VIa.2    Section Punta di Mezzo - Ternate   31 km

Following a quiet night we started early back on the E1. Soon we left the closed forest road and any possible worries for hiking it behind. At Punta di Orino at 1.139 m we turned off the E1 taking a shortcut down to Gavirate. It started nice with quite a number of cut blow downs clearing the trail. But then it got steeper and very rocky following cobble stone tracks again. It was a rather slow progressing and I understood why the E1 does not follow the shortcut. Finally we arrived Gavirate. Here we stopped at a bar for a nice cup of coffee respectively tea with a piece of cake.

Leaving Garivate we decided to follow a nice trail by the shore of Lake Lago di Varese instead of the nearby E1. By now a light drizzle had started. At the south-western end of the lake we took a connecting path to the next lake Lago di Comabbio. Here in Ternate we stopped early for the night at Hotel Residence Montelago. Following yesterdays strenous hike we wanted to take it easier today. A nice shower at the hotel and dinner in town rounded up the day.

Plenty of blowdowns on the way down to Garivate

Trail signs in the clouds on the way to Garivate

Garivate, fountain with good drinking water

Trail signs in the village of Garivate

Lake Varese with hill sides covered in clouds