day2.md (8441B)
1 <table style="width: 100%; table-layout: fixed;"> <thead> <tr> 2 <th style="text-align: left"> <a href="../day1">← Day 1</a> </th> 3 <th style="text-align: center"> <a href="../">Alta Via 2</a> </th> 4 <th style="text-align: right"> <a href="../day3">Day 3 →</a> </th> 5 </tr> </thead> </table> 6 7 # Day 2 - Trail 666 8 9 <p align="center"><em>August 21, 2025</em></p> 10 11 ## Route of the day 12 13 <details> 14 <summary><strong>Click to see map</strong></summary> 15 <img src="../img/21-0000-map.png"> 16 </details> 17 18 *Download the [gpx file](../gpx/av2-day2.gpx) or see the route on 19 [outdooractive.com](https://www.outdooractive.com/en/route/hiking-trail/alta-badia/-2025-alta-via-2-day-2/325541331/?share=%7E3zdmlslt%244ossqbcn)* 20 21 ## The beginning of a long day 22 23 According to our plan, this second day is going to be the toughest. 24 Our planned route consists of more than 1700m of altitude gain, which 25 would already be quite a long hike for a single day, leave alone for one 26 out of 9 consecutive days of walking. Moreover, the weather forecasts 27 for the day are not good - there is a chance of thunderstorms in the 28 afternoon. 29 30 Luckily we find someone willing to give us a car ride from our B&B to 31 the edge of the village, saving us about one hour of walk. We start 32 walking at around 8:30. 33 34 The first part of the trail is not very steep, and the weather is 35 not too bad either. We even manage to see some mountains! 36 37  38 39 <p align="center"><em>The Puez-Odle group.</em></p> 40 41 In about an hour we reach *malga Antersasc* (2084m on sea 42 level). Around this small abandoned building we see a few 43 [chamois](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamois) and some very fat 44 [marmots](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmot) - seriously, those 45 things were huge! Unfortunately all the pictures I took were terrible, 46 you need some pretty good camera to catch them from a distance. 47 48  49 50 <p align="center"><em> 51 Sorry for the lack of marmot pictures. Here 52 is a shot of myself staring at a tree growing on top of a rock instead. 53 </em></p> 54 55 After a short break, we get back on the trail and start walking towards 56 the [Puez hut](https://www.rifugiopuez.it/en/). We could already tell 57 from the map that the trail up to *forcella Puez* (2500m), before the 58 hut, was going to be very steep. However, we found it to be very well 59 maintained, which made it easier than we expected. 60 61  62 63 <p align="center"><em> 64 The trail up to forcella Puez is reinforced with some trunks that 65 turn it almost into a staircase.</em></p> 66 67 Unfortunately, as we walked up, the weather got much worse. 68 We were forced to wear all our rain clothes again, including gloves. 69 70 We reach the Puez hut (2447m) at 11:20, earlier than planned. We take 71 some time to rest and try to dry up from the rain; I change my socks 72 and t-shirt, which definitely helps. 73 74 ## The forgotten Forcellas 75 76 (*Forcella* is an Italian term that denotes a tight mountain pass, usually 77 only reachable via a steep trail. I will sometimes use the Italian word 78 because I don't know an exact equivalent in English. For proper nouns I 79 may also use the equivalent word in the local language: *Furcella* or 80 *Jeuf* in [Ladin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladin_language), 81 *Joch* in German, *Foržela* in 82 [Venetian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venetian_language).) 83 84 We start walking again around 12:00, and it is immediately clear that we 85 have made a small miscalculation in planning the route. We thought 86 that the trail to [Gardena Pass](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardena_Pass) 87 would be straight downhill, but actually we'll have to climb up and then 88 down a couple of tight passes: *Furcella de Ciampei* (2366m) and *Jeuf de 89 Crespëina* (2528m). This is easily going to cancel out the time we gained 90 in the morning. Fortunately, this part of the trail is quite pleasant to 91 walk, if at times steep; the weather is also not too bad, as we only have 92 to bear some light rain. 93 94  95 96 As we are about to reach Gardena Pass (2136m), a strong storm begins. 97 I speed up to take shelter in a hut down at the pass, leaving my dad 98 a few minutes behind. I reach the pass at 14:35. 99 100 ## One hell of a trail 101 102 The outlook for the last part of the day is bleak, to say the least. 103 Thunderstorms are forecast until late in the evening. There is likely 104 going to be a small windows of good weatehr between 16:00 and 17:00, but 105 it is not going to last long enough to reach the Pisciadù hut, where we 106 are going to sleep. We have to choose between leaving immediately under 107 the heavy rain hoping it stops while we are on the way, or waiting for 108 the first wave of the storm to pass but risking it starting again 109 before we reach our destination. 110 111 We choose the former, because it was our best chance to arrive at the 112 hut before it gets dark. Moreover, despite the forecast of thunder and 113 lightning, so far it is just raining heavily, which although unpleasant 114 is not dangerous. 115 116 We leave the pass at around 15:00, under the storm. The ascent is not 117 steep at first. Luckily, as predicted, after about one hour the rain 118 stops. 119 120  122 123 <p align="center"><em>Our last view of Gardena Pass and the Odle group, 124 on the way up to the Pisciadù hut.</em></p> 125 126 But then we reach the infamous trail 666. 127 128  129 130 <p align="center"><em> 131 The beginning of trail 666. This is not a nickname, it is 132 the actual number that the <a href="https://www.cai.it"> 133 Italian Alpine Club</a> gave to this trail. 134 </em></p> 135 136 Actually, this is the easiest of two 137 possible ways to the Pisciadù, the other being the [Ferrata 138 Tridentina](https://www.alta-badia.org/en/leisure-activities/climbing-and-mountaineering/brigata-tridentina-route/). 139 The booklet I am following describes it as "[...] reserved for 140 well-equipped experts. Don't do it with heavy backpacks; don't do it if 141 the weather is not good." We get at 0 out 3, the thought of taking the 142 [via ferrata](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_ferrata) does not not 143 even cross our minds. 144 145 So trail 666 it is. This trail is also known as *Setus trail*, or somewhat 146 improperly *Setus via ferrata*. It is extremely steep and it is more a 147 climb than a walk, but it is not a via ferrata. Most maps describe it 148 as *sentiero attrezzato* (equipped trail), as it does have some fixed 149 steel rope and handles where climbers can hang a safety rope. 150 151 We have some simple ropes equipped with a 152 [Carabiner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carabiner), and we decide to 153 use them. In the following days we would talk with other people who 154 took the same route, and some of them would claim that a rope is not 155 necessary on this trail. I don't care, I was relieved to have my trusty 156 rope, especially considering the bad weather and how tired I was after 157 more than 8 hours of hiking (plus the 9 hours of the previous day). And 158 a safety rope is certainly of no use if kept in the backpack. 159 160  161 162 <p align="center"><em>Trail 666 is really steep.</em></p> 163 164 Overall, the steel rope and the handles are of great help, and although 165 a couple of times I was unsure where to put my feet and I almost slept, 166 I would not consider this trail dangerous, if one is properly equipped. 167 168 The reason I found this trail hard was its *length*. I seriously had some 169 difficulties caused by how tired I was and how sore my muscles were, 170 after two full days of hike. Sometimes I could not complete a step or 171 an arm movement on the first try because I just did not have the enough 172 strength to push or pull up. And the trail just kept going! 173 174 But at 17:30, exhausted but satisfied, we finally reach the top of this 175 climb. The Pisciadù hut (2587m) is just around the corner. 176 177  178 179 <p align="center"><em>My dad at the end of trail 666.</em></p> 180 181 We, our clothes and our boots are still wet from all the rain we caught 182 earlier in the day. Let's hope everything dries up during the night. 183 184 <table style="width: 100%; table-layout: fixed;"> <thead> <tr> 185 <th style="text-align: left"> <a href="../day1">← Day 1</a> </th> 186 <th style="text-align: center"> <a href="../">Alta Via 2</a> </th> 187 <th style="text-align: right"> <a href="../day3">Day 3 →</a> </th> 188 </tr> </thead> </table> 189 190 191 192 193 194