Val Aupa - Sernio (via normale - shortcut)

Access to the starting point:
Drive to Tablja (it. Pontebba) in Italy.

From Via Macroni street turn right to Via Zardini street. Immediately after driving through the underpass, turn left. Afterwards keep left or. straight. There are markings for Val Aupa and for the city limit of Pontebba. From this sign, drive 14,4 km to Val Aupa (you will pass Studena Alta, Sella di Cereschiatis and the villages Saps and Bevorchians).

Soon afterwards, two roads branch off to the right, the first one before the bridge and the second one after the bridge. Take a turn right at the second one. To be sure, check the signs, there should be a sign "Rif. Grauzaria, sentiero n. 437" (the sign is in distinctive brown color). See a photo. Follow the paved road a few bends higher through a pine forest to the parking place.

Option 2: drive to Možac (it. Moggio Udinese) in Italy and turn for Val Aupa. After Dordolla, two roads branch off to the left (with a bridge between them). See pictures. Follow the first paved road and drive a few bends higher through a pine forest to the parking place.

Path description:
Please note that this shortcut only comes handy at descend, it is approximately 20 minutes shorter. An ascent will not save you any time due to erosive terrain. The trail is recommended for experienced hikers, especially in steep crumbly terrain.

Go to the upper end of the parking place and head uphill. After 10 meters, turn left to a footpath. In the next few minutes keep to the right twice and arrive to a narrow, steep cart road. Follow it upwards. After a few minutes keep to the right again and follow the narrower footpath into the forest (left path leads to the village / paese Dordolla and Grauzaria). Follow the markings no. 437, while the footpath is leading you further west and gaining altitude. You may notice that pine trees grow only at the beginning of the trip, and that by this point they were being replaced by beech trees. After a while, a small spring wets the path, but water here is not drinkable. Near an alpine pasture Flop (it.: Malga Flop) keep to the right (left path leads to the village / paese Dordolla and Grauzaria).

A footpath will lead you close by the pasture with some panoramic historic photographs (1941) that depict a former glory of now abandoned alpine pasture.

Follow the path into the forest again. Soon you will reach the treeline. Keep on the right path (while the left one branches off to the bivouac Feruglio). At this point it remains 30 minutes to reach the hut. A majestic view opens up (see photos). The path crosses the slopes below the mountain Cima della Sfinge (1847m). Further west is another mountain Cima dai Gjai (1916m). Worth noting is that between these two mountains, a steep marked path leads to the Portonat saddle. Cross various torrent beds and ascend the last 30 to 50 meters to the hut. Before this final ascent, a path branches off to the left to the Portonat saddle (1860m). To the right you will reach the hut (2 minutes). The hut is open in the summer time and it offers accommodation. There is also a drinkable water outside.

A well-marked path with no. 437 to a saddle Foran de la Gjialine (1551 m) takes 45 minutes of uphill walk through the forest. On a sunny day, Foran de la Gjialine is a perfect spot to take a break since it offers excellent views to the rocky face of mountain Sernio.

From the saddle Foran de la Gjialine, follow the path southwest. Very soon, turn left to the path no. 419 and follow it until you can see the last slope up to the saddle. There, an unmarked trail appears on the right. The path to the right is a shortcut leading through the gully and because of an erosive terrain there it is more suitable for a descent but only for trekkers with experienced and dynamic step). The path traverses the northern slopes of Nuviernulis mountain with a slight descent until the gully. When in the gully, the continuation is straightforward. There are also markings in the gully. At the top of the gully, the trail joins again with the trail Via normale.

The trail passes Torre Ivano (1874m) on its southern slopes and leads through some mild scree and later to the rocky part west of Torre Ivano where it gets difficult with two passages of up to UIAA I-. After that the trail leads into a narrow ascending gully. The trail soon escapes it via its right side to a rocky shelf above. This part is difficult going up and even more so going down (UIAA I). This section is 5 meters above the gully below. There is a fixed anchor at the rocky shelf, where it is possible to use a rope. From here, the trail is partly difficult all the way to the top. It gets to the summit ridge from the south side, where another more difficult trail joins from the northwest.

Two summit-crosses stand on the summit or slightly below, a summit-bell, a summit-stamp is only in the hut Rifugio Grauzaria.

The mountain is higher than all its neighboring peaks so its summit panorama is not obscured to any side. Looking east, there is a queen of this mountain range: Creta Grauzaria (2065m). Behind Creta Grauzaria is Zuc dal Bor (2195m) and further east the western part of Julian Alps with Montaž (it. Jof di Montasio) (2753m) in front and Kanin mountain range a few degrees south. To the west, the highest mountain of Carnic Alps, i.e. Monte Coglians / Hohe Warte (2780m) is rising in front of Dolomites that are the last visible mountain group with a few 3000 meter peaks touching the sky. Mountains to the south are lower, e.g. Amariana (1905). North is again different, with endless horizon of mountains with Hohe Taurn in the background.

Time to reach destinations: Rifugio Grauzaria (1h 20 min); Foran de la Gjialine (2h 05 min); Sernio (4h 30min).Photos and the description is from June, 2019.

On the way: Malga Flop (980m), Rifugio Grauzaria (1250m), Foran de la Gjialine (1551m)

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