Western Alps - Trail running - Trip report

[escadventure]

The following is cut and pasted from a trip report about a camping/trail running trip in Sept. I couldn't figure out how to get the whole file attached because of the size, so I'll upload it in pieces. This article was published in the local newspaper.

Our 5200 pound behemoth lies in a small clearing overlooking a rocky gorge. Cool air rising from the stream below makes the morning a bit colder. The FJ Cruiser is fully deployed in camp mode like an adult's transformer toy with Roof mounted tent, side mounted awning and all the camp stuff helpful to spend a week wandering mountain trails in western Italy and eastern France.
We're at the staging area in the mountains north west of Genoa Italy, preparing for an offroad adventure with TC-Offroad Trekking. We normally avoid group tours and pre-arranged trips. But we like what these folks do and thought it would be good to see others conduct these sorts of activities, possibly getting new ideas. We came early and watch others arrive from all over Europe. They're driving an interesting diversity of trucks from Land Rover Defenders and alpha-male Land Cruisers to Hyundai Terracan and LR4 Discoverys, as well as a couple of Jeeps.
The two day gathering allows time to hike mountain trails, sunbathe in the elusive alpine sun and preen equipment. It's restful but a palpable tension builds with each new arrival. Sven the TC host, with his zebra striped Land Rover, earth tone clothes and close shaved hair style is quiet and confident yet approachable, perfectly fitting his role as trek leader. He shares - “this is my dream job, as a child I had a toy Land Rover just like the one I now drive.” He prepares a bonfire for tonight after everyone arrives. During this gathering, we formally meet our trekking-mates and Sven gives rules and advice for the next 7 days.


View attachment 197546

 

[escadventure]

Western Alps - Trail running Trip report - PT 2

Morning brings the anticipated launch after another quick briefing and installation of Sven's radios in our vehicles. Before long pavement turns to dirt, then gravel gives way to a rough trail strewn with cantaloupe sized rocks. Every hour or so we stop to take pictures or just rest and stretch our legs. We'll learn, this relaxed pace will be maintained throughout the tour.
After lunch in a high alpine meadow surrounded by rocky peaks, we pick up a trail that's heavily rutted and rocky. One of the trucks, a Russian Lada, damages a driveshaft. He turns back and heads down the mountain for repairs running on just the front axle. The ridge pass is flanked by bunkers of stone and concrete, big enough for only a small cannon or machine gun squad, they must've been cold and lonely for some French or Italian soldiers. This vast frontier border has moved several times over the centuries, so it's hard to tell who built and manned these remote outposts.
Our mountain giants driving trails all day, we come to the Forte Margheria ruin and set up camp on a small patch of level ground between the fortress wall and the steep hillside. Pulling the cover off boxes on our roof, we deploy what becomes a tent on the roof of our SUV's: a fold-open 5ft x 8ft platform with a rubberized canvas tent and telescoping ladder for access. They're comfortable, easy to use, mount on any roof rack and a great option for keeping off the cold wet ground.
After dinner, Sven calls us together. He's got cases of paraffin soaked burlap torches for camplight, and he passes them out to use for a night exploration of the fortress. Part of a defensive network built to protect the Tende Pass, Forte Margheria sits on a promontory overlooking the Tende tunnel and the trail leading to the ridge with it's 51 hairpin turns.
It was an exciting experience for our small group to explore this dark ruin in the alpine frontier by torchlight. The smell of dusty dampness, the stone walls collecting mineral deposits from leaching water, orange light flashing shadows into dark rooms as we walk down narrow halls. The imagination swoons with possibilities of danger and the fear inducing darkness at the bottom of each stairwell.

 

[stolenheron]

drooling over those rovers!

 

[escadventure]

ThE REST OF THE TREK

After breakfast and the morning meeting, we head south again. By early afternoon we arrive in the French village of La Brigue. This quiet Alpine valley settlement, with it's colorful stucco facades and ancient stonework architecture, has likely changed little since medieval times. And no one here seems to care. After a few days camping, we did seek one modern convenience - pizza. Contented after gratuitous consumption of fatty cheese and red sauce on thin crust, in a shop just big enough for a few tables, we search for a hole in the shrubbery leading to a creek in the village center. Filling our water cans, we realized the street gutters drained into this creek, limiting this water to cleaning and boiling use. Luckily we still had another container of fresh water for cooking and drinking.
Having enjoyed a comfortable break from our mountain seclusion, we trail westward back into the surrounding peaks. On the way, Sven calls on the radio for an "activ pause" (octeef powza). That's German for "everyone out of the truck and help me gather firewood for tonight's bonfire". Yet another of Sven's tactics for making this trip an engaging break from life's normal daily activities. Setting up camp next to a stone garrison ruin, we park our FJ near the tree line as a rudimentary blind to indulge in a 'camp' shower - our first attempt at hygiene in days. We use a clever device called the Helio Shower - a collapsable tank with a foot pump and a hose/spray head resembling something from a kitchen sink.
According to our maps and GPS, camp tonight was on the French/Italian border. Indeed, around the campfire, Sven claimed that likely half of us sit in France and half in Italy.
The next morning, Wednesday, we break camp and spend most of the day driving. Down a mountain, up another, through a valley. Again, again. The views are spectacular, at one point we can see through several mountain passes to the French Riviera coastline. Some of the roads are precarious, unmaintained tracks that’ll shake apart anything not tied down.
Traversing these remote trails, we encounter enduro motobikers swarming in packs of three or four, fully armored and masked. They weave in and around our trucks in a frenzy of post apocalyptic terror. Our mountain giants slow, but stop for no one.
At the Garezzo Pass, a 60ft long "galleria", allowed access through the ridge. Stopping, we find a pair of donkeys appear to be living in this rudimentary tunnel. One of the Jeep drivers leaves his opened apple juice unattended and later finds a donkey carrying the bottle in it's mouth.

 

[escadventure]

After a long 'transit' day of driving, we were happy to reach the first proper camp ground since Friday night, near a small Italian village. As darkness fell, a nearby hill issued a hundred voices singing in harmony with a squeezebox. We're Too tired to investigate after the day of riding dusty trails, but it sounds like a group of middle aged Italians swaying back an forth hitting their beer mugs together. Frequently we hear one voice rise above the rest. This must be the guy climbing up on the table to make a spectacle something like an old swashbuckler movie.
The days become a bit ritualized- up around 0800, breakfast, break camp, on the road at 1000. But the day is full of exciting experiences and new sites. Adventure with a comfortable pace. Before leaving this camp, we stock up on fresh water.
Our first stop today is the weekly market in nearby Demonte village and the opportunity to buy fresh fruit, veggies and bread, enjoying the pace of alpine Italian lifestyle.
By afternoon we're ascending more rocky trails after crossing again into France. We find an interesting interlude at Fort la Roche de Croix. Rumor has it Napoleon began construction on this fort, but the remaining ruins display architecture dating from 1884 to 1936. This was the southern end of the Maginot line and considered the most imposing part of the Larche Valley defenses. For us, it was a fun place to rest with inspiring views and interesting ruins to explore at will.
Back on the trails, at 8600 feet we reach the Tunnel du Parpaillon, a military project from 1891 dug through the Parpaillon massif. Traversing it, the walls and road surface unfinished, it's ink black inside. We're driving through a long track of rocky, muddy, deep water. The truck behind us ignites it's bank of zillion candlepower roof lights, casting our bouncing shadow in front of us. A half kilometer later, we emerge from the tunnel to stop for south-westerly views of the Cote d'Azur- France’s ‘blue coast’.
Our camp that night was an exposed promontory of rare flat alpine wilderness at 7000ft. Our coldest night of the trip, we came prepared with warm sleeping gear, and were lulled to sleep with the white noise of eagles crying and rushing waterfalls.
The next morning we brace ourselves against the chill wind with extra cups of coffee and tea before breaking camp. Nearing our afternoon destination, the weather deteriorates. We find the Forte Jafferau ruin shrouded in fog making it look more dead and remote. The rain lifts our spirits as it cleans our dusty trucks and adds melancholy monochrome backdrop to our mountain exploration.

 

[escadventure]

THE TREK COMPLETE

Climbing over, under and around the bombed carcass once the home to a proud unit of the Italian Border Guard, the most discernable details are the cannon platforms where once sat the teeth of this mountain’s bite.
Leaving our grey mountain refuge, we backtrack to camp at another garrison ruin. The bonfire, tonight within the roofless stone walls, has become a welcome ritual. Orange light reflects jittery shadows all around us. Light rain starts to fall. We don't care, we're all content and keep gabbing while moving closer to the fire. We've grown comfortable with living together and enjoy the evenings with the warm flickering fire, chatting with new friends. We're the only Americans in the group. Thomas, who's traveling this week with his teen son, has family in Charlotte. Jan and Andrea run a boutique hotel in Chemnitz. Jan studied in California and he still carries a picture of the Chevrolet he drove in those days. Sven (not our host) and Simone speak fondly of past visits to USA. They're newlyweds and this is their honeymoon. At the beginning of the tour, Simone professed to be "scared of everything", eventually becoming comfortable with the narrow high altitude roads. Aj and Katja reminisce about traveling the southeast US in a rented car. Aj "really likes the southern hospitality" he experienced. Our host, Sven Tegen started TC Offroad Trekking 15 years ago and his experience shows. He now has 18 'scouts' leading a variety of off road treks from mild to hardcore, all over Europe and North Africa year round. Sven conducts the tour with Teutonic precision, making sure we have firewood each evening, planning routes based on his assessment of the group's collective experience level, and answering questions with the patience of a saint. His fireside ritual of rationing Schnapps or Vodka make him popular too.
Morning brings an accelerated pace. This is our last day and Sven wants to start early.
By 1100 we’re above the tree line along a narrow, boulder strewn trail built by Mussolini. At the top, Mussolini's weather station is gone but nature endures and the views reward the effort getting here. This is Sommeiller, at 9800ft it's the highest drivable point in Europe. It's a cold, rocky, snowy, lifeless place that looks like we've launched our rambling giants to another world. With blue-green lakes under us and wisps of cloud shooting past the peaks above, it's also beautiful and peaceful.
Sommeiller is the culmination of the week’s effort of driving, enduring the weather and learning about the world. We absorb the scene individually and as a group, lingering a moment in contentment. After photos and a rest, the mountain giants retrace our careful track to a lonely refuge hut. Here we return the radios and some linger to chat over cappuccino before beginning the journey home. It ends too soon, yet we're anxious to get home- changed by what we saw, the people we met and places we experienced.

 

[gregaf3]

Thanks, that was an awesome trip report. We are moving to Germany in April and we are looking forward to exploring Europe.

 

[jeremyk]

Looks like a great time, thanks for posting. Nice FJ!

 

[BigSwede]

I was just in the Alps in July, and would love to take a trip like this!

 

[Bas110]

thx for the great trip report. We also did some of the trails you described this summer, thought I post some pics.

 

[Bushmaster6]

great shots...

did I see your rig for sale on Ramstein Yard Sales (Bookoo)? There's an FJ on there, same color as yours w/ RTT. Figured there can't be too many with that combination in Germany...

moving to Ramstein next month..