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DeutschJuly 19th
Start: Rifugio Oberto; finish: Bivacco Camposecco (CAI)
Distance: 19,9 km
Time: 12 hours (plus 1 hour for the stops)
Vertical distance: 1700 m uphill, 2140 m downhill
Good breakfast at the hut at 4.30 a.m., set off at 5.20. Climbed Joderhorn (3036 m), then Spechhorn (3189 m) and Ofentalhorn (3059 m) further along the frontier ridge. No paths at all, mostly loose scree and tiresome, unstable boulder fields and we realised that we were not moving as fast as expected on this sort of terrain. The next summit, Jazzihorn (3227 m) and subsequent descent to the Altronapass were particularly time-consuming. Clouds were building up and we decided to aim for the Italian bivouac hut Camposecco over a small pass of the same name. Here we went too far and reached the Vorder Latelhorn by mistake, in spite of GPS. The descent back to the pass was graded “facile” in our guide book but we didn’t find the right route. We had to put on the rope and do some delicate climbing just as it started drizzling and a thunderstorm raged the other side of the valley. We hurried to get down to the bivouac hut and found we had been on the go for 13 hours. I had to borrow matches off an employee of the nearby hydro-electric facility (and also scrounged some beer off him) and we brewed some tea and ate what little food we had. Comfortable night (mattresses and blankets in the hut).
Photo:
Dave on the Ofentalhorn, Monte Rosa behind
