Long day tour (about 28km) from Locarno (200m) via Pizzo Leone, Mottone and Fumadiga (2010m) to Brissago (200m) with a beautiful view over the great Lago Maggiore.
We arrive in two at midnight Locarno The largest town on Lake Maggiore and the Mediterranean feel surrounds us almost immediately. The mild air, the starry sky, the palm trees and the somewhat crumbling architecture are reminiscent of Italy. Sure, we're in the park, too Ticino! In contrast, the celebrating young people are in every city. With occasional encouragement we walk over the Piazza Grande in the direction of the river, over a bridge we reach Ascona, It is still a long road through the quiet place and we reach the west end of the populated plain, where dark wooded ridges rise up. The district here is called San Rocco, We find the trail to Arcegno and trudge in the warm air in the T-shirt. Quickly the lights of the plain continue below us, then the path flattens off and you reach a small moor. Here, obviously, the local frog colonies make a rendezvous, it croaks and squeaks that it crashes ... We do not disturb further and reach shortly thereafter Arcegno, a typical small Ticino village. The old core is beautiful, stone cottages and narrow streets spread Mediterranean flair. Externally modern houses and a little commercial. Behind the village we follow the hiking trail direction P.738where we look for a flat spot just behind the waterworks and go to sleep.
The alarm clock rings at 6 o'clock, the sun already shines through the green trees, and we are halfway refreshed on the way. This leads steeply through the forest, the times indicated on the signs are very good. At some point, the trees clear and allow a view to the south, over the Lago Maggiore and the wooded slopes. At the Corona di Pinz arrived, is first heavily creamed, the sun heats quite nice, there you have to be careful. Now the path runs flat over the back, sometimes in the forest, sometimes on clearings Casone over, ruin of an alp. After about an hour you reach on a wide back the Alpe di Naccio (P. 1395), the meadows stretch widely up the mountainside. At the upper end of the alpine terrain there is a cross, here the path divides. All the way to the right is a long back on the Pizzo Leone (P. 1659), but we leave it to the right and continue straight towards Canva.
The path meanders narrowly along steep grassy areas along the ridge, in front of us you look at the Cresta dei Lenzuoli, This is a collection of steep hills on the other ridge towards Fumadiga, before the pass Bocchetta di Valle comes and it goes up to Gridone. The Cresta can be climbed on a ridge in some ups and downs on the ridge, but since our destination is still a little ahead of us, we decide to the path that leads northwest, always so 200 Hm below the ridge.
at Canva We leave the marked trail and follow the tracks, partly under snow, which surround the Pizzo Ometto. The path lies horizontally in very steep and exposed terrain, the rain and snow have loosened or slipped parts of the way. There is still a lot of snow around the Pizzo Ometto in the avalanche, which has to be crossed carefully. Chains are attached to some very delicate spots, but some of them need to be checked after winter because they hang loose. This path takes time, but after the last tricky brook crossing at P. 1608 it is shallower and over the snow (at 1600m!) You will pass the Pizzo Ometto by the Fornalea small little valley. Over the ridge that runs down from the Pizzo Fedora, we trudge to the end of the next small valley and climb in steep snow directly up to the summit of the Mottons (p. 1968), It pays to pay close attention to his kicks, slipping would most likely have fatal consequences.
From the summit you can see practically "next door" to the summit of the Fumadiga, which is only about 200 meters away. From here, however, the ridge becomes quite wild, so we climb up and down in more or less recognizable tracks, clambering around two gendarmes and struggling to find the right path. Probably well marked in the summer, missing a few crucial marks (orange points) with residual snow, and we lose a lot of time while searching on steep terrain. Avalanche train is steeply cut (50 °), before you reach the summit on the last ridge Fumadiga (2010m) reached. A beautiful summit, near the dominant Gridone, with a great view of Lake Maggiore.
It is now 14 o'clock, the distance from Canva over the mottoes took a long time, that is in the summer (when there is no snow at all), certainly in 1-1,5 hours.
There is no wind here, the sun is behind clouds, the temperature is very pleasant. From here you can practically overlook the whole route to Locarno. With hands and feet, we make some Italians (or Ticino), where we come from, because all others up here come from the other side, the Bocchetta di Valle. That's 50m, and they really pay off on this ridge top of the Gridone!
After a long break and digesting the last strenuous stretch of the route, we make our way on a straight line on the last snow left down to the Rif. Al Legn (1785m)where we just linger and fill up with water. Finally, it goes from here 1500 Hm down, and we want to catch the bus at half past six. That's why we make our way quickly and jog halfway Mergugno down. The path soon leads into the forest belt, it is getting warmer and the Ticino vegetation excited as always on such tours. On the left, it goes steeply up to the Cresta, where we are just still herumgeturnt!
In Mergugno (p. 1037) Arrived one after the other through small collections of beautiful houses and dilapidated huts, a little way down the road and in the forest then back on the trail. We are resting in front of the church Porbetto (700m)Then go on steeply towards Incella. Here you are back in civilization, the road we follow to a turnoff. We want to go to Brissago, so we follow the sign for Brissago, logically. This leads us but briefly down through the forest, over the bridge and back up to Piodina! Since I would rather have continued the road ... In Piodina you are definitely also fast down the Lake (198m)where we follow the road Brissago follow and arrive there at almost 6 pm. That's enough to "wash" the feet at least halfway in the lake, before we run to the bus, which takes us back to Locarno to the train station.
As a one-day tour very long. The actual goal was the Gridone (2188m), the highest peak right on Lake Maggiore. But the whole thing can be prolonged by the thrill and discovery of the Cresta dei Lenzuoli, and so we were "only" on the Fumadiga, also very nice view, especially on the Gridone itself :).
Cresta dei Lenzuoli in the summer (without snow) very worthwhile. Great Kraxelei in steep terrain, is in the trickiest places with chains or similar. hedged. Nevertheless, do not underestimate! The most important thing: take plenty to drink! Water has limited it on the Alpe di Naccio, then again on the Rif. Al Legn.
