27 August, Ponte Maira – Colle d’Enchiausa – Chialvetta
Our route took us over the Colle d’Enchiausa and was our last and longest stage. A finale in the truest sense. We enjoyed a fine breakfast at the Hotel Mistral. The hotel family had been very friendly and helpful. We marched westward along a road and then where the path splits at the level of Saretto followed a trail sign uphill. This was the junction for the GTA variant. There was also a shorter PO tour that goes over the Colle Ciarbonet to Chialvetta but we chose the more spectacular and strenuous route, with 1300m height difference and a walking time of 7 hours. We followed the red and white markings as the path steadily climbed through a beautiful larch forest. There were many viewpoints from which one could admire the head of the Maira Valley, the higher mountains marking the border with France. A distinctive rock spire, “Torre Castello”, towers above the valley on the North side. We took a break sitting amidst edelweiss on a plateau. Otherwise, the flora was rather sparse and the rocks reminded me of the Dolomites. We continued to a small pass, from where we had a great view down to the Lago Visalsa. The turquoise-dark blue colour of the this lake combined with the shades of the peaks in the background invites one to linger there. A good path led us to the next valley basin with the Lago d’Apzoi. Now the path became rockier. All around there were limestone mountains with steeply folded strata as we continued through a rocky desert. The steep scree slope up to the pass had to be climbed carefully to avoid dislodging any loose rocks. On the beautiful crossing of the Colle d’Enchiausa 2740m we took photos and enjoyed the impressive panoramic view. The pass was dominated by the mighty Monte Oronaye. On the mountain peaks there was still a trace of fresh snow that had fallen a few days previously. A large rock finger juts into the air at the Passeins fault. From a distance this is the landmark of the Colle d’Enchiausa. The descent down a huge scree slope was steep, but there was a good path. However, we had to really concentrate while walking on these “rolling stones.” After another break on an alpine pasture, we continued downhill, accompanied by the gentle tinkling of the bells of a heard of white cows. We could also hear and spot some marmots. Lower down we came across the official Maira trail marking, so the ends of both routes were the same. In the village of Viviere, the old stone houses were being quite elaborately renovated. The next village is called Pratorotondo, where a large Madonna stands on a boulder watching over the village. Here we took our last break. It was still about an hour to Chialvetta and the accommodation of Rolando Comba, who founded the local museum. Here we met again two young men from Holland who were also hiking the Valle Maira Trail and had just crossed the Colle Ciarbonet. They were suitably impressed by our crossing of the Colle d’Enchiausa.