Lavu di Melu

This morning we drove 16 km further up the Valle de Restonica to the base of the footpath which would lead us to Lavu di Melu (Lake Melu) 1711m above sea level. The path winds its way along the big rocky surface and takes about 1h-20m to climb. It was quite a steep slope at places, and thankfully the city of Corte had large grab chains anchored to the rockface at one location and there were two spots where metal ladders were bolted to the rock to accelerate the ascent towards the very top. We had to stop to catch our breath a couple of times along the way, but upon arrival at the top, it became immediately evident that it was well worth the effort. Lake Melu is probably a glacial lake...the water is crystal clear, very cold, and completely surrounded by jagged peaks some of which still have snow on them. We chose a second path on the way back down which brought us across 4 fields of snow. The road between Corte and Lake Melu is well surfaced, but impossibly narrow. Don't be fooled by the painted lines down the middle of the road...there is absolutely no way for two cars to pass in many places...the size of the road reminded me very much of the cycle paths we've seen along La Route Verte near our home in Quebec. In a few places, we were required to back up against the very edge of the road and fold my mirror in against the window in order to let the oncoming cars pass. There are no guard rails and in some places the cliffs fall off on both sides of the road. Absolutely crazy. but the Corsicans appear used to this and approach the tight turns at reasonable speeds and pull over on the recesses when available to allow the traffic to clear. At the end of our hike, we met a very well conditioned Basque hiker who has spent his life hiking in the Pyrenees. He was soaking his feet in the frigid cold water cascading down near the parking lot. He explained to me that 5 minutes in this water would take the aches out of the feet and muscles and make our legs feel almost new again. So, we shed our boots and socks, yanked up the legs of our shorts and stood in the icy cold water to let the water perform its magic. He was absolutely right, and I recommend this therapy to anyone who is fortunate enough to cascading clear mountain water at the end of a long rocky hike.