May 26, 2022 — Stage 3 — Carozzu to Haut Ascu — 5mi / 2,800'

We had some light rain for a couple of hours in the morning as we ascended the lower part of the gorge going up from Carozzu. We took it slow as it was a bit exposed moving over slippery rock above the river gorge. The weather cleared about halfway up, and we motored up to the pass where we took a break to regroup. 

We debated for a while about an alternate to the standard descent via Punta Culaghia, but decided in the end to follow the trail as normal, 1000m straight down to Ascu. We arrived early, relaxed a bit, and had dinner at the restaurant there. I was a bit disappointed at first that we didn’t attempt the alternative route, but it was the right decision for the group. Pablo helped lead a lot, and we swapped head and tail and at the pass when we were making the decision about the route, he suggested that if I wanted to make a go of it, he would be happy to descend with Anthony. I asked Anthony how he felt and he said he was “unsure,” to which I replied that that was clearly “no” to any alternative route, because in the mountains you don’t add any variables unless you are at least 90% yes. Pablo’s input helped me see that there was no sensible way to split the group, and so, decision made, we all descended together. 

The refuge at Ascu is situated at a road head with a small ski station, hotel and restaurant. We slept in rented tents again. 

In the evening I downloaded a book about Corsica called
Granite Island https://www.amazon.com/Granite-Island-Dorothy-Carrington/dp/0141442271/ which proved to be outstanding reading along the trail. 

Strava GPS: https://www.strava.com/activities/7205442646