Advice from a hut warden 1

November 3rd

Itinerary: Pt. 1829 m above Schlinig (Slìngia) – Sesvenna Hut – Schlinigpass – Rassaserscharte (2714 m) – Rojental (Valle Roia) – Reschen (Rèsia)

Distance: 25,4 km
Walking time: 7 hours 40 minutes (plus 1 hour 10 minutes for the stops)
Vertical distance: 1160 m uphill;  1480 m downhill

Piz Starlex and Piz Sesvenna were not possible because of the snow, so I opted to continue from the Schlinig Valley.  It was a late start (9h10 a.m.) because we started driving up the wrong access road and had to turn back when the road   ended.  After an hour’s walk I reached the Sesvenna Hut.  It closed on October 25th but the hut warden was there, ferrying provisions up on a goods cable hoist.  He advised against my plan to traverse the Craist’Ota and the ridge to the north as it would be too icy and I had no crampons with me, only snowshoes.  Instead, he advised crossing the Rassaserscharte from the Swiss side into Italy and descending to Reschen.  This was a good marked path (except where snow covered the markers), yet again not shown on the 2011 Swiss 1:25,000 map nor on my GPS.

Sally paid a visit to Merano by train but for some reason her phone was not working and I could not contact her orally or by SMS to say where I would be coming down.  We had booked a place in Sent (near Scuol) and she was helped by two very friendly Italians (running a restaurant and pizzeria close by) who called me on their mobile phones.  In the end I had to walk right down into Reschen, arriving after dark, while she had to come back to fetch me.

Night: Garni Pensiun Plaz, Sent

Photo:

Setting off