Last morning in the forest

After spending my entire daily budget on a good meal, after watching France beating Portugal in the world cup, I go to sleep in my hammock in the forest. When I wake up I find a lovely place full of shade and water.

An hour later I leave paradise and start the long way home

The english Cascades

Going down toward vizavon we are back to the water and the beautiful forest. Althogh the late hour I can't stop my self from yet another swim. 

My Zula

Here I swim and relax before going down. Give my muscles heat to the freezing water; eat some granola and go to swim.

It's a great canyon a bit far from the GR, so in order not to shock the religious watchers and don't show you me with my 100% natural made swimming costume....

The last valley and beyond

Tomorrow, I will take a train trough this valley to the see and then the boat home, but meanwhile I can watch the mountains behind that I will leave for the next time....

Mount Doro

And this is how I climbed it, through all these steep and crumply rocks.

This is where I came from

Do you see the little dent on the horizon, just behind the last mountain range. On this mountain I climbed 3 days ago.

Corsican goats

so guess who is making the cheese that the guardians in the refuge sell for 8 Euros a piece?

On the last mountain

Leaving my bag behind, I climbed the highest peak in the end of the trail.I could see most of what I did in the last few days and all what I won't have time to explore in this trek

before saying goodbye in the last hut

I had to catch up a day (to get back to the boat on time).
The Englishmen had to shorten in order to catch a plane from Bastia
and the Belges had too much time so they could rest in the sun.

Time to go alone for the last day 

מחזור יוני 2006

Two Englishmenone Belge with his daughterand one crazy Israeligot together through the Granite Mountains

blue flowers

blue flowers that smells really good 

Flowers in the creek

More yellow flowers in the creek 

Flowers in the creeks

White Nurit Corsicanit? 

Little village in the mountains

The GR never reach such big villages (in low altitude) but still we have a glimpse of the Corsican urban life

How many rebels could hide in this valley?

How many rebels could hide in this unnamed creek? Look at the forest in the lower part of it, it could be great for a rainbow gathering or just to hide in peace.

Around the "circque"

After I climbed down throgh the cracks (see the hikers in the background). I go on via a twisting trail.
It seems the ones that come from Corte along the lakes have a wonderful time, we have to circle the mountain and then to climb.

The glacial lakes

blue and cold they are bellow me 

Corsica air force 1

In the middle of the mountains, full of sweat and dirt, guess who comes?It's not the helicopter to rescue me.
It brought with him a crew of TV to film us. So "plugat hachapshim" got a nice looking blond TV girl staking a camera in our face filming us arriving to the refuge.

יש סוסים שמדברים קורסיקנית

The white granite valleys are greener and contain many lakes.In Lake Nino I could see some grazing horses

On the trail

Climbing to the "white granite" mountains give me great view of the forests I leave behind

Valley between red and white granite mountains

Crossing between the red and white granite mountains makes a nice valley with lots of shade in the deep forest and a lousy hotel with good food

Sming in the "Vascs"

What's better then finding a "vask" (pool of water - in french) in the middle of a hot day?

correct, finding another one.... 

לוענית קורסיקנית

I liked very much this flower.
It looked to me from the "Loanitiyim" family but don't ask more.... 

מנוחת הלוחם

After a long hiking day, An expensive coke for 3 euros, I sit and relax the long after noon 

a refuge

in places like this I spend my nights.
A bunk bed, a small kitchen and some snoring friends....

Crows join me after the circuit

A crow comes to share my biscuits after the end of the climb out of the "circuit of solitude". I guess this one is well fed

Within the Ice cave

The melting snow makes nice ice caves. Here I cross one of them 

In the den of the circuit of solitude

The circuit of solitude is so steep that it's shaded most of the day (lucky us). Hence there is much snow in the bottom

Circuit of solitude

The ants in the center of the pictures are hikers. We have to climb down 300 meters just to change a little angle and climb up the same 300 meters. In 3 hours I advances 0.8 kilometers on the map.

Early morning climb to the "circuit of solitude"

We learn to start as early as possible before the heat stuck.

Everybody are waking up between 5 and 6am and start to hike as soon as possible. Shuka would be glad.

First glimpse at mount Shintu

Mount shintu (In the background) is the highest in corsica (2700m)
and has still alot of snow patches.

Hiking throgh the high passes

You meet some people, but not too many. In the pass, every body stops for a while. Time to say hello and to drink water and eat some biscuits.

Nice flower

June is the time for nice flowers in the high altitude. Don't ask me for their names.... 

crossing the river

Loaded with my too heavy bag, I cross the river preparing myself to climb on the other side.

I don't know If you can trust the Cosican more then the nepalies, but it's written "No more then two person on the bridge" So I think I am on the safe side 

Lonely giant pine

The giant pines appears when I start going down back to the vally (at altidute of around 1800-1500 meters)

Don't they make the difference?

I fell in love with them instantly.

Lots of dents

lots of dents in the rock.

Isn't it actually Sinai? 

Above the clouds

Clouds are coming in....

luckily we stay above them.

I think the clouds are moisture from the heat in the plains and not some serious threat. They disappear before sunset.

First pass

Horary, I managed to carry my bag through the first pass.....

When you climb up, the vegetation is disappering. There are only the mountains I should cross in the next few days 

השיר על ארץ סיני

Corsica’s mountains are made of Granite like Sinai. The heat is like Sinai, but abundance of water in the winter makes the difference

will I make it?

The time is 8PM, My first Corsican sunset is facing the Granite Mountains, but I am still 2:20 hours from the refuge. (by the book).

Will I make it?

GR 20 Corsica 2006

Here it's me on the first day, tired as hell