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| @@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ recursivebuild() { | |||
| 15 | done | 15 | done |
| 16 | } | 16 | } |
| 17 | 17 | ||
| 18 | # This function is currently unused, but we keep it in case we need to | 18 | # This function is currently useless, but we keep it in case we need to |
| 19 | # preprocess some m4 files. | 19 | # preprocess some m4 files. |
| 20 | mdpreprocess() { | 20 | mdpreprocess() { |
| 21 | file="$1" | 21 | file="$1" |
| @@ -46,6 +46,13 @@ copyfile() { | |||
| 46 | >> "$ind" | 46 | >> "$ind" |
| 47 | cat bottom.html >> "$ind" | 47 | cat bottom.html >> "$ind" |
| 48 | ;; | 48 | ;; |
| 49 | noheadermd) | ||
| 50 | t="$(markdowntitle "$file")" | ||
| 51 | sed "s/TITLE/$t/" < top-nobar.html > "$ind" | ||
| 52 | mdpreprocess "$file" | \ | ||
| 53 | lowdown --html-no-skiphtml --html-no-escapehtml \ | ||
| 54 | >> "$ind" | ||
| 55 | ;; | ||
| 49 | html) | 56 | html) |
| 50 | t="$(htmltitle "$file")" | 57 | t="$(htmltitle "$file")" |
| 51 | cat top.html "$file" bottom.html | sed "s/TITLE/$t/" > "$ind" | 58 | cat top.html "$file" bottom.html | sed "s/TITLE/$t/" > "$ind" |
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| @@ -0,0 +1,1515 @@ | |||
| 1 | # Alta Via 2 | ||
| 2 | |||
| 3 |  | ||
| 4 | |||
| 5 | [Alta Via 2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alta_Via_2) is high mountain | ||
| 6 | route in the [Dolomites](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolomites). It goes | ||
| 7 | from [Brixen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brixen), in South Tyrol, to | ||
| 8 | [Feltre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feltre), the city where I was born. | ||
| 9 | With its 180km of lenght and around 10000 meters of altitude gain, it | ||
| 10 | requires multiple days to complete, with most guides suggesting a 12- | ||
| 11 | or 13-day itinerary. | ||
| 12 | |||
| 13 | In August 2025, my father and I completed this route, walking for | ||
| 14 | 9 consecutive days. In these pages I am going to tell you about | ||
| 15 | this adventure, and share some of the pictures that we took. | ||
| 16 | If you are interested in hiking similar routes, you may find | ||
| 17 | some useful information here, but I am not aiming at writing a | ||
| 18 | technical description of the hike. | ||
| 19 | |||
| 20 | * [Preparation](../preparation) | ||
| 21 | * [Day 1 - The Odles in the rain](../day1) | ||
| 22 | * [Day 2 - Trail 666](../day2) | ||
| 23 | * [Day 3 - A knee-breaking descent](../day3) | ||
| 24 | * [Day 4 - The forest and the pastures](../day4) | ||
| 25 | * [Day 5 - Entering the Pala group](../day5) | ||
| 26 | * [Day 6 - The Farangole trail](../day6) | ||
| 27 | * [Day 7 - The longest day](../day7) | ||
| 28 | * [Day 8 - The Troi dei Caserin](../day8) | ||
| 29 | * [Day 9 - Cutting it short](../day9) | ||
| 30 | * [After the hike](../after) | ||
| 31 | |||
| 32 | You can view these pages at | ||
| 33 | [https://sebastiano.tronto.net/av2](https://sebastiano.tronto.net/av2). | ||
| 34 | |||
| 35 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 36 | |||
| 37 | # Day 1 - The Odles in the rain | ||
| 38 | |||
| 39 | <p align="center"><em>August 20, 2025</em></p> | ||
| 40 | |||
| 41 | <img src="../img/20-0000-map.png"> | ||
| 42 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 43 | |||
| 44 | ## The road to Kreutztal | ||
| 45 | |||
| 46 | Our first day starts quite early, as we wake up at 5:15. My uncle is | ||
| 47 | giving us a car ride to Kreutztal, which will take a little more than | ||
| 48 | 3 hours. We leave at 5:55. | ||
| 49 | |||
| 50 | We drive up the Cordevole valley, a road that reminds me of the | ||
| 51 | many hikes I used to do in the Dolomites, usually starting from the | ||
| 52 | [Falzarego pass](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falzarego_Pass), | ||
| 53 | hiking around the [Tofane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tofane), | ||
| 54 | the [Cinque Torri](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinque_Torri), | ||
| 55 | [Averau](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Averau) and others. | ||
| 56 | But we are not going there this time. | ||
| 57 | |||
| 58 | The road itself is quite scenic. Sorry, I did not | ||
| 59 | take any pictures pictures. Going North, we drive | ||
| 60 | through popular touristic destinations like Arabba and | ||
| 61 | [Corvara](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corvara%2C_South_Tyrol). | ||
| 62 | But these small towns leave a weird impression on me, as they are made | ||
| 63 | up mostly of hotels and a few restaurants and bars - all closed because | ||
| 64 | it is too early for turists to wake up. Are these places just holiday | ||
| 65 | resorts now? | ||
| 66 | |||
| 67 | Just before we reach Kreutztal, our starting point, it starts raining. | ||
| 68 | |||
| 69 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 70 | |||
| 71 | ## The hike begins | ||
| 72 | |||
| 73 |  | ||
| 74 | |||
| 75 | <p align="center"><em>My dad and I, ready to start hiking.</em></p> | ||
| 76 | |||
| 77 | By the time we reach Kreutztal (2000 meters on sea level), park the car | ||
| 78 | and put on our rain clothes, it is already 9:30. And this is going to | ||
| 79 | be one of the longest days, at least according to our estimates. | ||
| 80 | |||
| 81 | The [Plosehütte](https://www.plosehuette.com/en/) (2447m) is not | ||
| 82 | far, and we reach it pretty quickly. Unfortunately, it is closed for | ||
| 83 | renovations, and we can't even get close enough to take a picture of | ||
| 84 | our first checkpoint. | ||
| 85 | |||
| 86 | At least the view from up there is... something. | ||
| 87 | |||
| 88 |  | ||
| 89 | |||
| 90 | <p align="center"><em>The <a | ||
| 91 | href="https://www.val-gardena.com/en/dolomites/geisler-mountain-group">Odles</a> | ||
| 92 | surrounded by clouds.</em></p> | ||
| 93 | |||
| 94 | The clouds came and went, but this is pretty much the clearest the | ||
| 95 | skies have been the whole morning. Besides the cold and the rain being | ||
| 96 | unpleasant, the low visibility gave us some technical difficulties: | ||
| 97 | right after passing by the hut, we found ourselves on a grassy slope and | ||
| 98 | we lost the track. In normal conditions we would have been able to look | ||
| 99 | out for the next trail marking, but with this thick fog we were forced | ||
| 100 | to double check our GPS and our maps. | ||
| 101 | |||
| 102 | ## Down through the forest, then up again | ||
| 103 | |||
| 104 | Luckily, it did not take us long to find the right way, and we kept | ||
| 105 | descending in a [larch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larch) forest. | ||
| 106 | |||
| 107 |  | ||
| 108 | |||
| 109 | <p align="center"><em>A trail in a forest between Plosehütte and | ||
| 110 | Schlüterhütte - Rifugio Genova.</em></p> | ||
| 111 | |||
| 112 | The descent is pleasant. We even manage to catch some break from the | ||
| 113 | heavy rain, and take a few more pictures of the Odles. | ||
| 114 | |||
| 115 |  | ||
| 116 | |||
| 117 | We reach the Rodella Pass (1867m) at around 13:00, | ||
| 118 | and from there we walk up to [Schlüterhutte - Rifugio | ||
| 119 | Genova](https://www.schlueterhuette.com/en/) (2297m). I did not take | ||
| 120 | many notes of this part of the journey, there was too much rain for me | ||
| 121 | to take out my journal and write. | ||
| 122 | |||
| 123 | As the trail is crossed by a stream of water, we have to pass a short | ||
| 124 | challenging section, where we are forced to climb on the wet rock. | ||
| 125 | The climb itself is not hard, but the trail is not clearly marked at | ||
| 126 | that point, which left us wondering if we were doing the right thing. | ||
| 127 | |||
| 128 | We are then blocked by a more difficult trail feature: cows. | ||
| 129 | |||
| 130 |  | ||
| 131 | |||
| 132 | <p align="center"><em>Cows are blocking the road. Yes, that little gap is | ||
| 133 | the only way forward.</em></p> | ||
| 134 | |||
| 135 | After overcoming this zoological obstacle, we reached the | ||
| 136 | Schlüterhütte - Rifugio Genova at 16:00 and we stop for a slice of | ||
| 137 | [*Apfelstrudel*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_strudel). | ||
| 138 | |||
| 139 |  | ||
| 140 | |||
| 141 | <p align="center"><em>Rifugio Genova - Schlüterhütte in the fog.</em></p> | ||
| 142 | |||
| 143 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 144 | |||
| 145 | ## The long descent to the village | ||
| 146 | |||
| 147 | At 6 hours and 30 minutes of hiking, this would have been a good first | ||
| 148 | day. But unfortunately we cannot stop here. At 16:30 we begin the long | ||
| 149 | descent towards Lungiarü (1398m). | ||
| 150 | |||
| 151 |  | ||
| 152 | |||
| 153 | <p align="center"><em>Down there, that's where we have to go. Do you see | ||
| 154 | it? Me neither.</em></p> | ||
| 155 | |||
| 156 | We walk for two hours in the rain and the fog before reaching the | ||
| 157 | village. Two hours may not sound like much, but it felt like an eternity. | ||
| 158 | |||
| 159 | Just before the village, we pass by a place called | ||
| 160 | [*Val di Morins*](https://www.alta-badia.org/en/highlights/sights/val-di-morins-mill-valley/), | ||
| 161 | which means "Mill Valley" in Ladin. | ||
| 162 | |||
| 163 |  | ||
| 164 | <p align="center"><em> | ||
| 165 | A watermill. In this area it was common to build half-pipes | ||
| 166 | with larch trunks to lead the water to the mill. | ||
| 167 | </em></p> | ||
| 168 | |||
| 169 | The village of Lungiarü, in [Val | ||
| 170 | Badia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Val_Badia), is quite nice, but we | ||
| 171 | have no energy left for sightseeing. All we can do before falling asleep | ||
| 172 | is a shower, dinner, and trying to dry our clothes for the next day. | ||
| 173 | |||
| 174 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 175 | |||
| 176 | # Day 2 - Trail 666 | ||
| 177 | |||
| 178 | <p align="center"><em>August 21, 2025</em></p> | ||
| 179 | |||
| 180 | <img src="../img/21-0000-map.png"> | ||
| 181 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 182 | |||
| 183 | ## The beginning of a long day | ||
| 184 | |||
| 185 | According to our plan, this second day is going to be the toughest. | ||
| 186 | Our planned route consists of more than 1700m of altitude gain, which | ||
| 187 | would already be quite a long hike for a single day, leave alone for one | ||
| 188 | out of 9 consecutive days of walking. Moreover, the weather forecasts | ||
| 189 | for the day are not good - there is a chance of thunderstorms in the | ||
| 190 | afternoon. | ||
| 191 | |||
| 192 | Luckily we find someone willing to give us a car ride from our B&B to | ||
| 193 | the edge of the village, saving us about one hour of walk. We start | ||
| 194 | walking at around 8:30. | ||
| 195 | |||
| 196 | The first part of the trail is not very steep, and the weather is | ||
| 197 | not too bad either. We even manage to see some mountains! | ||
| 198 | |||
| 199 |  | ||
| 200 | |||
| 201 | <p align="center"><em>The Puez-Odle group.</em></p> | ||
| 202 | |||
| 203 | In about an hour we reach *malga Antersasc* (2084m on sea | ||
| 204 | level). Around this small abandoned building we see a few | ||
| 205 | [chamois](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamois) and some very fat | ||
| 206 | [marmots](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmot) - seriously, those | ||
| 207 | things were huge! Unfortunately all the pictures I took were terrible, | ||
| 208 | you need some pretty good camera to catch them from a distance. | ||
| 209 | |||
| 210 |  | ||
| 211 | |||
| 212 | <p align="center"><em> | ||
| 213 | Sorry for the lack of marmot pictures. Here | ||
| 214 | is a shot of myself staring at a tree growing on top of a rock instead. | ||
| 215 | </em></p> | ||
| 216 | |||
| 217 | After a short break, we get back on the trail and start walking towards | ||
| 218 | the [Puez hut](https://www.rifugiopuez.it/en/). We could already tell | ||
| 219 | from the map that the trail up to *forcella Puez* (2500m), before the | ||
| 220 | hut, was going to be very steep. However, we found it to be very well | ||
| 221 | maintained, which made it easier than we expected. | ||
| 222 | |||
| 223 |  | ||
| 224 | |||
| 225 | <p align="center"><em> | ||
| 226 | The trail up to forcella Puez is reinforced with some trunks that | ||
| 227 | turn it almost into a staircase.</em></p> | ||
| 228 | |||
| 229 | Unfortunately, as we walked up, the weather got much worse. | ||
| 230 | We were forced to wear all our rain clothes again, including gloves. | ||
| 231 | |||
| 232 | We reach the Puez hut (2447m) at 11:20, earlier than planned. We take | ||
| 233 | some time to rest and try to dry up from the rain; I change my socks | ||
| 234 | and t-shirt, which definitely helps. | ||
| 235 | |||
| 236 | ## The forgotten Forcellas | ||
| 237 | |||
| 238 | (*Forcella* is an Italian term that denotes a tight mountain pass, usually | ||
| 239 | only reachable via a steep trail. I will sometimes use the Italian word | ||
| 240 | because I don't know an exact equivalent in English. For proper nouns I | ||
| 241 | may also use the equivalent word in the local language: *Furcella* or | ||
| 242 | *Jeuf* in [Ladin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladin_language), | ||
| 243 | *Joch* in German, *Foržela* in | ||
| 244 | [Venetian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venetian_language).) | ||
| 245 | |||
| 246 | We start walking again around 12:00, and it is immediately clear that we | ||
| 247 | have made a small miscalculation in planning the route. We thought | ||
| 248 | that the trail to [Gardena Pass](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardena_Pass) | ||
| 249 | would be straight downhill, but actually we'll have to climb up and then | ||
| 250 | down a couple of tight passes: *Furcella de Ciampei* (2366m) and *Jeuf de | ||
| 251 | Crespëina* (2528m). This is easily going to cancel out the time we gained | ||
| 252 | in the morning. Fortunately, this part of the trail is quite pleasant to | ||
| 253 | walk, if at times steep; the weather is also not too bad, as we only have | ||
| 254 | to bear some light rain. | ||
| 255 | |||
| 256 |  | ||
| 257 | |||
| 258 | As we are about to reach Gardena Pass (2136m), a strong storm begins. | ||
| 259 | I speed up to take shelter in a hut down at the pass, leaving my dad | ||
| 260 | a few minutes behind. I reach the pass at 14:35. | ||
| 261 | |||
| 262 | ## One hell of a trail | ||
| 263 | |||
| 264 | The outlook for the last part of the day is bleak, to say the least. | ||
| 265 | Thunderstorms are forecast until late in the evening. There is likely | ||
| 266 | going to be a small windows of good weatehr between 16:00 and 17:00, but | ||
| 267 | it is not going to last long enough to reach the Pisciadù hut, where we | ||
| 268 | are going to sleep. We have to choose between leaving immediately under | ||
| 269 | the heavy rain hoping it stops while we are on the way, or waiting for | ||
| 270 | the first wave of the storm to pass but risking it starting again | ||
| 271 | before we reach our destination. | ||
| 272 | |||
| 273 | We choose the former, because it was our best chance to arrive at the | ||
| 274 | hut before it gets dark. Moreover, despite the forecast of thunder and | ||
| 275 | lightning, so far it is just raining heavily, which although unpleasant | ||
| 276 | is not dangerous. | ||
| 277 | |||
| 278 | We leave the pass at around 15:00, under the storm. The ascent is not | ||
| 279 | steep at first. Luckily, as predicted, after about one hour the rain | ||
| 280 | stops. | ||
| 281 | |||
| 282 |  | ||
| 284 | |||
| 285 | <p align="center"><em>Our last view of Gardena Pass and the Odle group, | ||
| 286 | on the way up to the Pisciadù hut.</em></p> | ||
| 287 | |||
| 288 | But then we reach the infamous trail 666. | ||
| 289 | |||
| 290 |  | ||
| 291 | |||
| 292 | <p align="center"><em> | ||
| 293 | The beginning of trail 666. This is not a nickname, it is | ||
| 294 | the actual number that the <a href="https://www.cai.it"> | ||
| 295 | Italian Alpine Club</a> gave to this trail. | ||
| 296 | </em></p> | ||
| 297 | |||
| 298 | Actually, this is the easiest of two | ||
| 299 | possible ways to the Pisciadù, the other being the [Ferrata | ||
| 300 | Tridentina](https://www.alta-badia.org/en/leisure-activities/climbing-and-mountaineering/brigata-tridentina-route/). | ||
| 301 | The booklet I am following describes it as "[...] reserved for | ||
| 302 | well-equipped experts. Don't do it with heavy backpacks; don't do it if | ||
| 303 | the weather is not good." We get at 0 out 3, the thought of taking the | ||
| 304 | [via ferrata](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_ferrata) does not not | ||
| 305 | even cross our minds. | ||
| 306 | |||
| 307 | So trail 666 it is. This trail is also known as *Setus trail*, or somewhat | ||
| 308 | improperly *Setus via ferrata*. It is extremely steep and it is more a | ||
| 309 | climb than a walk, but it is not a via ferrata. Most maps describe it | ||
| 310 | as *sentiero attrezzato* (equipped trail), as it does have some fixed | ||
| 311 | steel rope and handles where climbers can hang a safety rope. | ||
| 312 | |||
| 313 | We have some simple ropes equipped with a | ||
| 314 | [Carabiner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carabiner), and we decide to | ||
| 315 | use them. In the following days we would talk with other people who | ||
| 316 | took the same route, and some of them would claim that a rope is not | ||
| 317 | necessary on this trail. I don't care, I was relieved to have my trusty | ||
| 318 | rope, especially considering the bad weather and how tired I was after | ||
| 319 | more than 8 hours of hiking (plus the 9 hours of the previous day). And | ||
| 320 | a safety rope is certainly of no use if kept in the backpack. | ||
| 321 | |||
| 322 |  | ||
| 323 | |||
| 324 | <p align="center"><em>Trail 666 is really steep.</em></p> | ||
| 325 | |||
| 326 | Overall, the steel rope and the handles are of great help, and although | ||
| 327 | a couple of times I was unsure where to put my feet and I almost slept, | ||
| 328 | I would not consider this trail dangerous, if one is properly equipped. | ||
| 329 | |||
| 330 | The reason I found this trail hard was its *length*. I seriously had some | ||
| 331 | difficulties caused by how tired I was and how sore my muscles were, | ||
| 332 | after two full days of hike. Sometimes I could not complete a step or | ||
| 333 | an arm movement on the first try because I just did not have the enough | ||
| 334 | strength to push or pull up. And the trail just kept going! | ||
| 335 | |||
| 336 | But at 17:30, exhausted but satisfied, we finally reach the top of this | ||
| 337 | climb. The Pisciadù hut (2587m) is just around the corner. | ||
| 338 | |||
| 339 |  | ||
| 340 | |||
| 341 | <p align="center"><em>My dad at the end of trail 666.</em></p> | ||
| 342 | |||
| 343 | We, our clothes and our boots are still wet from all the rain we caught | ||
| 344 | earlier in the day. Let's hope everything dries up during the night. | ||
| 345 | |||
| 346 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 347 | |||
| 348 | # Day 3 - A knee-breaking descent | ||
| 349 | |||
| 350 | <p align="center"><em>August 22, 2025</em></p> | ||
| 351 | |||
| 352 | <img src="../img/22-0000-map.png"> | ||
| 353 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 354 | |||
| 355 | ## The lunar path to Rifugio Boè | ||
| 356 | |||
| 357 | Our clothes are still wet by the time we wake up. The summer nights | ||
| 358 | in the Alps are just too humid. But at least we can finally see some | ||
| 359 | sun. The weather is going to be much better for the next few days. | ||
| 360 | |||
| 361 |  | ||
| 362 | |||
| 363 | <p align="center"><em>A beatiful view from the Pisciadù hut at dawn.</em></p> | ||
| 364 | |||
| 365 | The beds in the hut were comfortable and we slept well. After a comical | ||
| 366 | incident with my dad's boots - he put on someone else's pair, not knowing | ||
| 367 | that I had brought his into our room, and spent a good 15 minutes | ||
| 368 | searching for them - we are ready to leave the hut at 8:20. | ||
| 369 | |||
| 370 |  | ||
| 371 | |||
| 372 | <p align="center"><em>The Pisciadù lake and Piz Pisciadù (peak Pisciadù).</em></p> | ||
| 373 | |||
| 374 | The day starts with a short but somewhat steep section of the trail. | ||
| 375 | There are some steel ropes and we use our simple harness once again, | ||
| 376 | although this time we felt we could have done without. | ||
| 377 | |||
| 378 | At 9:45 we reach what is likely the highest point of our route, | ||
| 379 | an anonymous plateau at 2960 meters on sea level. There are higher | ||
| 380 | points on some variations of the route, for example *Punta Penia* in the | ||
| 381 | [Marmolada](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmolada) massif, but in that | ||
| 382 | section we are going to take a lower trail, which is the more classical | ||
| 383 | one according to my guide book. | ||
| 384 | |||
| 385 | At this point, we are completely immersed in a sea of fog. It is quite | ||
| 386 | cold, probably only a couple of degrees above 0°C, and there is some | ||
| 387 | unpleasantly cold breeze. | ||
| 388 | |||
| 389 |  | ||
| 390 | |||
| 391 | <p align="center"><em>My dad resting on a rock, trying to keep warm.</em></p> | ||
| 392 | |||
| 393 | The fog comes and goes, letting us see the beautiful panorama for a few | ||
| 394 | brief moments. | ||
| 395 | |||
| 396 |  | ||
| 397 | |||
| 398 | As we walk down from the plateau, my left knee starts hurting. It is | ||
| 399 | not unbearable, and it only hurts when I walk downhill. But it does | ||
| 400 | not bode well for the rest of the day: our next stop is 900m below us, | ||
| 401 | so we are going to walk downhill for most of the day. | ||
| 402 | |||
| 403 | At 10:30 we are on top of the *Antersass* (2906m), a minor peak next to | ||
| 404 | the more prominent [Piz Boè](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piz_Bo%C3%A8) | ||
| 405 | (3152m). We could have walked around the Antersass, but the trail to | ||
| 406 | climb up to the top and then down is actually easier. Going to the top | ||
| 407 | of Piz Boè would have been an interesting detour, but not quite feasible | ||
| 408 | for our 9-day plan. | ||
| 409 | |||
| 410 | We reach [Rifugio Boè](https://www.rifugioboe.it), a recently renovated | ||
| 411 | hut at 2873m, before 11:00. | ||
| 412 | |||
| 413 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 414 | |||
| 415 |  | ||
| 416 | |||
| 417 | <p align="center"><em> A view of Piz Boè (peak Boè) from Rifugio Boè (Boè | ||
| 418 | hut). The hut on the top of Piz Boè is, perhaps confusingly, called <a | ||
| 419 | href="https://www.rifugiocapannapizfassa.com/en">Capanna Piz Fassa</a>. | ||
| 420 | </em></p> | ||
| 421 | |||
| 422 | We have now left Sout Tyrol. The rest of the Alta Via 2 route roughly | ||
| 423 | follows the border between the provinces of Trento and Belluno. | ||
| 424 | |||
| 425 | We leave the hut at 11:20. The fog has returned, but it is not as cold | ||
| 426 | as before. | ||
| 427 | |||
| 428 | The trail to *Foržela Pordoi* (2848m) is mostly flat, and very crowded, | ||
| 429 | because of a cable car that makes it accessible even to families with | ||
| 430 | kids. I am not sure I like this kind of over-turism in places that | ||
| 431 | would otherwise be hard to reach. | ||
| 432 | |||
| 433 | ## A painful descent | ||
| 434 | |||
| 435 | As we reach the foržela, the view opens up on a more diverse landscape | ||
| 436 | of grass, rock and forests. After a very short break, we start walking | ||
| 437 | down to the Pordoi Pass. | ||
| 438 | |||
| 439 | The descent is on a long and steep | ||
| 440 | [scree](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scree). I have never liked walking | ||
| 441 | down this kind of trail, but now that my knee is screaming for mercy I am | ||
| 442 | really hating it. I would have rather walked it up twice than down once. | ||
| 443 | |||
| 444 |  | ||
| 445 | |||
| 446 | <p align="center"><em>The steep descent to the Pordoi Pass.</em></p> | ||
| 447 | |||
| 448 | We reach the [Pordoi Pass](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pordoi_Pass) | ||
| 449 | at 13:30. I need a long break before continuing, so we decide to lay | ||
| 450 | down next to a tiny church just after the pass. Luckily the weather | ||
| 451 | is nice - or not terrible, at least - and we can enjoy a nice view of | ||
| 452 | the surroundings. | ||
| 453 | |||
| 454 |  | ||
| 455 | |||
| 456 | <p align="center"><em> | ||
| 457 | The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sella_group">Sella group</a> | ||
| 458 | from the Pordoi Pass.</em></p> | ||
| 459 | |||
| 460 |  | ||
| 461 | |||
| 462 | <p align="center"><em>The view in the direction of <a | ||
| 463 | href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canazei">Cianacei</a>.</em></p> | ||
| 464 | |||
| 465 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 466 | |||
| 467 | ## Her majesty, the Marmolada | ||
| 468 | |||
| 469 | At 14:10, after about 40 minutes of relax, we are ready to get up. | ||
| 470 | |||
| 471 | We walk up an easy trail among ski paths. Here too there are plenty of | ||
| 472 | turists, and I can't blame them for choosing to walk in such a beautiful | ||
| 473 | place. This is a very common touristic destination both in the Summer | ||
| 474 | and in the Winter. | ||
| 475 | |||
| 476 | We walk past a strange place called [Rifugio | ||
| 477 | Fredarola](https://www.fredarola.it/) (2370m), which looks more like | ||
| 478 | a night club you could find the center of Milan rather than a mountain | ||
| 479 | hut. They are even playing some electronic lounge music. It's hard to | ||
| 480 | describe, but it feels oddly out of place here. But maybe for people | ||
| 481 | coming from a big city this is just what they expect to find here; | ||
| 482 | I guess it is a matter of points of view. | ||
| 483 | |||
| 484 | We continue on a wide, mostly flat trail. For now my knee is is doing | ||
| 485 | fine, but I am a bit scared for the descent that awaits us later today. | ||
| 486 | And finally we have a good view on the Marmolada, the Queen of the | ||
| 487 | Dolomites. | ||
| 488 | |||
| 489 |  | ||
| 490 | |||
| 491 | <p align="center"><em> | ||
| 492 | The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmolada">Marmolada</a>, | ||
| 493 | the highest mountain in the | ||
| 494 | Dolomites, and its glacier. At the feet of the massif you can | ||
| 495 | see the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fedaia_Lake">Fedaia | ||
| 496 | lake</a>, around which there are a couple of huts, including the one | ||
| 497 | where we are staying tonight. In the distance you can see the <a | ||
| 498 | href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Pelmo">Pelmo</a> and the <a | ||
| 499 | href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Civetta">Civetta</a>. | ||
| 500 | </em></p> | ||
| 501 | |||
| 502 | We stop at [Rifugio Viel Dal Pan](https://www.rifugiovieldalpan.com/) | ||
| 503 | (2432m) for a short break at 15:30. From there, the steep descent towards | ||
| 504 | the Fedaia Pass (2054m) begins. My knee forces me to walk slowly, so by | ||
| 505 | the time we reach the pass it is already 17:30. | ||
| 506 | |||
| 507 | The day is almost concluded, but we have to walk to the opposite side of | ||
| 508 | the lake to [Rifugio Fedaia](https://www.rifugiofedaia.com/). The closer | ||
| 509 | [Rifugio Castiglioni](https://www.rifugiomarmolada.it/), where we stop | ||
| 510 | for a beer, was fully booked when we planned our trip. | ||
| 511 | |||
| 512 |  | ||
| 513 | |||
| 514 | We walk fast on the old road next to the lake, chatting with a local | ||
| 515 | resident who helps us keep up the pace. We arrive at our hotel at 18:05, | ||
| 516 | after almost 10 hours of hike (including breaks), and we are very happy | ||
| 517 | to find a comfortable room with private bathroom waiting for us. | ||
| 518 | |||
| 519 | This day was longer than we planned, partly because of my knee. But the | ||
| 520 | scenery was beautiful. | ||
| 521 | |||
| 522 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 523 | |||
| 524 | # Day 4 - The forest and the pastures | ||
| 525 | |||
| 526 | <p align="center"><em>August 23, 2025</em></p> | ||
| 527 | |||
| 528 | <img src="../img/23-0000-map.png"> | ||
| 529 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 530 | |||
| 531 | ## To Malga Ciapèla and Forca Rossa | ||
| 532 | |||
| 533 | Our fourth day starts at 8:20, with a steep descent on a ski path. | ||
| 534 | My knee stil hurts, and this points I am afraid I may have to | ||
| 535 | deal with it for the rest of the trip. | ||
| 536 | |||
| 537 | At 9:30 we pass Malga Ciapela (1450 meters on sea level) and we start | ||
| 538 | walking up again. Soon we find an enigmatic sign which is apparently | ||
| 539 | trying to communicate that going left or right leads to the same places. | ||
| 540 | |||
| 541 |  | ||
| 542 | |||
| 543 | <p align="center"><em>The confusing sign.</em></p> | ||
| 544 | |||
| 545 | We spend like 5 minutes figuring this out, and we choose to go left. | ||
| 546 | |||
| 547 | The path is not steep and walking in the forest is enojyable. Since we | ||
| 548 | are at a lower altitude than we have been for most of the other days, | ||
| 549 | it is also much warmer than what we got used to. | ||
| 550 | |||
| 551 |  | ||
| 552 | |||
| 553 | <p align="center"><em> | ||
| 554 | A view from the forest, on the way up from Malga Ciapèla to Forca Rossa. | ||
| 555 | </em></p> | ||
| 556 | |||
| 557 | The forest soon leaves space to grassy slopes and naked rock. The way | ||
| 558 | up is still pleasant, and we have met almost no other hiker so far - | ||
| 559 | in stark contrast with the previous day. | ||
| 560 | |||
| 561 |  | ||
| 562 | |||
| 563 | <p align="center"><em> | ||
| 564 | The lower clay-red peak on the center-left of the picture is Forca Rossa, | ||
| 565 | where we are headed. "Rossa" in Italian means "red" - it's nice when things | ||
| 566 | are what their name says they are, isn't it? | ||
| 567 | </em></p> | ||
| 568 | |||
| 569 | We arrive at *Forca Rossa* (2500m) at 13:05. Only in the last few minutes | ||
| 570 | my knee gave me some problems, but it is not so bad that it makes me | ||
| 571 | want to stop. | ||
| 572 | |||
| 573 | Here at the top of this trail there are all the hikers that we did not | ||
| 574 | meet on the way up; they probably came from the other side. There must | ||
| 575 | be some kind of force field blocking tourists from entering the province | ||
| 576 | of Belluno. | ||
| 577 | |||
| 578 |  | ||
| 579 | |||
| 580 | <p align="center"><em>View from Forca Rossa to the Belluno side.</em></p> | ||
| 581 | |||
| 582 |  | ||
| 583 | |||
| 584 | <p align="center"><em>My dad and I chilling - quite literally, because of the wind.</em></p> | ||
| 585 | |||
| 586 |  | ||
| 587 | |||
| 588 | <p align="center"><em>View from Forca Rossa to the Trentino side.</em></p> | ||
| 589 | |||
| 590 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 591 | |||
| 592 | ## Walking down green pastures | ||
| 593 | |||
| 594 | There is a great view on both sides of this pass, but the wind is cold | ||
| 595 | and strong and we are not keen on staying long. After eating a couple | ||
| 596 | of protein bars and taking many pictures, we start walking down towards | ||
| 597 | Fuciade at 13:40. | ||
| 598 | |||
| 599 |  | ||
| 600 | |||
| 601 | <p align="center"><em>Walking down to Fuciade.</em></p> | ||
| 602 | |||
| 603 | The way down is quite relaxing. We walk among green pastures, where | ||
| 604 | cows and horses grazed freely. That is, until they are less romantically | ||
| 605 | slaughtered to make [Bresaola](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bresaola). | ||
| 606 | But until then they can enjoy the green grass. | ||
| 607 | |||
| 608 | At 15:00 we reach Fuciade (1982m), a location where many families with | ||
| 609 | kids were relaxing after a meal at [the hut](https://www.fuciade.it/en/). | ||
| 610 | If one wants a more quiet place, a short walk up the trail that we were | ||
| 611 | descending quickly leads away from the crowd. This place gave a sense | ||
| 612 | of tranquillity. | ||
| 613 | |||
| 614 |  | ||
| 615 | |||
| 616 | <p align="center"><em>Me relaxing in Fuciade while I enjoy a glass of | ||
| 617 | <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shandy#Radler">radler</a> | ||
| 618 | - don't be fooled by the Coca-Cola can.</em></p> | ||
| 619 | |||
| 620 | After a short short break, we move to | ||
| 621 | [Rifugio Flora Alpina](https://floralpina.it) (1800m), that we reach | ||
| 622 | quickly at around 16:00. The place is surrounded by the forest, | ||
| 623 | and the only visible peaks are the | ||
| 624 | [Mulaz](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulaz) and the | ||
| 625 | [Focobón group](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gruppo_del_Focobon). | ||
| 626 | |||
| 627 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 628 | |||
| 629 |  | ||
| 630 | |||
| 631 | <p align="center"><em> | ||
| 632 | A spectacular view of the Mulaz and the Focobón group. As the light | ||
| 633 | changed and the clouds moved, the colors changed as well. I spent quite | ||
| 634 | some time just sitting outside the hut, admiring these mountains. | ||
| 635 | </em></p> | ||
| 636 | |||
| 637 | Now, for the first time since we started our journey, we have some time | ||
| 638 | to relax before dinner. We enjoy a sauna and a hot tub. | ||
| 639 | |||
| 640 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 641 | |||
| 642 | # Day 5 - Entering the Pala group | ||
| 643 | |||
| 644 | <p align="center"><em>August 24, 2025</em></p> | ||
| 645 | |||
| 646 | <img src="../img/24-0000-map.png"> | ||
| 647 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 648 | |||
| 649 | ## Back on track | ||
| 650 | |||
| 651 |  | ||
| 652 | |||
| 653 | <p align="center"><em> | ||
| 654 | This photo is the same at the last one of the previous day, | ||
| 655 | but it is one of my best shots. It is also quite fascinating how the light | ||
| 656 | at dawn mixes up all the colors compared to previous day's picture. | ||
| 657 | </em></p> | ||
| 658 | |||
| 659 | After a long sleep, we are ready to leave Flora Alpina at 8:20. Our | ||
| 660 | first checkpoint is the | ||
| 661 | [San Pellegrino Pass](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Pellegrino_Pass), | ||
| 662 | (1918 meters on sea level) which is unfortunately a bit farther away than | ||
| 663 | it would have been if we slept in Fuciade. | ||
| 664 | |||
| 665 | It takes us about one hour to reach the pass. On the way we saw a cow | ||
| 666 | breastfeeding her calf, which was cute. We cross the main road on the pass, | ||
| 667 | and from here we have to walk up on grassy slopes and ski paths. The | ||
| 668 | signs point to a path that is not the one we planned, but the two tracks | ||
| 669 | join shortly afterwards. The ski paths are extremely steep, but wide, | ||
| 670 | so we can easily zig-zag all the way up. | ||
| 671 | |||
| 672 | At 10:30 we reach the *Pale di Gargol* (2218m), a plane that I am not | ||
| 673 | sure why deserves a name. Perhaps the name refers to the whole area | ||
| 674 | which I guess could be described as a rocky meadow. | ||
| 675 | |||
| 676 |  | ||
| 677 | |||
| 678 | <p align="center"><em> | ||
| 679 | The Pale di Gargol. The term "pala" means "shovel" in Italian, | ||
| 680 | but according to the | ||
| 681 | <a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale_di_San_Martino#Il_toponimo"> | ||
| 682 | Italian Wikipedia page</a> about the | ||
| 683 | <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pala_group">Pale di San Martino</a> | ||
| 684 | mountains, in the local language it once denoted a grassy slope at the | ||
| 685 | feet of a mountain range. | ||
| 686 | </em></p> | ||
| 687 | |||
| 688 | Once again, the landscape has changed to show us something completely | ||
| 689 | different from that we have seen so far. The constant shifting from rocks, | ||
| 690 | to forest, to grass, to yet other types of rock and any combination of | ||
| 691 | those features is in my opinion one of the most fascinating aspects of | ||
| 692 | Alta Via 2. | ||
| 693 | |||
| 694 |  | ||
| 695 | |||
| 696 | <p align="center"><em>Walking down to Passo Valles. | ||
| 697 | In the background, the Pale di San Martino.</em></p> | ||
| 698 | |||
| 699 | The trail continues almost flat in this unusual scenery until we | ||
| 700 | descend to [Passo Valles](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passo_Valles) (2032m) | ||
| 701 | at around 11:50. We are now entering the fascinating section of | ||
| 702 | the *Pale di San Martino*, also known in English as the | ||
| 703 | [Pala group](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pala_group), of which | ||
| 704 | the Mulaz and the Focobón group are the northernmost peaks. | ||
| 705 | |||
| 706 | But first we need a break. We stop at a bar on the pass for a coffee | ||
| 707 | and a slice of strüdel. | ||
| 708 | |||
| 709 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 710 | |||
| 711 | ## Veneggia, Venegiotta and Pass dei Fochet | ||
| 712 | |||
| 713 | We leave the pass at 12:20, and in half an hour we reach Forcella | ||
| 714 | Veneggia (2217m). The view opens up to the wild valley in the south. | ||
| 715 | |||
| 716 |  | ||
| 717 | |||
| 718 | <p align="center"><em>The view from Forcella Veneggia.</em></p> | ||
| 719 | |||
| 720 | So far, the day has not been particularly challenging. Later on | ||
| 721 | we'll have to pass some difficult sections, but for now we continue | ||
| 722 | on some easy, if narrow, trails. | ||
| 723 | |||
| 724 | Despite the beauty of the place, we don't meet many other hikers. | ||
| 725 | In fact, I think we saw more marmots than people in this part of | ||
| 726 | the route. | ||
| 727 | |||
| 728 |  | ||
| 729 | |||
| 730 | At around 14:00 we reach *Passo Venegiotta* (2300m), and about 30 minutes | ||
| 731 | later *Passo dei Fochet* (2291m). The weather has been good today so far, | ||
| 732 | but here a strong cold wind starts blowing, and we can feel a few drops | ||
| 733 | of rain. | ||
| 734 | |||
| 735 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 736 | |||
| 737 | ## Through the rocks, to Rifugio Mulaz | ||
| 738 | |||
| 739 | The landscape changes once again. We are now walking on rocks and gravel. | ||
| 740 | |||
| 741 |  | ||
| 742 | |||
| 743 | We walk down a scree to around 2175m, before starting to climb up again. | ||
| 744 | It's cold and cloudy, and this part of the trail is a fair bit more | ||
| 745 | difficult than the previous. Nothing particularly hard or dangerous, | ||
| 746 | but we have to pay more attention to where we put our feet. | ||
| 747 | |||
| 748 | The trail abruptly becomes extremely steep, and very demanding on my | ||
| 749 | muscles, which so far had been enjoying a more relaxing day. | ||
| 750 | |||
| 751 |  | ||
| 752 | |||
| 753 | <p align="center"><em> | ||
| 754 | Some steel ropes help make the climb to Rifugio Mulaz less dangerous. | ||
| 755 | </em></p> | ||
| 756 | |||
| 757 | We reach Rifugio Mulaz (2570m) at 16:40, after a little more | ||
| 758 | than 8 hours from when we left Flora Alpina. Somehow, despite the | ||
| 759 | long walk between them, both these places are in the territory of | ||
| 760 | [Falcade](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falcade). | ||
| 761 | |||
| 762 |  | ||
| 763 | |||
| 764 | <p align="center"><em>Reaching Rifugio Mulaz</em></p> | ||
| 765 | |||
| 766 | From this hut, the only landscape you can see, in any direction, is naked | ||
| 767 | rock. There is a tiny window from where you can see a valley, but the | ||
| 768 | sight is cut out and the only visible thing is more rocks. Definitely | ||
| 769 | fascinating, although I personally prefer more varied landscapes. | ||
| 770 | |||
| 771 | I'll add a picture on the next day's page, the early morning light | ||
| 772 | was much better. | ||
| 773 | |||
| 774 | Oh and by the way, up here every resource is very scarce. There is | ||
| 775 | no drinkable tap water, and showers cost 8€ for 5 minutes. But I | ||
| 776 | really need one today. | ||
| 777 | |||
| 778 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 779 | |||
| 780 | # Day 6 - The Farangole trail | ||
| 781 | |||
| 782 | <p align="center"><em>August 25, 2025</em></p> | ||
| 783 | |||
| 784 | <img src="../img/25-0000-map.png"> | ||
| 785 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 786 | |||
| 787 | ## The starry night | ||
| 788 | |||
| 789 | During the night I woke up and managed to catch a glimpse of a wonderful | ||
| 790 | starry night, the likes of which I had never seen before. | ||
| 791 | |||
| 792 | If you live in a place with a lot of light pollution, like every medium | ||
| 793 | to large city in the World, seeing *a few* stars may already be an unusual | ||
| 794 | experience. At the moment I live in a fairly small city, and we literally | ||
| 795 | never see stars over here. We are lucky if we see Venus once in a while. | ||
| 796 | |||
| 797 | But I grew up in a small village in a sparsely populated area, I *was* | ||
| 798 | used to seeing skies full of stars at night. But this time, at 2500 | ||
| 799 | metres above sea level, in the middle of literally nowhere, the sky was | ||
| 800 | soething else. | ||
| 801 | |||
| 802 | I did not manage to take a good picture, sorry. I did not feel like | ||
| 803 | going out in the freezing cold, and my phone's camera is probably not | ||
| 804 | good enough anyway. | ||
| 805 | |||
| 806 | ## The Farangole pass | ||
| 807 | |||
| 808 | At Rifugio Mulaz, the sun rises at 6:40 and sets at around 7:05. | ||
| 809 | In the morning. Luckily for you, I got up early enough to catch | ||
| 810 | the *sunset*. | ||
| 811 | |||
| 812 |  | ||
| 813 | |||
| 814 | <p align="center"><em> | ||
| 815 | Rifugio Mulaz is closely surrounded by high mountains. This is the | ||
| 816 | only spot where you could see something in the distance. This time | ||
| 817 | of the year, the sun rises from the peaks on the left of this picture, | ||
| 818 | only to hide away behind those on the right a few minutes later. | ||
| 819 | </em></p> | ||
| 820 | |||
| 821 | It's a beautiful day, if only a bit cold. This time we get up earlier than | ||
| 822 | usual and we are ready to leave at 7:15. The main challenge of the day | ||
| 823 | is going to be the *Passo delle Farangole* (2932 meters on sea level), | ||
| 824 | a high mountain pass not far from the hut. Our guide book even suggests | ||
| 825 | a possible alternative route for less confident hikers, but we deemed | ||
| 826 | it within our capabilities. | ||
| 827 | |||
| 828 | After steep, but short, climb to *Forcella Margherita* (2655m) we reach a | ||
| 829 | section of the trail that would not be particularly challenging, if | ||
| 830 | not for the fact that the track is not well marked. | ||
| 831 | |||
| 832 |  | ||
| 833 | |||
| 834 | <p align="center"><em> | ||
| 835 | The trail after Forcella Margherita, right before the Farangole pass. | ||
| 836 | </em></p> | ||
| 837 | |||
| 838 | In fact, the traces of the hikers who missed the path are *more* visible | ||
| 839 | than the actual trail, likely because said hikers made them more clear | ||
| 840 | by backtracking their steps when they realized they were out of the | ||
| 841 | trail. We do the same a couple of times. | ||
| 842 | |||
| 843 | We soon reach the start of the equipped trail that leads to the pass, | ||
| 844 | but it looks sketchy, so I decide to try climbing up the scree next to | ||
| 845 | it. This was probably a mistake, so we soon turn left and attach our | ||
| 846 | trusty ropes to the steel supports. | ||
| 847 | |||
| 848 |  | ||
| 849 | |||
| 850 | <p align="center"><em>Climbing up to the Farangole Pass.</em></p> | ||
| 851 | |||
| 852 | The track is very steep, and at times | ||
| 853 | [exposed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exposure_%28heights%29), but the | ||
| 854 | steel ropes and the other supporting material is in a good state. | ||
| 855 | Overall, this famous Farangole Pass is easier than we expected. | ||
| 856 | |||
| 857 |  | ||
| 858 | |||
| 859 | <p align="center"><em> | ||
| 860 | And down we go. The steel ladder looks like it ends in the void, | ||
| 861 | but actually there is an extra steel beam protruding from the | ||
| 862 | rock, and after that there is only a 60cm drop. | ||
| 863 | </em></p> | ||
| 864 | |||
| 865 | After clearing the pass at around 9:00, we feel satisfied and proud of | ||
| 866 | ourselves. My knee does not even hurt anymore. | ||
| 867 | |||
| 868 | Little did we now that the truly difficult part is the Farangole *trail*, | ||
| 869 | which we'll have to go through later this morning. But for now, in our | ||
| 870 | blissful ignorance, we enjoy the beautiful weather and we take plenty | ||
| 871 | of pictures as we walk down from the pass. | ||
| 872 | |||
| 873 |  | ||
| 874 | |||
| 875 | <p align="center"><em> | ||
| 876 | The view North, towards the mountains we have just passed. | ||
| 877 | </em></p> | ||
| 878 | |||
| 879 |  | ||
| 880 | |||
| 881 | <p align="center"><em>An imposing rocky plateau on the South.</em></p> | ||
| 882 | |||
| 883 |  | ||
| 884 | |||
| 885 | <p align="center"><em>The view to the North-East.</em></p> | ||
| 886 | |||
| 887 | ## The Farangole trail | ||
| 888 | |||
| 889 | As the trail gets tight and very exposed, we realize that maybe | ||
| 890 | *this* is the section the guide book was warning us about. We | ||
| 891 | proceed carefully, attaching our home-made harness when a steel rope | ||
| 892 | is available. Unfortunately, most of the trail is on a narrow ledge | ||
| 893 | surrounded by grass and soft soil, where no piece of supporting material | ||
| 894 | can be fixed. At least it is not wet today. | ||
| 895 | |||
| 896 |  | ||
| 897 | |||
| 898 | <p align="center"><em> | ||
| 899 | My dad walking on a narrow section of the Farangole trail. | ||
| 900 | </em></p> | ||
| 901 | |||
| 902 |  | ||
| 903 | |||
| 904 | <p align="center"><em>Another hiker following us on the same trail.</em></p> | ||
| 905 | |||
| 906 | Since this trail is challenging and dangerous, we have to keep | ||
| 907 | constant focus on our steps and the way ahead of us. We have little | ||
| 908 | time to relax and enjoy the beautiful view, and we take much fewer | ||
| 909 | pictures than we did earlier. | ||
| 910 | |||
| 911 |  | ||
| 912 | |||
| 913 | <p align="center"><em> | ||
| 914 | The view from the last part of the Farangole trail, towards | ||
| 915 | the East. Soon we'll have to walk down to the dry bed of the | ||
| 916 | river you can see at the bottom of this picture. The tiny line | ||
| 917 | on the hill on the left is the Farangole trail. | ||
| 918 | </em></p> | ||
| 919 | |||
| 920 | At 12:30 we reach the bottom of *Valgrande* (*Pian dei Cantoni*, 2310m). | ||
| 921 | |||
| 922 | ## To Rifugio Rosetta and beyond | ||
| 923 | |||
| 924 | The way up to Rifugio Rosetta is steep, but short. The previous | ||
| 925 | part was not physically demanding, but it was dangerous and | ||
| 926 | technically fairly challenging. I am relieved that now I can just | ||
| 927 | let my legs bring me up, and I reach the hut at 13:05. | ||
| 928 | |||
| 929 |  | ||
| 930 | |||
| 931 | <p align="center"><em>Rifugio Rosetta</em></p> | ||
| 932 | |||
| 933 | [Rifugio Rosetta](https://www.rifugiorosetta.it) (2581m) is easily | ||
| 934 | reachable with a cable car, and because of this it is very crowded, | ||
| 935 | similarly to the area around Piz Boè that we passed through on | ||
| 936 | [day 3](../day3). | ||
| 937 | |||
| 938 | This is a good time for a break, so we decide to sit down, drink | ||
| 939 | a glass of [skiwasser](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skiwasser), and | ||
| 940 | eat another slice of strüdel. Yes, we ate a lot of those. The one | ||
| 941 | they serve in this hut is particularly good, with plenty of fresh | ||
| 942 | fruit and pine nuts. | ||
| 943 | |||
| 944 | We get up and leave the hut at 14:05. The weather gets cold and foggy, | ||
| 945 | but luckily for us it won't last long. Our plan is to walk down until | ||
| 946 | *Col de le Fede* (2200m) and then up again to *Pass dei Ball* (2433m). | ||
| 947 | |||
| 948 | The way down is slow and tedious, and my knee starts hurting again. | ||
| 949 | |||
| 950 |  | ||
| 951 | |||
| 952 | <p align="center"><em>Walking down from Rifugio Rosetta.</em></p> | ||
| 953 | |||
| 954 | The way up to the pass is steep, and there is a long section equipped | ||
| 955 | with a steel rope. But the equipped part is actually very easy compared | ||
| 956 | to other similar trails that we have walked this morning and in the | ||
| 957 | previous days. | ||
| 958 | |||
| 959 |  | ||
| 960 | |||
| 961 | <p align="center"><em>My dad walking on this equipped section.</em></p> | ||
| 962 | |||
| 963 | After reaching Pass dei Ball, we walk down slowly to | ||
| 964 | [Rifugio Pradidali](https://www.rifugiopradidali.com/eng/Home.html) | ||
| 965 | (2278m), which we reach at 17:05. | ||
| 966 | |||
| 967 | Later we would discover that there is an alternative route to | ||
| 968 | go from Rosetta to Pradidali, which starts by walking up to the | ||
| 969 | East and skips both the slow and tedious descent and the | ||
| 970 | more steep section before Pass dei Ball. This alternative path was | ||
| 971 | probably slightly easier, but it would not have saved us that much | ||
| 972 | time and effort. | ||
| 973 | |||
| 974 | The Pradidali is a nice hut, but there is no phone signal nor WiFi. | ||
| 975 | The showers are still expensive, and when it is my turn the water boiler | ||
| 976 | has run out of gas, and I can either wait for it to be replaced or do a | ||
| 977 | freezing cold shower. I don't want to wait, so arctic shower here I come! | ||
| 978 | |||
| 979 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 980 | |||
| 981 | # Day 7 - The longest day | ||
| 982 | |||
| 983 | <p align="center"><em>August 26, 2025</em></p> | ||
| 984 | |||
| 985 | <img src="../img/26-0000-map.png"> | ||
| 986 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 987 | |||
| 988 | ## A relaxing stroll in Val Canali | ||
| 989 | |||
| 990 | Last night we had to check our maps, because we were not sure which route | ||
| 991 | we would be going, according to our plan. We did not remember that the | ||
| 992 | guide book suggested two possible alternatives to reach the next hut, | ||
| 993 | Rifugio Treviso: a higher mountain trail, with some challenging sections, | ||
| 994 | and an easier one that starts by walking down the *Val Canali*, a valley | ||
| 995 | that leads out of the Pala group and into the *Vette Feltrine* mountain | ||
| 996 | range. Our plan was to follow the easier route, and we decided to stick | ||
| 997 | to it. | ||
| 998 | |||
| 999 | We leave the Pradidali at 7:30. | ||
| 1000 | |||
| 1001 |  | ||
| 1002 | |||
| 1003 | <p align="center"><em> | ||
| 1004 | Rifugio Pradidali and a mountain behind it, in a beautiful sunny morning. | ||
| 1005 | Maybe I should have taken notes of the names of the peaks I photographed. | ||
| 1006 | Oh well, too late now. | ||
| 1007 | </em></p> | ||
| 1008 | |||
| 1009 |  | ||
| 1010 | |||
| 1011 | <p align="center"><em>Val Canali.</em></p> | ||
| 1012 | |||
| 1013 | The descent is quite diverse, alternating between rocks, gravel, grass | ||
| 1014 | and forest. There are some steel ropes that seem oddly placed in a very | ||
| 1015 | simple section, but they would probably be useful in a rainy day. | ||
| 1016 | |||
| 1017 |  | ||
| 1018 | |||
| 1019 | <p align="center"><em> | ||
| 1020 | Walking down an easy trail, in a typical Dolomite landscape. | ||
| 1021 | </em></p> | ||
| 1022 | |||
| 1023 | At 9:50 we reach the ruins of *malga Pradidali* (1428 meters on sea level). | ||
| 1024 | So far it has been a nice sunny day, and the walk has been easy. But the | ||
| 1025 | end of the day will be very different. | ||
| 1026 | |||
| 1027 |  | ||
| 1028 | |||
| 1029 | <p align="center"><em> | ||
| 1030 | The ruins of malga Pradidali. A "malga" is a building where people | ||
| 1031 | temporarily lived in the Summer while their livestock grazed the high | ||
| 1032 | mountain pastures that surround it. Malga Antersasc, that we passed by on | ||
| 1033 | <a href="../day1">day one</a>, is another example. Many malgas are still | ||
| 1034 | in use nowadays, and they often sell locally-produced dairy products, | ||
| 1035 | but unfortunately for us we only found ruins so far. | ||
| 1036 | </em></p> | ||
| 1037 | |||
| 1038 | The trail continues in the forest, and at 10:35 we pass by *malga | ||
| 1039 | Canali* (1307m). This one *was* in use, and we could have stopped to | ||
| 1040 | eat something if we wanted, but we did not. | ||
| 1041 | |||
| 1042 |  | ||
| 1043 | |||
| 1044 | <p align="center"><em>The pastures behind malga Canali.</em></p> | ||
| 1045 | |||
| 1046 | We now have to walk up to reach Rifugio Treviso (1631m). The trail in | ||
| 1047 | the forest becomes steep, but it does not last long. We reach the hut | ||
| 1048 | at 11:40, and it is time for a break. | ||
| 1049 | |||
| 1050 |  | ||
| 1051 | |||
| 1052 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 1053 | |||
| 1054 | ## The return of the clouds | ||
| 1055 | |||
| 1056 | After taking a few pictures and a slice of a typical alpine dessert (I'll | ||
| 1057 | let you guess which one), we are ready to start walking again at 12:30. | ||
| 1058 | |||
| 1059 | Our next checkpoint is *forcella d'Oltro* (2094m). My knee has been | ||
| 1060 | good so far, but I still try not to put too much weight on it. The road | ||
| 1061 | up to the forcella is steep, and we are tired. We have done nothing but | ||
| 1062 | walking steep trails for more than a week at this point. We walk slowly, | ||
| 1063 | but steadily. | ||
| 1064 | |||
| 1065 |  | ||
| 1066 | |||
| 1067 | <p align="center"><em>The forested slopes on the North-West.</em></p> | ||
| 1068 | |||
| 1069 | On our way up, we meet a couple walking down from the forcella. They | ||
| 1070 | tell us that they could see nothing at all on the other side, because | ||
| 1071 | of the fog and the clouds. We are not sure if we should take them | ||
| 1072 | literally, because it is such a sunny day on this side. But indeed, | ||
| 1073 | when we reach the tight pass at 14:30, we can see it with out own eyes. | ||
| 1074 | |||
| 1075 |  | ||
| 1076 | |||
| 1077 | <p align="center"><em>The fog on the other side of forcella d'Oltro.</em></p> | ||
| 1078 | |||
| 1079 |  | ||
| 1080 | |||
| 1081 | <p align="center"><em> | ||
| 1082 | The side where we came from, in contrast, is perfectly sunny. | ||
| 1083 | </em></p> | ||
| 1084 | |||
| 1085 | We need another short break, but we don't want to stay here for | ||
| 1086 | too long. As often happens in these high passes, | ||
| 1087 | the wind is strong and chilling. | ||
| 1088 | |||
| 1089 | We thought this would be the last place above 2000 meters of the whole | ||
| 1090 | trip. Or at the very least for the day, considering that all that was | ||
| 1091 | left was walking down to the | ||
| 1092 | [Cereda Pass](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cereda_Pass). | ||
| 1093 | But we were not exactly right. | ||
| 1094 | |||
| 1095 | ## Down? Not so fast, cowboy | ||
| 1096 | |||
| 1097 | The descent to the Cereda Pass starts very steep, and we quickly loose | ||
| 1098 | about 200 meters of altitude. But then the trail starts going up again, | ||
| 1099 | and slowly but surely we walk up, and up, and up. The road is not steep, | ||
| 1100 | but we are walking on a tight ledge on a grassy slope that requires us | ||
| 1101 | to focus. | ||
| 1102 | |||
| 1103 |  | ||
| 1104 | |||
| 1105 | <p align="center"><em> | ||
| 1106 | Me on this tight path that, for whatever reason, is leading back | ||
| 1107 | up instead of down to Pass Cereda. As you can see, I am not amused. | ||
| 1108 | </em></p> | ||
| 1109 | |||
| 1110 | Only after we reach the altitude of 2150m do we start going down, | ||
| 1111 | but this time very slowly. We cannot see very far due to the fog, | ||
| 1112 | and in any case we would still be hyper-focused on our steps. | ||
| 1113 | But at least there are some interesting rock formations close to | ||
| 1114 | us that are worth admiring. | ||
| 1115 | |||
| 1116 |  | ||
| 1117 | |||
| 1118 | <p align="center"><em>Some interesting rock formations close to the trail.</em></p> | ||
| 1119 | |||
| 1120 |  | ||
| 1121 | |||
| 1122 | <p align="center"><em>A tree growing on top of a naked rock.</em></p> | ||
| 1123 | |||
| 1124 | The trail gradually becomes less exposed, but more steep. My knee starts | ||
| 1125 | hurting once again, but I am not surprised, considering how long we have | ||
| 1126 | been walking since this morning. | ||
| 1127 | |||
| 1128 | After what feels like an eternity of wandering through the fog, | ||
| 1129 | we reach the hotel at the Cereda Pass (1361m) at 18:15. After | ||
| 1130 | almost 11 hours of walk, my feet and my knees are begging for mercy. | ||
| 1131 | |||
| 1132 |  | ||
| 1133 | |||
| 1134 | <p align="center"><em>The pastures around the Cereda Pass.</em></p> | ||
| 1135 | |||
| 1136 | We have a private room at [Rifugio | ||
| 1137 | Cereda](https://www.rifugiocereda.com/en/), where | ||
| 1138 | we can have a shower, and we rest well. The food is | ||
| 1139 | also amazing: I have what is one of the best plates of | ||
| 1140 | [*käsespätzle*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%A4sesp%C3%A4tzle) | ||
| 1141 | of my life. By the way, over here the spätzle are prepared with spinach | ||
| 1142 | and they are green, not white; I think they do the same in Tyrol, but | ||
| 1143 | definitely not in Germany. | ||
| 1144 | |||
| 1145 | Unfortunately, the weather forecasts for the next day are not as good | ||
| 1146 | as our dinner. | ||
| 1147 | |||
| 1148 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 1149 | |||
| 1150 | # Day 8 - The Troi dei Caserin | ||
| 1151 | |||
| 1152 | <p align="center"><em>August 27, 2025</em></p> | ||
| 1153 | |||
| 1154 | <img src="../img/27-0000-map.png"> | ||
| 1155 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 1156 | |||
| 1157 | ## A damp morning | ||
| 1158 | |||
| 1159 | Today the final part of Alta Via 2 begins. We are entering the *Vette | ||
| 1160 | Feltrine*, a part that is perhaps less well-known by tourists, but no | ||
| 1161 | less beautiful. The trails we'll have to walk are going to be narrow, | ||
| 1162 | often steep. | ||
| 1163 | |||
| 1164 | The weather forecasts for the day are not great, but we | ||
| 1165 | should reach [Rifugio Boz](https://www.rifugioboz.it/) (1718 meters | ||
| 1166 | on sea level) before it starts raining. For now there is just a thick fog, | ||
| 1167 | and the weather is unpleasantly hot and humid. | ||
| 1168 | |||
| 1169 |  | ||
| 1170 | |||
| 1171 | <p align="center"><em>Our last sight of Rifugio Cereda and the Pala Group.</em></p> | ||
| 1172 | |||
| 1173 | We leave at 7:45. At first we walk on a secondary paved road, then on | ||
| 1174 | a dirt road. Both my guide booklet and the signs try to make us walk | ||
| 1175 | downhill towards the nearby villages of Matiuz and Padreterno, but there | ||
| 1176 | is a clearly faster road that stays in the forest and leads to the | ||
| 1177 | start of the actual trail. | ||
| 1178 | |||
| 1179 |  | ||
| 1180 | |||
| 1181 | <p align="center"><em> | ||
| 1182 | The top sign is marked as "AV2", for Alta Via 2. There is a gap that | ||
| 1183 | was probably filled by a sign pointing left, which is the way we took. | ||
| 1184 | I suspect someone - perhaps the local forest authorities - removed | ||
| 1185 | the sign because they did not want people to go that way, but I | ||
| 1186 | can't imagine why. Or perhaps the sign simply fell off. | ||
| 1187 | </em></p> | ||
| 1188 | |||
| 1189 | After about one hour of walk in the forest, the actual trail begins. | ||
| 1190 | The humidity is very intense, still unpleasant. Unfortunately this also | ||
| 1191 | means that the pictures of the day are very... foggy. | ||
| 1192 | |||
| 1193 |  | ||
| 1194 | |||
| 1195 | <p align="center"><em>The valley behind us, in the fog.</em></p> | ||
| 1196 | |||
| 1197 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 1198 | |||
| 1199 | ## L'Intaiàda | ||
| 1200 | |||
| 1201 | The trail becomes steep, and then extremely steep. We walk along | ||
| 1202 | a vertical wall of granite, where a narrow passage is carved out. | ||
| 1203 | Indeed, this part of the trail is called *L'Intaiàda*, which | ||
| 1204 | can be roughly translated as *The Carved-Out*. | ||
| 1205 | |||
| 1206 |  | ||
| 1207 | |||
| 1208 | <p align="center"><em>Admittedly not the best picture of L'Intaiàda.</em></p> | ||
| 1209 | |||
| 1210 | The trail continues, narrow and exposed, but well equipped with some | ||
| 1211 | sturdy metal ropes where needed. It requires some attention, but I don't | ||
| 1212 | find it scary or particularly difficult; there is always some rock or | ||
| 1213 | support piece I can hang on to rest while I think about the next steps. | ||
| 1214 | |||
| 1215 |  | ||
| 1216 | |||
| 1217 | <p align="center"><em>Another section of L'Intaiàda.</em></p> | ||
| 1218 | |||
| 1219 |  | ||
| 1220 | |||
| 1221 | The trail continues very steep, and at 12:05 we reach the *Pass del | ||
| 1222 | Comedon* (2130m). | ||
| 1223 | |||
| 1224 |  | ||
| 1225 | |||
| 1226 | <p align="center"><em>View from the pass.</em></p> | ||
| 1227 | |||
| 1228 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 1229 | |||
| 1230 | ## A quick break at Bivacco Feltre | ||
| 1231 | |||
| 1232 | From the pass we walk down an extremely steep trail, initially very | ||
| 1233 | exposed, then less scary. | ||
| 1234 | |||
| 1235 | My left knee has been doing well so far, but suddently I feel an acute | ||
| 1236 | sting of pain that almost makes loose my balance. This is not good. It | ||
| 1237 | is also very different from the constant, mild to moderate pain that I | ||
| 1238 | have felt when walking downhill in the past few days. But I push through, | ||
| 1239 | slowly and steadily. | ||
| 1240 | |||
| 1241 | The fog becomes even thicker, at times we can't see much farther than | ||
| 1242 | 20-30 meters. | ||
| 1243 | |||
| 1244 |  | ||
| 1245 | |||
| 1246 | <p align="center"><em>We are close to Bivacco Feltre, but we can't see it.</em></p> | ||
| 1247 | |||
| 1248 | For a brief moment I catch a glimpse of *Bivacco Feltre* (1930m), a | ||
| 1249 | [sheet metal shelter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bivouac_shelter) | ||
| 1250 | where hikers can wait for the bad weather to subside, or spend the night | ||
| 1251 | in case of need. | ||
| 1252 | |||
| 1253 |  | ||
| 1254 | |||
| 1255 | <p align="center"><em>Bivacco Feltre.</em></p> | ||
| 1256 | |||
| 1257 | We reach the bivouac at 13:05, and we decide to take a break. We eat | ||
| 1258 | a protein bar and refill our water bottles. Unfortunately, we can see | ||
| 1259 | literally nothing besides the meadow around us, and the fog. | ||
| 1260 | |||
| 1261 |  | ||
| 1262 | |||
| 1263 | <p align="center"><em> | ||
| 1264 | Our view from Bivacco Feltre. The guide book describes the place | ||
| 1265 | as "pleasant and majestic". I guess I'll have to trust them on this one. | ||
| 1266 | </em></p> | ||
| 1267 | |||
| 1268 | We need some rest, but we don't want to wait for too long. The journey | ||
| 1269 | is still long, and if we don't reach our destination before 17:00 we | ||
| 1270 | will probably be caught by the forecasted thunderstorm. We leave the | ||
| 1271 | bivouac at 13:30. | ||
| 1272 | |||
| 1273 | ## The Troi dei Caserin | ||
| 1274 | |||
| 1275 | From the shelter we walk down, loosing about 200 or 300 meters of | ||
| 1276 | altitude. We quickly gain them back, as the trail continues upwards. | ||
| 1277 | The fog is still very thick, we can't see further than 10m. | ||
| 1278 | |||
| 1279 | The trail so far is not particuarly hard, but there are some interesting | ||
| 1280 | passages where we have to cross some waterfalls and some small water | ||
| 1281 | streams. Or maybe I found them interesting only because my bad knee | ||
| 1282 | prevented me from pushing with my left leg and I had to make some complex | ||
| 1283 | alternative manouvers. | ||
| 1284 | |||
| 1285 |  | ||
| 1286 | |||
| 1287 | At 14:50 we reach *Col dei Bech* (1960m), which means *Ibex' hill*. | ||
| 1288 | And in fact, just after Cold dei Bech, in one of the rare moments when | ||
| 1289 | the fog let us see at more than 15 meters, we did see a small family | ||
| 1290 | of chamois. Ok, not quite ibex, but close enough. Judging from the | ||
| 1291 | quantity of warm shit that we saw on the trail, they had probably walked | ||
| 1292 | right ahead of us for a while. | ||
| 1293 | |||
| 1294 | We continue on this trail that becomes increasingly narrow and exposed, | ||
| 1295 | difficult in some sections. We are on the *Troi dei Caserin* ("the | ||
| 1296 | Caserins' trail"). | ||
| 1297 | |||
| 1298 |  | ||
| 1299 | |||
| 1300 | There are some steel ropes in the most dangerous parts, but not for | ||
| 1301 | long: soon we reach a grassy section, and the trail becomes ever | ||
| 1302 | more narrow. On our left, the emptiness of a hundred-meters free fall is | ||
| 1303 | hidden by the fog. My aching knee makes everything even more challenging. | ||
| 1304 | |||
| 1305 | We did not take many pictures of this part of the journey, mainly because | ||
| 1306 | we were focusing on keeping our feet on the ground. Apparently, my dad | ||
| 1307 | and I walked this same trail some 15 years ago, when it was covered in | ||
| 1308 | half a meter of snow. And I say apparently because, even though we both | ||
| 1309 | remember that trip quite well, we have no recollection of taking such a | ||
| 1310 | dangerous path in those conditions. But there is no alternative road, | ||
| 1311 | so we must have done it... somehow. | ||
| 1312 | |||
| 1313 | At 16:45 we reach *Pass de Mura* (1867m). The view opens up, but we | ||
| 1314 | can't quite see our destination yet. | ||
| 1315 | |||
| 1316 |  | ||
| 1317 | |||
| 1318 | <p align="center"><em> | ||
| 1319 | You see the tiny building down there? It is not Rifugio | ||
| 1320 | Boz, but Malga Neva. Luckily for us, the Rifugio is closer than that. | ||
| 1321 | </em></p> | ||
| 1322 | |||
| 1323 | We walk down from the pass and we reach [Rifugio | ||
| 1324 | Boz](https://www.rifugioboz.it/) (1718m) at 17:05. Just as we walk | ||
| 1325 | through the door, a strong storm begins. | ||
| 1326 | |||
| 1327 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 1328 | |||
| 1329 | ## At Rifugio Boz | ||
| 1330 | |||
| 1331 | We are tired, hungry and our muscles are sore. As we check in, the hut | ||
| 1332 | manager asks us if we are walking the Alta Via. We respond that yes, | ||
| 1333 | we are, and tomorrow we will be going all the way to [Rifugio Dal | ||
| 1334 | Piaz](https://www.rifugiodalpiaz.com), and we'll finally walk down | ||
| 1335 | victorious to Croce d'Aune in the evening. | ||
| 1336 | |||
| 1337 | "Are you sure about that?" - she says. | ||
| 1338 | |||
| 1339 | "Why?" - we ask, not sure if she was joking or not. | ||
| 1340 | |||
| 1341 | "Have you seen the weather forecast?" | ||
| 1342 | |||
| 1343 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 1344 | |||
| 1345 | # Day 9 - Cutting it short | ||
| 1346 | |||
| 1347 | <p align="center"><em>August 28, 2025</em></p> | ||
| 1348 | |||
| 1349 | <img src="../img/28-0000-map.png"> | ||
| 1350 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 1351 | |||
| 1352 | ## An inevitable decision | ||
| 1353 | |||
| 1354 | The last leg of the Alta Via 2 is long, challenging and dangerous. | ||
| 1355 | Most of the trail is on top of a ridge, exposed on both sides, and strong | ||
| 1356 | winds are frequent. | ||
| 1357 | |||
| 1358 | And in the afternoon of August 28, the last day of our Alta Via 2, there | ||
| 1359 | are going to be strong thunderstorms. The manager at Rifugio Boz told | ||
| 1360 | us "I have walked this trail many times, but with a weather like this, | ||
| 1361 | I would never dare". | ||
| 1362 | |||
| 1363 | We are prepared and experienced, but we are powerless against the forces | ||
| 1364 | of nature. We give up. On August 28, the last day of our Alta Via 2, | ||
| 1365 | we are not going to Rifugio Dal Piaz, or to Croce d'Aune. We are going | ||
| 1366 | down a safer trail, in the forest of the | ||
| 1367 | [*Val Canzoi*](https://www.dolomitipark.it/en/visiting-the-park/itineraries/on-foot/nature-trails/val-di-canzoi/), | ||
| 1368 | and we are going to conclude our adventure half a day earlier. | ||
| 1369 | |||
| 1370 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 1371 | |||
| 1372 | ## From Rifugio Boz to Malga Alvis | ||
| 1373 | |||
| 1374 |  | ||
| 1375 | |||
| 1376 | <p align="center"><em>Rifugio Boz with the | ||
| 1377 | <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sass_de_Mura">Sass de Mura</a> | ||
| 1378 | in the background.</em></p> | ||
| 1379 | |||
| 1380 | We leave the hut at 7:35. The are two ways to walk down to Val Canzoi: | ||
| 1381 | either we climb up to *Passo Alvis*, or to *Passo Finestra*. We | ||
| 1382 | choose the former, as the trail that comes down from Passo Alvis | ||
| 1383 | ends close to a bar where we can wait for someone to pick us up. | ||
| 1384 | |||
| 1385 |  | ||
| 1386 | |||
| 1387 | <p align="center"><em>We walk together with other 3 hikers to Passo Alvis. | ||
| 1388 | We are not the only ones who decided to cut the Alta Via short.</em></p> | ||
| 1389 | |||
| 1390 | The weather is not bad for now. There are clouds, but it is not raining. | ||
| 1391 | But the afternoon storm is going to be massive. | ||
| 1392 | |||
| 1393 | At 7:55 we are up to Passo Alvis (1880 meters on sea level). From there, | ||
| 1394 | we only need to go down another 1000 meters. We can't quite see the | ||
| 1395 | bottom of the valley, but we do see the back of the main mountains that | ||
| 1396 | are also visible from our home. | ||
| 1397 | |||
| 1398 |  | ||
| 1399 | |||
| 1400 | <p align="center"><em>The view from Passo Alvis. In the back, partly hidden by the | ||
| 1401 | clouds, you can see the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizzocco"> | ||
| 1402 | Pizzocco</a>, | ||
| 1403 | the main mountain that rises above our home town. We are coming home!</em></p> | ||
| 1404 | |||
| 1405 | We walk down from the pass. The descent starts steep, but the trail is | ||
| 1406 | not difficult. We see one last family of chamoix, running away from us. | ||
| 1407 | |||
| 1408 | At 8:40 we reach Malga Alvis (1573m). | ||
| 1409 | |||
| 1410 |  | ||
| 1411 | |||
| 1412 | <p align="center"><em>Malga Alvis.</em></p> | ||
| 1413 | |||
| 1414 | It starts raining. We take shelter inside the malga. The building | ||
| 1415 | is not used for its original purpose anymore, but it is maintained | ||
| 1416 | by the local natural park administration as a bivouac for hikers. | ||
| 1417 | Some 15 years ago, in a cold late April, my dad and I spent the night | ||
| 1418 | here before continuing our hike the following day. | ||
| 1419 | |||
| 1420 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 1421 | |||
| 1422 | ## Down to the valley, one last time | ||
| 1423 | |||
| 1424 | Luckily the rain stops soon, and the five of us can continue our march. | ||
| 1425 | The *Lago della Stua* is now visible. | ||
| 1426 | |||
| 1427 |  | ||
| 1428 | |||
| 1429 | <p align="center"><em>Lago della Stua in Val Canzoi.</em></p> | ||
| 1430 | |||
| 1431 | We keep going down. My knee starts hurting again, but we are almost there. | ||
| 1432 | Overall I enjoyed this last part of the journey. The trail in this | ||
| 1433 | mid-mountain forest is exactly the kind of road that I used to walk a | ||
| 1434 | lot years ago, when I frequently hiked around these mountains. | ||
| 1435 | |||
| 1436 | Our adventure ends at 10:40, on the dam of the lake. | ||
| 1437 | |||
| 1438 |  | ||
| 1439 | |||
| 1440 | We reach the nearby bar, we sit down, we drink a | ||
| 1441 | [spritz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spritz_(cocktail)). | ||
| 1442 | |||
| 1443 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 1444 | |||
| 1445 | # After the hike | ||
| 1446 | |||
| 1447 | ## Back home | ||
| 1448 | |||
| 1449 | *August 28, 2025* | ||
| 1450 | |||
| 1451 | My dad's cousin came to pick us up. As we got into the car, the | ||
| 1452 | storm started. From there, it kept raining the whole afternoon. Not | ||
| 1453 | coninuously, it came and went, but when it was there it was | ||
| 1454 | very strong. The bad weather continued for a couple of days. | ||
| 1455 | |||
| 1456 | We made a good call ending our trip early. | ||
| 1457 | |||
| 1458 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 1459 | |||
| 1460 | ## Celebration | ||
| 1461 | |||
| 1462 | *August 29, 2025* | ||
| 1463 | |||
| 1464 | Some of the people we met along the way arrived in Feltre on the next | ||
| 1465 | day. Like use, they could not properly finish the Alta Via, as the bad | ||
| 1466 | weather caught them when they arrived at Passo Cereda. | ||
| 1467 | |||
| 1468 | We decided to meet for a dinner all together at [Birreria | ||
| 1469 | Pedavena](https://www.labirreriapedavena.it/), the largest brewery in | ||
| 1470 | Italy, which is conveniently located between Croce d'Aune and Feltre. In | ||
| 1471 | fact, if you walk Alta Via 2 all the way to Feltre, you pass right in | ||
| 1472 | front of the Birreria. | ||
| 1473 | |||
| 1474 |  | ||
| 1475 | |||
| 1476 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 1477 | |||
| 1478 | ## Award | ||
| 1479 | |||
| 1480 | *September 2, 2025* | ||
| 1481 | |||
| 1482 | Upon completing Alta Via 2, hikers can receive an official pin. It is | ||
| 1483 | awarded by the tourist office in Feltre, where they can also | ||
| 1484 | add their name to the book of "finishers". | ||
| 1485 | |||
| 1486 | As you know, we did not complete the full Alta Via. But since Feltre is | ||
| 1487 | just around the corner, we thought why not go there and ask? In the end, | ||
| 1488 | the exact route of Alta Via 2 is not set in stone. | ||
| 1489 | |||
| 1490 | It turns out that, according to the guidelines laid out by the Italian | ||
| 1491 | Alpine Club, reaching Rifugio Boz is enough to officially complete Alta | ||
| 1492 | Via 2 and be called a finisher! | ||
| 1493 | |||
| 1494 |  | ||
| 1495 | |||
| 1496 | Indeed, they know that the last leg of the hike is often skipped due to | ||
| 1497 | bad weather. Ending the journey at Passo Cereda, however, is not enough. | ||
| 1498 | |||
| 1499 | So now we also have some official recognition for our effort. Cool! | ||
| 1500 | |||
| 1501 | <div class="page-break"></div> | ||
| 1502 | |||
| 1503 | ## Farewell to the mountains | ||
| 1504 | |||
| 1505 | *September 3, 2025* | ||
| 1506 | |||
| 1507 | After the hike I spent a few days at home with my family. But now it is | ||
| 1508 | time to go back to the flat lands, where I have been living for the past | ||
| 1509 | few years. | ||
| 1510 | |||
| 1511 | My flight back to Amsterdam, as it sometimes does, flew right over the | ||
| 1512 | Dolomites. I was able to recognize not only my home town, but also many of | ||
| 1513 | the mountains and valleys my dad and I walked through just a week earlier. | ||
| 1514 | |||
| 1515 |  | ||
diff --git a/src/style.css b/src/style.css index 81cde7f..b0bc3e7 100644 --- a/src/style.css +++ b/src/style.css | |||
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