VIb.9    Section Cima di Costicciola - Val di Ranco   37km

After a good nights sleep in our tents we got up to a red sunrise. The clouds where red. This is generally a sign for rain during the day. We started of with a nice blue sky. The trail along the ridge was mostly good to hike. Than we reached the point where the climb to Sassino Grande and on along the open ridge started. We started hiking up but soon decided that we don't like this steep ascent with very steep slopes left and right of the trail. We turned around and followed a red trail (red dotted line on the map) far below the ridge. Well, as it was most of the time red trails are hard to hike and take plenty of time. Here it was not different. But we still felt it was better than hiking along the ridge.

Near Monte Testagrossa the clouds had moved in and we were welcomed by a thunderstorm. It passed by and we continued following a gravel road which runs parallel to the trail. In the evening we arrived at Val di Ranco. Here we staid at a hotel for the night. After cleaning up we went for dinner. Inside the restaurant was an old tree trunk of a living tree that sprouted out of the roof.

Morning view out of my tent

Clouds below us in the far away valley

Trail sign of E1 and SI (Sentiero Italia)

Threatening thunderstorm while the trail follows the ridge

A living tree inside the restaurant at Val di Rando