Alta via 1 – Day 3
Hiking the Italian Dolomites
- Rifugio Fanes to Rifguio Lagazuoi
- 12km
- 7.5 hours
- 16,019 steps
- 3,505 calories
- Ascent 1618
- Descent 943
- Max elevation 2750m
Views views and more views – oh wait I said that yesterday. Day 3 was a big, big day with two massive ascents and some emotional ups and downs to match. And amazing views!
It was a cold morning as we headed out from Rifugio Fanes and I donned my beanie. We were a bit confused about where the track started, but after dithering about for a few minutes, we realised it didn’t matter if we went this or that way, as all paths led to the same place. Our walk started with a decent hill followed by undulating terrain which opened out into a wide valley. As we walked through the valley we saw in the far distance the mountain pass which was our first challenge for the day: Forcella del Lago.
The first part of the uphill walk is not that steep, but it has a narrow path traversing a steep mountain side which drops away to nothing at the side in some places. I had a bit of a panic but put on my big girl pants and managed to not fall into the void. Not much choice – no way out of it!
The pictures show me pointing to the pass at intervals of 25 minutes, as it got closer and closer and the temperature got warmer and warmer. Looking back down we could see how far we had come. It took about 1.5 hours to get to the top.
We stopped at the top for a snack, then we bravely peaked over the other side. Oh boy: a huge steep descent. The pathway down the other side is a gravelly rocky switchback trail which took me an hour to get down. An American lady walking near me was encouraging the other hikers with her reassuring voice. She said it’s just like walking down a sidewalk: just don’t f*** it up. Too funny.
As we walked down, we could see our goal for the day, Rifugio Lagazuoi, at the top of a long steep pathway up the next mountain. At the bottom we stopped to eat our packed lunch by the lake. We took our boots off and cooled our feet in the lake.
One of the challenges of walking in the mountains is the weather. Alpine mountains are prone to afternoon thunderstorms in the summer and every hikers goal is to reach the destination before the storm hits. As we looked up to Lagazuoi, we could see the clouds swirling around the top, which was at an elevation of 2750m. I wanted to get there before the elements took over. After an exhausting ascent, we thought we were at the top, only to be confronted with a series of switchbacks! Like a mirage, you keep thinking you are there but it just keeps going and going. We did manage to take in more views along the way.
Towards the top there is a series of WW1 Tunnels. This is an important historical site and interesting to see the remnants of warfare. (pictures 20 and 21). I was a bit too tired and anxious to take it in but Steve enjoyed a good poke around.
Eventually we got to the rifugio, we were cold and it had started to rain. We put our boots in the smelly boot room (all boot rooms are smelly) and found the dorm we were allocated to. Between the scary traverse, two massive climbs and the threat of the thunderstorm, I was feeling a bit stressed. In a delicate frame of mind, I quickly learned that I am not made for dormitories. But there was no choice, and after a brief wobbly, I survived just fine. On Steve’s recommendation, I paid five euros for a brief shower and then we made our way to dinner, feeling warm and clean. Tanji and Kent were waiting for us and had worked their magic by asking the staff to seat us together, bless their cotton socks!
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