Maurice Godefridi

· 03 Dec 2020

Follow Following

Gran Paradiso, one walk, three landscapes

Gran Paradiso, the great paradise is this Italian nature reserve certainly for me. Although, like today, the sun does not always shine. And certainly at the end of August at an altitude of 2500m, the temperature drops rapidly to zero degrees. But we walk to Col Leynir via Piani del Rosset.

Lake Rosset at 2709m with its small island in the shape of a pastel hat or if it is a female breast, still warms up in the morning sun for the time being. Here, at the many lakes, we wallow in the romantic landscape of green, grassy undulating meadows. Two curves further, however, you end up in a chaotic rock landscape surrounded by eroded peaks and even further around 3000m the sandy stone is ground into powder and we find ourselves in a winter desert. There are still strong spots of old snow and new snow is approaching.
We're rushed to the turtleneck. A very special turtleneck with eternal snow all year round. Descending to the other side, to the valley of the Rhemes, is not there now. We have to go back to our Savoy hut, and with the threat of thunderstorms, we must not wait too long. Rain, snow and sun alternate and influence our emotions and our costume. In T-shirt, fleece, long or short pants? We finally put on poncho and goretex but we do put on shorts, as if it's summer for our legs and winter on our heads. Storms in the mountains can be dangerous, but it's also pretty impressive.

Chamois and Edelweis
And so despite the weather we take another way back, past vallone Leynir and Lago Nero, to the dark lake with its voracious fish. Here in a lonelier piece of Gran Paradiso my favorite chamois graze, luckily much more skilful creatures than those giant ibex, and so we have to sneak up on them to get a closer look at them. How do they move so gracefully between those rough rocks? And then those alert eyes with those short curved horns like antennae!

Appearing plants in a rugged landscape
But we must continue, fortunately we also see lower in the grassy landscape, this time no cows but more grazing chamois and as whipped cream on our day-cake we find dozens of Edelweisjes in the company of masses Rosaries on the border between grey and green. Why do plants that can survive in the most extreme conditions have such endearing names? Appearance is deceiving, right

Even lower, close to the refugio but still at an altitude of 2500m, we arrive in the nutrient-rich grassland, fed by the cow's crap of the Alp de Nivolet. Here is the terrain of cows, humans and nitrogen-loving plants such as Alpine sorrel, Brave Hendrik and especially the Master Root. This large celery scented umbelous can be used in the soup but used to have a masterful reputation as a digestive, diuretic and menstrual stimulant. Oblivion is now his part, but he retains his qualities and patiently waits until people want to use him again. I pick some ripe seeds, who knows, once in the flat land of Flanders, I can serve Master Root Soup.

#Bergen #Alpen #granparadiso #wandelenmetmaurice