Canal di Cuna

Another glorious day so I made another attempt on Canal di Cuna.  It is a hidden valley in the mountains east of Tramonti di Mezzo which I've tried twice to reach.  After the beautiful ride up Val Tramontina I turned east at Tramonti di Mezzo and headed up a narrow mountain lane.  After some easy scenic riding you reach a killer stack of switchbacks; very steep, badly paved, and full of wheel-destroying drainage grates- my kind of place!  I gaspingly made it to the end of pavement, and then continued riding in the gravel until 790 meters.  I stopped and donned some Pearl Izumi X-Alp Enduro bike/hiking shoes I'd carried in my backpack, and pushed the bike up the gravel road to Forchia Zuviel at 897 meters.  In an abandoned settlement of stone buildings, I locked my bike to a signpost and started the hike down to Canal di Cuna.

This is a wonderful forest, so isolated I couldn't hear a single human sound, no chainsaws, distant traffic, nothing.  I did hear one prop plane in the distance on the climb back up.  It's tough to escape from airplanes.  The trail is very well constructed, with switchbacks to reduce the gradient. It levels out around 590 meters and after crossing a stream you enter a meadow.  Here you find the restored Chiesa di San Vincenzo.  For centuries families lived in Canal di Cuna, but eventually the population dwindled as people moved away.  After it was abandoned some of their descendants came back to visit, and finally restored the ruins of the church.

I climbed back up the way I'd come, taking 30 minutes to ascend 300 meters.  Came across a pair of large deer, the only souls I saw for 3 hours after leaving Tramonti.  My plan to descend by bike on the gravel road was pretty harebrained and I ended up flatting (3rd time in 2 weeks).  No big deal and maybe it made me extra-cautious on the rock-strewn switchback road down to  430 meters.    I stopped to fill a water bottle at the Spring of Life and Experience, which is a pretty fancy name out here in the middle of nowhere, but the water is excellent.   

Rode fast as I could all the way home.  Legs and fitness are feeling best so far this year.  Next time I think I'll drive to Tramonti and ride the mountain bike up to Forchia Zuviel.  The road isn't suited for a road bike past end of pavement at 700 meters.  Still a fantastic ride in this clear cool weather.

Beautiful Torrent Chiarchia 

Torrente Chiavalara's noisy whitewater cascade

Some of the ruins of old stone houses at Forchia Zuviel

Restored Chiesa di San Vincenzo in Canal di Cuna meadow

Viewed from the banks of Torrente Comugna, which
flows east to join Torrente Arzino below San Francesco

Canal di Cuna

Another in the series of uncompleted rides revisited, this time http://dolomiti-friulane.blogspot.it/2011/01/canal-di-cuna.html from January 2011.  I warmed up through Meduno and along the shore of Lago Tramonti, and then began the steepish saliscendi up to Tramonti di Sotto.  As you leave town hang a right on the road marked Tramonti di Mezzo and after more climbing you arrive.  As you enter town take the first right, climb some more and then take the first right again (via Canal di Cuna).  This is a narrow mountain lane with bad pavement.  Continue rolling along and then cross the bridge over Torrente Chiarchia.  After a bit the climb proper starts, a long series of steep tornanti.  I stood on much of these, careful to cross the drainage grates at an angle, and avoiding the loose stone, wet fir needles and other debris.  I continued past the place I had dismounted and started walking last year, and reached end of pavement at 750 meters.

Here I donned a pair of Bike Skins cleat covers to see if they would work for bike-hikes.  The gravel is quite deep and washed out with channels, etc.  I pushed my bike up to a big open switchback at 807 meters.  The Bike Skins worked well but this deep gravel requires hiking boots, I think.  I will try driving next time to start of climb, and then hike with boots up to Canal di Cuna.  More info on the hike here http://www.cuna.it/.  

The descent was slow due to bad pavement.  Afterwards I sped up a bit and enjoyed the scenery.  At Tramonti di Mezzo there was a small forest fire where I'd ridden through earlier.  After escaping the smoke I enjoyed descending the saliscendi to Lago Tramonti, but the winds picked up (white caps on the lake!) and the controvento opposed my progress all the way home.  Very tiring, but good resistance training.

Torrente Chiarchia with valley, mountains in background

Torrente Chiavalara tumbling over the boulders

Panorama to west showing valleys of Chiarchia and Meduna,
mountains in background

Monte Caserine Alta (2306m), Monte Frascola (1961m)

Cuesta Spioleit (1687m) to north

Sign pointing to a spring with best water I've ever tasted

Canal di Cuna

I was planning to ride up Val Meduna to Tramonti di Sopra, but I noticed on the map a little paved road heading into the hills from Tramonti di Mezzo.  Turns out there is a hidden valley at the top of the road, with an historic abandoned village- see Canal di Cuna.  I set out to discover how far up the valley I could go.

After an hour of riding into 20 kph headwinds I arrived in Meduno.  Then up and down some rolling hills until reaching Lago dei Tramonti.  After the lake, the road heads up a lengthy stretch of 10-12% until Tramonti di Sotto, then you turn right toward Tramonti di Mezzo.  Here you turn right again onto a tiny road marked Canal di Cuna.  It's very narrow and rough, but not too steep at first.  Beautiful views (and sounds) of Torrente Chiarchia in the adjacent gorge.

Around 430 meters elevation, the road turns away from the torrente, and heads decidedly upward: 12 tornanti in 3 km gaining 350 meters elevation.  A couple of particularly steep stretches exceed 20% grade.  I tried standing for this whole 3 km, panting and gasping up the switchbacks.  For added fun, tire-swallowing drainage grates cross the road at intervals, with pine straw, tree limbs, and fallen rocks to boot.  I almost made it to the top, but finally vapor-locked at 727 meters.  After hyperventilating awhile, my bright-light-at-the-end-of-a-tunnel hallucination faded away, and I was back in the middle of a steep road.   No way to start and clip in at this angle with less than 2-meter wide pavement, so I donned cleat covers and walked.  The grade flattened out a bit at 750 meters- if I only could have lasted another 23 meters!

Shortly after, the road turns to dirt and stone.  Next time I'll try to ride up here with some sneakers in a knapsack, and hike on up to Forchia Zuviel 890 meters, then down toward the abandoned village at San Vincenzo.  From the website, sounds like there are great views of the surrounding peaks from Canal di Cuna.

Rode down the steep bits carefully, then rode fast as possible from Tramonti di Mezzo toward home.  The headwind from this morning was now at my back- felt like I was flying.

Torrente Meduna, with Monte Valcalda in background

Torrente Chiarchia 

Val Meduna from the road to Canal di Cuna

Torrente Chiarchia and Val Meduna

The grade up to Selva Piana, with two +20% stretches

From Tramonti di Mezzo to Selva Piana

Val Meduna from above