Müstair-Pass da Costainas

Pius and Miriam with Gypsie and Mia (from 05.05.18):

We start our adventure "Jakobsweg Graubünden" at the monastery Son Jon (UNESCO world cultural heritage) in Müstair at the border to Italy. After we have fetched the pilgrim's stamp, we start walking. The gravel path leads us mostly off the main road to the small villages of Sta. Maria and Valchava. Then we walk on a tarred road steadily upwards over a meadow until we reach a wonderfully fragrant larch forest. Especially the dogs are happy that the forest path starts here and we don't have to walk on asphalt anymore. At the entrance to the forest we meet a woodcutter with his Border Collie, who is especially interested in Mia. On the forest path we continue to Fuldera and then to Tschierv. We pass several benches, which are equipped with a box full of books provided by a library. An ideal place to stay and forget about time.

In every village there is one or more wells, so that the dogs can drink regularly. Even on the way Gypsie and Mia cool down from time to time in one of the streams that are located directly at the roadside. At this time of year they carry a lot of meltwater with them, but this will probably change in summer/autumn. It could be that the creeks are dry then. Before Tschierv we leave the valley and walk on the asphalt road Via Dario Cologna and then on a forest path up to the small village Lü. The village is situated on a sun terrace high above the Münstertal and is home to the Alpine Astrovillage, a centre for stargazing and astrophotography. The 6 mentioned villages Müstair, Sta. Maria, Valchava, Fuldera, Tschierv and Lü together form the community Val Müstair, in which about 1'600 people live who speak Rhaeto-Romanic. Each of these villages is worth seeing and fascinates us with its old Engadine houses with their beautifully painted facades.

In Lü we actually want to eat something, but unfortunately the only hotel is still closed. As we noticed, most restaurants and hotels are not open until mid-May. Therefore, the first two weeks of May, for those who like to stop by, are not particularly recommended.

From Lü we continue walking through the larch forest up to the Pass da Costainas, which is at 2'250 m above sea level. The forest floor is covered with flowering heather bushes, which colour the forest violet and make us wonder.

The ascent of about 300 meters in altitude is easy to master except for the last part and is rewarded at the top with a great view of the surrounding mountains. After crossing the pass the path becomes flatter. Here we also encounter a deer and countless marmots. For us and the dogs this stretch is the highlight of the day. Far and wide there is nothing to see except mountains, trees, bushes, streams and snow.

But we did not expect so much snow and therefore we did not bring snowshoes. In some places the snow is still more than one meter thick, so that the hiking trail is hardly visible and we sink into the snow again and again. When it then also starts to rain we decide to pitch our tent here nearby. After we have found a suitable place, we first take care of the dogs and then cook ourselves a delicious dinner. Luckily it rains only for a short time and the sun can be seen again. The view from our sleeping place is overwhelming and we enjoy the evening hours with tea and coffee before we go to sleep.

With 20.5 km today's hike was not very long, but with the three ascents to Fuldera, Lü and to the Pass da Costainas it was a bit exhausting. As we described the route, it is only possible with a tent. But one possibility would be to stay overnight in the hotel in Lü (16.6 km) or to walk a little further to S-charl (30.3 km).