Stage 4 — Haut Asco to Bergeries de Ballone

Stage 4 is all about the Cirque de la Solitude. As we got ready to head out for the hike, we were greeted by a French woman — I think her name was Marie — who had been hiking solo. She had joined a group for dinner the previous night, and apparently their excitement at dinner was due to some news from the Cirque. Snow on the steep path had kept the Cirque closed up until the previous week. Two days prior someone had broken his hip in a fall and had to be extracted. She knew that we did not speak French, so had missed the discussion. Marie was considering bypassing the main route. She had walked the GR20 before, so she "had nothing to prove." Part of the guided group had already decided not to hike the Cirque, which seemed the right thing to do given their obvious difficulties negotiating the steep and narrow around Muvrella the previous day. A few of their group were going to try the Cirque.

Markus and I decided at least to take a look, so we made the fairly easy hike up to the Boccu Tumasginesca. It was still early enough that the way up was mostly in the shadow of Monte Cinto and Punta Minuta. After a final stretch up a snow field we reached the col for our first look into the Cirque. There was a guardian there at the top, keeping watch and helping hikers find the route down the first section of steep trail. On the way down we passed an older couple as they stopped to put on harnesses and carabiners (which they would attach to the chains on the steeper parts).

The path going down was clear of snow, since it faces predominantly southward. Still, it took some care choosing safe footing, especially as the path turned to scree toward the bottom. Once we reached the lowest point in the Cirque we took a break for a snack. Also at the bottom were a group of British hikers walking south to north — they had been among the hikers who were told to reverse the route in order to miss bad weather in the north, and in order to increase their chances that the Cirque would be open when they reached it. We talked with them for a bit about what each of us could expect on the trail ahead. They told us that Hotel Castel de Vergio did not accept credit cards (and none of the refuges or bergeries do either); that Vizzavona had three buildings: a hotel, the gite d'etape, and the bar (where credit cards were OK); and that when we got to Vizzavona we should get "starfished", which was a new Britishism to us.

The hike up the other side of the Cirque was a bit more harrowing than the hike down. Much of the trail was covered by snowpack, which was slowly melting and a bit slippery. The steeper sections had chains, which came in handy especially when the rock slabs were wet with snow melt. Some sections required stepping up in old bootpack, going very slowly to make sure the snow was still firm enough to hold your weight, and keeping balanced with cold fingers on the wet stone to one side or the other. It seemed that we were going straight up vertically, though I would guess the Brits had a tougher time going down.

During our traverse we were passed at least twice by a guy who must have been training for the annual GR20 race. He was carrying just water, and was practically running down the steep sections, bypassing the chains, and ignoring the slippery stone.

Toward the top the path got less steep, with most scree underfoot and terrific views down into the Cirque and across to the col where we had first entered. We reached the Bocca Minuta, where we stopped for lunch and watched as others completed the ascent. Tintin and Snowy were already there, then behind us came JC and the Disciples, Good Tent and "Marie" the solo French hiker who warned us about the Cirque that morning.

After the Cirque, the hike down the slopes of Punta Minuta was fairly mundane. For a long stretch the path cut across huge slabs of rock, then it gradually changed to an easy stroll through low scrub. We reached the Refuge de Tighjettu in good time, escaping from the hot sun underneath the main wooden structure of the refuge. Despite the signs announcing "all you can eat spaghetti" for dinner at the refuge, we kept with our plan to spend the night at the Bergeries de Ballone. It was only early afternoon, so we had plenty of time to continue.

We took our time hiking down to the bergerie. Upon arrival we secured our best tent sites of the trip, grabbed the obligatory Pietra, and took in the beautiful surroundings. Just next to the main building the owner had set up a dozen identical blue tents, each with two thick mattresses. These were conveniently located, but I think our tent sites were better situated among the trees and boulders, with the Ruisseau de Crucetta flowing nearby. I decided to make some use of the satellite phone since I had carried it all that way, so I called home. The only news was that my grandmother had suffered her second stroke, and would not survive it. She'd had a long and full life, which is the best one can hope for. Although I was sad I wouldn't be able to see her again, her death was not unexpected.

We spent the afternoon playing rummy with Tintin and Snowy (a fitting tribute to my grandmother, although bridge might have been even better), talking with other hikers, and watching as the sun slowly set over Paglia Orba. Our solo French hiker joined us so she could speak English some more. She told us that the few members of the guided group who had braved the Cirque had been pulled up the steeper parts by the guide's dog! We made sure we heard her correctly — her English was excellent so there was no misunderstanding — since the dog was not that large. It seems incredible, but apparently the dog had a harness with a rope attached and would pull the "hikers" (who I'd guess were still on their feet at least) up the trail one by one. Personally, that sounds more frightening than using the chains.

As dusk came the larger part of the guided group arrived. They were exhausted and rather grumpy, as they had driven all the way from Haut Asco to Calacuccia, then hiked up the valley to the bergerie (the last bit in partial darkness, but with headlamps). Their long drive took them down the Asco valley all the way to Ponte Leccia, then by the Scala di Santa Regina to Calacuccia. It's about 40 miles (65 km) on twisty roads (with beautiful scenery) instead of the 5 miles (8 km) we did on foot (with beautiful scenery).

We enjoyed another great Corsican shepherd's dinner that went a bit late, and played cards a while longer before heading to our tents. Many of our hiking companions (Good Tent, Green Tent, JC and the Disciples) must have stopped at the Refuge de Tighjettu, since we did not see them that night.

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