Sunday, July 18, 2010

Backpacking in Tessin: All'Acqua->Laghi Boden

Not too early a start from Basel, then the train direct through to Airolo. Of course the sun is shining and the sky is blue in Tessin. :-) Onwards with the bus (and some value-added tour guiding from the driver) until we reach the day's start point: All'Acqua.

After a short stretch along the road, the Andrea Special begins: 700m up to the Passo San Giacomo. Despite being the first day with the packs, things are riding easy and the going is good. The nice, mostly empty, path leads us first through trees, then above the treeline through fields of green and flowers. We do a nice break in the sun after the first 400m and then continue onwards. Towards the top we start to see more people, particularly around the buildings of San Giacomo. Lunch break shortly before the pass to admire the view out over Italy and the crowds heading down that way. After a short nap (!), onwards through the pass and around the corner until we reach a small saddle with the lakes of Laghi Boden in view. This settles the "It's been a short day, should we keep going?" question easily: the lakes are beautiful and inviting... we're staying here!

We pick a spot near the smaller of the two and do some exploring while waiting for people to leave (some fishermen, a school group, misc hikers). A nice rest in the sun, some reading, some more napping (!), picture taking, etc. Then things empty out and we can really settle in. Start by making yogurt for the next morning (a new experiment), then make dinner (chopped sausage with dried tomatoes and mushrooms and mashed potatoes). After tidying up, pitch the tent, take the pictures, and do a post-prandial stroll to watch the sun go down behind the mountains on the other side of the valley.



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