Parc Ela Trek Stage 12: Ch. d'Es-cha - F. Pischa - Kesch Hut

Above us, the walls of Piz Cotschen shine red, and in the distance rises the 4000-meter Piz Bernina. Then the ascent to Fuorcla Pischa begins. The green of the alpine pastures contrasts with the slate-gray of Piz Blaisun. In the limestone rubble blooms the rare Mont Cenis bellflower, visited by the small copper butterfly. Nearby, an alpine sea of flowers – gentian, glacier crowfoot, and saxifrage. From Fuorcla we see Piz Ela, while at Piz Üertsch a rock glacier moves down the valley. The alpine pastures of Val Plazbi already lie before us, bounded by the striking Ducan range. The cows take siesta; we refresh our feet in the stream. Down the valley, at Alp digl Chants, the milk is turned into alpine cheese, butter, and yogurt, which are sold from the refrigerator – a welcome supplement to the provisions before the last ascent to the Kesch hut. The glacier stream carries a lot of water, but the Porchabella Glacier is doing poorly. The Piz Kesch panorama is nonetheless stunning.