The great Monte Cjampon loop

The Monte Cjampon chain, with its nearly twenty kilometers in length and heights over 1700m, divides the Tagliamento valley to the west from the Torre valley to the east.

From the summit, the view stretches 360° over a large part of the Friulian Alps and beyond. To the west, towards the Dolomites, the imposing pyramid of Monte Antelao rises on the horizon, accompanied on the left by the profiles of Mount Pelmo and Civetta. To its right, on very clear days, even the Tre Cime di Lavaredo can be seen. To the east stand out the peaks of the Slovenian and Italian Julian Alps: Jôf di Montasio, Monte Canin, Monte Mangart, and the Musi and Granmonte chains, with Mounts Krn (Nero) and Matajur closing the panorama.

Geological context

The Cjampon chain is entirely composed of sedimentary rocks, with Triassic dolomites at the base, while Jurassic limestone is present at the summit heights and northern slopes. These rock volumes, especially the dolomites, are heavily fractured and crumble easily, evidencing the enormous tectonic forces they underwent during the Alpine orogeny.

On the northern side, where the limestones outcrop, there are karst pits called Lis Glaceris, where the inhabitants of Gemona used to collect ice and snow to bring to the town.

The descent through the Ledis valley allows observation once again of the significant compressive forces that uplifted these mountains. The reverse fault, called the Pinedo-Uccea Line, heavily fractured the rocks that now undergo weathering and disintegrate to form a typical dolomitic scree.

The environments

The environments encountered are characterized by reforestations of black and Scots pine in the first parts of the route, followed by typical pre-alpine scrub dominated by species such as black hornbeam, downy oak, and hop-hornbeam, which in turn give way to beech at higher altitudes and on northern slopes.

The most interesting vegetation and flora are undoubtedly on the steep grassy slopes where endemic and notable species grow. This is because during the last glaciation, which ended about 10,000 years ago, the Cjampon chain was an important refuge zone for numerous floral species, standing out as an island in a sea of ice (nunatak).

The Scric shelter/malga, private and managed, is one of the last witnesses of the hard life of the past when cows were brought (and still are) to graze on the harsh environments of the northern side of the chain.

Fauna

Regarding animal species in the area, on the southern slopes alpine galliformes such as rock partridge and black grouse are found. Among raptors, griffon vultures typically can be observed using ascending currents on the warm southern slopes to gain altitude and move with minimal energy expenditure. With some luck, it is also possible to observe the golden eagle, probably individuals from the nesting pair on Monte Plauris.

Concerning ungulates, roe deer and deer live at lower altitudes, while at higher elevations are chamois and a single ibex specimen. This is a male individual over 15 years old, nicknamed by the Gemona community as Berto Bec, who was part of a group of specimens released in 2004 at Malga Coot in Val Resia within the reintroduction project carried out by the Regional Natural Park of the Julian Prealps.