In the lower portion of the great wide valley which from Veglia goes up to Aurona Small Mouth (Bocchetta d’Aurona), up to the bottom of the Aurona Glacier (Ghiacciaio d’Aurona), we follow an itinerary which the Park has dedicated to the discovery of glacial morphology. Several instructional materials are available allowing us to read and comprehend the glacial scenery’s transformations:
- A paper guide named “The Glaciers’ Footprint” comprised of a 44-page pamphlet which can be retrieved at the Park’s offices.
- The leaflet named “The Glaciers’ Footprint” (which can be retrieved at the Park’s offices) which includes a map and brief summaries of the visited places along the track.
- The free JECO GUIDES app named “The Glaciers’ Footprint”, available on the Apple App Store for iPhones and on the Google Play Store for Android (once the app has been downloaded to your smart phone, no Internet connection is required).
The Aurona Glacier, the most imposing of all of Veglia, can be found at altitudes between 3350 m and 2325 m above sea level and is 2200 m long and 700 m wide. At the base of the glacier we can clearly see ice action phenomena: glacier-modeled rocks and moraine shore deposits. The extent to which the glacial front has receded, from 1820 to nowadays, has been estimated to amount to 820 m. Along the mighty front side of the moraine, a sandy plain documents the past existence of a now depleted proglacial lake. The path starts behind the Lion Mountain (Monte Leone) Lake, along the tractor trail which goes up to a large stable. We then continue to go upwards along a path of constant slope ending in a steep way up which takes us to the relics of an old small Finance House. With one more path taken along the mountainside we reach the innermost part of the glacial amphitheater of the Aurona Glacier built during the Small Glacial Era (between 1500 – 1800). This is where the excursion’s track ends. In order to proceed to the Farello Shelter (Bivacco Farello) and the Aurona Small Mouth (Bocchetta d’Aurona) we must be very comfortable with our knowledge of the Alps as the glacier must be crossed and some iron ladders must be taken and there are also some tracts which are dangerous due to the possibility of falling rocks. In order to get back to Veglia we backtrack slightly and cross a torrent on a small wooden bridge facing the right-hand-side. We follow a characteristic ridge having a dark black color named “il Rossetto” which is where we follow the F28a path which allows us to reach the great smoothened ridges of glaciers which we could see from afar while going up the mountain. Finally, via one last steep tract in the woods we reach the Witches’ Lake and from here onwards we get back to the Veglia Plain with ease.
Last update: 06/03/2018 ore 11:08:47
