Hotel Castel di Vergio to Refuge de Manganu
This is one of the most varied and perhaps one of the most beautiful days on the GR20. It was also a bit easier than the previous days, traveling over green meadows and reaching a beautiful mountain lake.
I ate my breakfast while watching the sun rise over the mountains before getting going around 7:00 am. Right away the trail started going through some nice woods, and this was a nice easy way to start the day. The path was flat for nearly 3 miles! The woods also had plenty of open areas that provided pretty views of the mountains around us. Even when we had to start ascending, that portion wasn't that bad either.
| Distance | 11.16 mi |
|---|---|
| Elevation gain | 2,202 ft |
| Elevation loss | 1,547 ft |
| Time | 6 h 38 m |
After reaching the upper portion of the trail, it now started going over exposed rocky hills, and zig-zagged through rocky columns. The rocky hillsides gave way to lush green hills and as we came over the summits we saw a pristine-looking mountain lake called Lac de Nino.
As we descended down the trail from the tops of the hills we discovered that the lake was actually surrounded by a bog, and it was tricky walking across it and making sure we didn't step on a soft spot and fall in. There were already some large holes in the surface that gave us a peek into the watery depths below.
We didn't swim in this lake though, it wasn't as pristine as it had looked from way up high. We took a short break on some boulders along the waters edge before setting off again. Thankfully the trail was flat for a few more miles as its stone-white path cut through the bright green grasses around it.
We made it to the next establishment, another Bergerie, and ate some really, really, hard bread and tried to wash it down with more Orangina drinks. We set off across the open plains ahead of us and made our way to Refuge de Manganu. We arrived mid-afternoon and noticed that some cows kept walking through the camping area, nicking tents along the way with their horns, so we rigged up a make-shift fence out of some spare rope and rocks in order to try and keep them out of our area.
There was a river flowing next the refuge, with some wide flat areas that were ideal for chilling in the water, and we took advantage of it.
The refuge dinner was simple but filling. They're all mostly pasta and red sauce with bread, a meat, and a dessert. The setting sun blanketed the eating area making it a very toasty dinner.