Day 3: At Rifugio Bignami
The Bernina Range is a mountain range in the Alps of eastern Switzerland and northern Italy. It is considered to be part of the Rhaetian Alps within the Central Eastern Alps. It is one of the highest ranges of the Alps, covered with many glaciers. Piz Bernina (4,049 m), its highest peak, is the most easterly four thousand-metre peak in the Alps. Though Bernina’s glaciers have retreated over the last centuries, the sheer extent of these rivers of ice remains a distinctive feature of the entire range.
I decided for this hiking loop (solo) having a few spare days at the beginning of July; beautiful scenery, lack of crowds (compared to Tour of Mont Blanc), and relative proximity to Prague were the key factors of this decision. I went as light as possible, opting thus to mountain huts and not carrying much food. As the result, I hiked the whole 130km-long circuit in 5 days, averaging slightly less than 30km per day - quite a portion also given the elevation, however still perfectly possible for an average (solo) hiker with some decent experience.
Surprisingly, this has been my first time in the Alps (in summer). Have to say I like the area, though it may get crowded unpleasantly. The huts are often spectacularly located and the scenery tends to be breathtaking.
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During the third day on the trail, I hiked from Rifugio Marinelli Bombardieri to the beautifully located Rifugio Bignami across the spectacular Bocchetta di Caspoggio pass (2983m), and then across the Somdoss settlement to the lovely small village of Cavaglia where I spent the night.
Day 3: At Rifugio Bignami
The Bernina Range is a mountain range in the Alps of eastern Switzerland and northern Italy. It is considered to be part of the Rhaetian Alps within the Central Eastern Alps. It is one of the highest ranges of the Alps, covered with many glaciers. Piz Bernina (4,049 m), its highest peak, is the most easterly four thousand-metre peak in the Alps. Though Bernina’s glaciers have retreated over the last centuries, the sheer extent of these rivers of ice remains a distinctive feature of the entire range.
I decided for this hiking loop (solo) having a few spare days at the beginning of July; beautiful scenery, lack of crowds (compared to Tour of Mont Blanc), and relative proximity to Prague were the key factors of this decision. I went as light as possible, opting thus to mountain huts and not carrying much food. As the result, I hiked the whole 130km-long circuit in 5 days, averaging slightly less than 30km per day - quite a portion also given the elevation, however still perfectly possible for an average (solo) hiker with some decent experience.
Surprisingly, this has been my first time in the Alps (in summer). Have to say I like the area, though it may get crowded unpleasantly. The huts are often spectacularly located and the scenery tends to be breathtaking.
-----
During the third day on the trail, I hiked from Rifugio Marinelli Bombardieri to the beautifully located Rifugio Bignami across the spectacular Bocchetta di Caspoggio pass (2983m), and then across the Somdoss settlement to the lovely small village of Cavaglia where I spent the night.