This stage marked the beginning of my hike on the Grande Traversata delle Alpi (GTA), covering the route from Forno to Rimella. From the start, the trail felt remarkably remote. I followed a river steadily uphill for hours, encountering no one at all until the afternoon, as the path led toward Campello Monti.
The entire stage crossed a high mountain pass at approximately 2,100 meters of altitude, followed by a long and often steep descent to Rimella. Weather conditions were excellent, with clear skies and almost no clouds. However, the intense sunshine also meant high temperatures, which only became more tolerable with increasing altitude.
Shortly after Campello Monti, the forest gave way to open terrain, and the trail climbed steeply toward the pass. From the summit, the views were wide and impressive, with the 4,500-meter-high Monte Rosa clearly visible to the right. It was a striking introduction to the alpine character of the GTA.
From the pass, the route descended across open slopes before re-entering forested sections and passing through several small villages on the way to Rimella. After approximately 10 hours on the trail, with an elevation gain of about 1,200 meters and nearly 1,000 meters of descent, I reached my destination—tired, but with the first major stage of the GTA successfully completed.