Gli iceberg del Gerenpass

Comment (Automatic translation in english)

After all the talk about it, I decided to go and see the famous Gerenpass icebergs in Val Bedretto.
I set off from All'Acqua and climbed towards the Piansecco Hut, which was renovated last year, along a very wide and comfortable path. Once past the hut, I continue along a slightly more challenging path towards the north-west. I then start to climb through the pastures until I reach the remains of the Cassina Baggio hut at an altitude of 2355 metres. From here the snow begins, but it is quite compact and does not require the use of snowshoes (which I did not bring anyway). After a short break, I start to climb the slope in the direction of the Gerenpass for about one hundred metres, after which I reach a snow-free scree slope on which I can see a track marked with blue paint. I follow this track for as long as possible, then return to the snow and soon reach the pass.
At this point, not far away, I finally catch a glimpse of the famous icebergs surrounded by the still almost completely frozen lake. I start to head towards them, partly along the lake and partly along the Chüeboden glacier (Chüebodengletscher) until I reach them.
The formation of these icebergs is a very rare phenomenon that occurred between 25 and 27 November. This event was caused by the detachment of a part of the glacier that was previously at the bottom of the lake. This ice then came to the surface and broke into several pieces, which then froze together with the lake during the winter. On the way down to the lake, the fracture in the glacier is still clearly visible, running from north to south along most of its length.
Unfortunately, last June was particularly warm and the icebergs have already melted considerably more than this winter. The tallest, however, still reaches about 6 metres. It is also interesting to note the presence of several brown stripes inside the ice. These are layers of dust from the Sahara that were deposited on the glacier perhaps several millennia ago.
At the end of the photographic tour, I return to the Gerenpass and descend to the Piansecco Hut. From there, in a short time I am back at All'Acqua.
As far as water is concerned, there is a fountain at All'Acqua and then another at the Capanna Piansecco. Then there are a few more streams towards an altitude of 2230 metres.