part the calves will be put to the test, ascent, descent, small climbing, chain... It's not over!! Finally after more than 6 hours of walking the refuge is in sight on the other side of the valley, you can see the tents below. We are relieved, we are almost there. Finally, it is to forget that we are in the mountains!...it will take us more than an hour to circumvent this circus. The closer you get to it, the further away it seems to be. We hurry to get it over with.
Here we are. The pitches are not very flat, a good number of hikers have already arrived and have taken the best places. We end up finding 2 correct locations...Apart from the ant nests as big as rats :):)...I'm exaggerating a bit!! We settle down, have a good evening meal taken at the refuge (well the building that serves as a refuge, the other one caught fire??)... The evening is calm, everyone is in bed early...we we'll get used to these hours, 6 a.m. standing see before and 8:30 p.m. in bed :)...
We fall asleep thinking about tomorrow, the day will be even tougher!! Day breaks, it's 6 a.m., nearly 8 hours of walking await us to reach the Carruzzo refuge (850m positive and 1100 negative and 10km on the clock) We are going to know what "rough trail" means. Rock, rock, nothing but rock. Challenging climb, difficult descent, small mountaineering steps, big steps, vertiginous slabs and a few passages with a chain as a bonus... A very technical course which does not allow us to advance at more than one kilometer hour. Stay focused, avoid the fatal error!! Yet what a sight in front of us...A grandiose panorama, we can admire the mountain ranges which follow one another, steep and wild...we are alone in the world in this mineral maze.
A splendid and rough stage at the same time which brings us to more than 2000m of altitude Finally the high point...A short break and we go back down to the Carruzzo refuge 700m below...At least after having passed the last 2 passes!!...we are starting to get used to these surprises on this trail ...when there are no more there are still some :)
The hours go by, the fatigue, the beauty of the landscape, the lack of concentration or the harshness of the GR... The fact remains that when we pass a new slab encased between 2 rock walls, I lose my balance, I feel the weight of the backpack drag me down. My son is 2 meters below waiting for me. To avoid making him fall in turn, I get up a little when I was almost on my buttocks to pass this steeply sloping slab. The sanction is immediate, I take a little speed, suddenly I jump the step which must have been more than a meter high and I land on the wall below with both hands... unfortunately my knee hits violently the rock ... I find myself sitting on the ground grimacing with pain (the patella hurts :( !!). At this time I do not know if I will be able to get up.
I feel the concern of my teammates. After about ten minutes to recover, I somehow get up...I don't want to alarm them about what to do with all this. I grit my teeth and finish the trip to the shelter... There's a nice gash on my knee and blood is running down my leg. I couldn't stop it, with all these steps, it was impossible not to bend the knee and therefore reopen the wound. Fortunately the solidarity between GRiste is great. A hiker gave me a miracle and above all effective healing ointment. The evening passes, we'll see tomorrow.
The lesson of this fall, which could have been much more serious, is that you have to stay constantly focused on this path like no other. More to follow in my next post.