We fill up our water supplies at a well. Another visit at the shop makes certain that there is no methylated spirits available; not that we are already short of it; the seek for it has informational character, we'll encounter more of this kind of shops on our way.
Col de Bavella in brief: passing the night in the Auberge costs you 160 FF (breakfast included). A 1.5l bottle of chilled beverage costs 15 FF, and the shop has nearly everything you might need (at least for food). If you camp near the chapel choose a place that's not too near to the road and get lost 'til 08.00. The village well gives good drinking water. There are busses for Porto Vecchio (18.30) and Ajaccio (08.00).
Our path today
Water even gets in our way here
By 09.00 we launch today's march. From Col de Bavella the way goes downhill for 200vm and is quite awkward because of boulders forcing us to take knee-high steps all the way down. But then the way starts to go slightly uphill (but it's very convenient), and it has lots of sources nearby that give plenty of good drinking water. Even despite our large supplies this is delightful: we use the water to moisten our hats, since the sun has already begun its daily torture. The way goes uphill to 1250m, where we decide at 12.00 to have siesta in the shade of a few trees and let noon's heat pass.
Refuge d'Asinao
We reach the Bergerie (shepherd's lodge) d'Asinao by 17.00; it's deserted. Inwardly we've hoped to get some fresh cheese here, but it seems to be too late on in the year for that. So we climb the 100vm to the Refuge d'Asinao where we call it a day. All the good places for tents are already occupied, so we decide to test the refuge's accommodation offer. These refuges have (besides the rooms of the gardien) two not too big rooms, one of them equipped with tables, benches and gas stoves and the other stuffed with mattresses on two storeys. Passing the night on a mattress (including the usage of the gas stoves) costs 40 FF. Situated 1540m above sea level this hut offers accommodation for up to 35 people, and during the season it's full every night.
The way from Col de Bavella to Refuge d'Asinao wasn't what you might call effortless, but this was a great deal due to our own ignorance: we carried more than eight liters of water on a way that offered a good source every few hundred metes. One liter per person would have been more than enough, but: once bitten, twice shy.
Towards evening someone shows up with the ideal means of transportation: two donkeys. I suppose he supplies the gardien with food and things he needs. By the way the guard of this refuge seems to speak nearly every language: German, english, french, italian and corsean are the languages I hear him speak within a short period of time (well, at least he could say the equivalents of "hello").
This place is where we first meet a group that will stick to us for most of the rest of the way: a (supposedly) french couple, one male companion (blonde, carries a guitar) and an older dark-haired and a younger blonde girl. The girls speak an awfully fast and inarticulated English when they talk to each other or with the blonde, but they also speak French fairly well.
If there's something remarkable about this group then that the blonde girl is constantly waffling. But the company of the blonde guy with the guitar is quite pleasing; the guitar gives the refuge stay a certain flair.
I've known in advance that sleeping in a refuge is not the perfect thing, because with more than 30 people in one room one of them tosses and turns at least every minute, and, statistically speaking, there are at least three snorers amongst them. Only 30 minutes on the mattress are enough to confirm my suspicion: it's rustling almost continuously, and they're snoring a capella. But I must have passed off at some time nevertheless.