Campo Moro - Rifugio Carate (Refuge Carate)
General Notes:
Altitude Difference: 702m
Time: 2h
Phisical Effort: Normal
Difficulty: E
Description:
The start of the route is located in Campo Moro more precisely near the Zoia refuge, where we find a large parking lot where to leave our cars;to reach the resort we must arrive in Sondrio and from there climb towards Chiesa Valmalenco,just near the resort we will find the signs for Campo Moro,where an entirely paved road will lead us to the resort after about 16km.
Once we leave the car, we will walk about 10m along the paved road before finding the signs for the refuge that will make us turn left and start a short descent that will lead us to the first dam that we will pass.
After passing the dam we will meet the house of the keeper of the dam and continue straight downhill on a dirt road that descends slightly for about 300m, at the end of which we will arrive in a small clearing where we will meet the signs for the Carate and Marinelli shelters that lead us to a small path.
This first part of the route is certainly the most demanding,the slopes are high and in no time we can gain many meters,in the most exposed points even if free of frosi dangers to make the passage safer, chains have been set up.
The path rises sharply for about 30 'at the end of which we enter a beautiful larch forest where the slopes become almost null,with even some points in slight descent,this stretch of about 10' will allow us to recover part of the strength before facing the remaining climb.
After passing a dry stream, the slopes increase again, we arrive at a crossroads where a sign indicates Alpe Musella,Campo Moro and Campo Frascia on the left while we will have to continue following the path that comes off on the right.
After this stretch the path is divided into multiple routes, follow one or the other is indifferent, the main path goes up with continuous hairpin bends but the most trained can face the paths that cut these hairpin bends and that climb in a more direct way;the surrounding environment also changes considerably,the larch forest gives way to meadows and boulders that will accompany us to the refuge,in this stretch we are already able to clearly glimpse our goal.
The slopes if we follow the main path are never high indeed thanks to the multiple hairpin bends we can breathe and recover our energy,also the climb is not continuous alternates uphill sections with flat sections;only in the last the climb becomes challenging,but now we are close to the refuge.
From the refuge it is possible to admire all the peaks that surround us especially the Pizzo Scalino that is in front of us,also from the refuge it is possible to climb to other destinations such as the Marinelli refuge, the Bignami refuge or the Monte delle Forbici.
