day9.md (4658B)
1 <table style="width: 100%; table-layout: fixed;"> <thead> <tr> 2 <th style="text-align: left"> <a href="../day8">← Day 8</a> </th> 3 <th style="text-align: center"> <a href="../">Alta Via 2</a> </th> 4 <th style="text-align: right"> <a href="../after">After the hike →</a> </th> 5 </tr> </thead> </table> 6 7 # Day 9 - Cutting it short 8 9 <p align="center"><em>August 28, 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/28-0000-map.png"> 16 </details> 17 18 *Download the [gpx file](../gpx/av2-day9.gpx) or see the route on 19 [outdooractive.com](https://www.outdooractive.com/en/route/hiking-trail/province-of-belluno/-2025-alta-via-2-day-9/325543151/?share=%7E3zdmfdkz%244ossqbdb)* 20 21 ## An inevitable decision 22 23 The last leg of the Alta Via 2 is long, challenging and dangerous. 24 Most of the trail is on top of a ridge, exposed on both sides, and strong 25 winds are frequent. 26 27 And in the afternoon of August 28, the last day of our Alta Via 2, there 28 are going to be strong thunderstorms. The manager at Rifugio Boz told 29 us "I have walked this trail many times, but with a weather like this, 30 I would never dare". 31 32 We are prepared and experienced, but we are powerless against the forces 33 of nature. We give up. On August 28, the last day of our Alta Via 2, 34 we are not going to Rifugio Dal Piaz, or to Croce d'Aune. We are going 35 down a safer trail, in the forest of the 36 [*Val Canzoi*](https://www.dolomitipark.it/en/visiting-the-park/itineraries/on-foot/nature-trails/val-di-canzoi/), 37 and we are going to conclude our adventure half a day earlier. 38 39 ## From Rifugio Boz to Malga Alvis 40 41  42 43 <p align="center"><em>Rifugio Boz with the 44 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sass_de_Mura">Sass de Mura</a> 45 in the background.</em></p> 46 47 We leave the hut at 7:35. The are two ways to walk down to Val Canzoi: 48 either we climb up to *Passo Alvis*, or to *Passo Finestra*. We 49 choose the former, as the trail that comes down from Passo Alvis 50 ends close to a bar where we can wait for someone to pick us up. 51 52  53 54 <p align="center"><em>We walk together with other 3 hikers to Passo Alvis. 55 We are not the only ones who decided to cut the Alta Via short.</em></p> 56 57 The weather is not bad for now. There are clouds, but it is not raining. 58 But the afternoon storm is going to be massive. 59 60 At 7:55 we are up to Passo Alvis (1880 meters on sea level). From there, 61 we only need to go down another 1000 meters. We can't quite see the 62 bottom of the valley, but we do see the back of the main mountains that 63 are also visible from our home. 64 65  66 67 <p align="center"><em>The view from Passo Alvis. In the back, partly hidden by the 68 clouds, you can see the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizzocco"> 69 Pizzocco</a>, 70 the main mountain that rises above our home town. We are coming home!</em></p> 71 72 We walk down from the pass. The descent starts steep, but the trail is 73 not difficult. We see one last family of chamoix, running away from us. 74 75 At 8:40 we reach Malga Alvis (1573m). 76 77  78 79 <p align="center"><em>Malga Alvis.</em></p> 80 81 It starts raining. We take shelter inside the malga. The building 82 is not used for its original purpose anymore, but it is maintained 83 by the local natural park administration as a bivouac for hikers. 84 Some 15 years ago, in a cold late April, my dad and I spent the night 85 here before continuing our hike the following day. 86 87 ## Down to the valley, one last time 88 89 Luckily the rain stops soon, and the five of us can continue our march. 90 The *Lago della Stua* is now visible. 91 92  93 94 <p align="center"><em>Lago della Stua in Val Canzoi.</em></p> 95 96 We keep going down. My knee starts hurting again, but we are almost there. 97 Overall I enjoyed this last part of the journey. The trail in this 98 mid-mountain forest is exactly the kind of road that I used to walk a 99 lot years ago, when I frequently hiked around these mountains. 100 101 Our adventure ends at 10:40, on the dam of the lake. 102 103  104 105 We reach the nearby bar, we sit down, we drink a 106 [spritz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spritz_(cocktail)). 107 108 109 <table style="width: 100%; table-layout: fixed;"> <thead> <tr> 110 <th style="text-align: left"> <a href="../day8">← Day 8</a> </th> 111 <th style="text-align: center"> <a href="../">Alta Via 2</a> </th> 112 <th style="text-align: right"> <a href="../after">After the hike →</a> </th> 113 </tr> </thead> </table> 114 115 116 117 118 119