Ah, the peace and quiet of your own room in a rifugio high in the Italian Alps. I slept well with no worries about tomorrow. Ignorance is bliss.
and Marmolada Glacier, the largest glacier in the Dolomites
Anticipating a 9-mile hike with most of the elevation gain in the latter part of the day, Jim and I made an early start. We had a delicious breakfast (including made to order scrambled eggs), said goodbye to the Buffalo NY family (they were taking the cable car to the valley) and the Baltimore MD family (they were taking the tunnel route) and were out the door before 8:00am.
Tunnel route, what’s that? There are many variations of the Alta Via 1, as we saw yesterday with the high route over Forcella del Lago and the low route bypassing it. During World War I, both the Italian and Austrian armies excavated tunnel systems in the Lagazuoi area of the mountains. The AV1 tunnel variant is the Galleria Lagazuoi, an 1100-meter-long route, requiring head lamps and gloves for the cold. At the end of the tunnel, the route continues down to the road at Passo Falzarego, then ascends through wildflower meadows and rocky terrain to Forcella Averau and several rifugios.
Although the tunnel variation was tempting, Jim and I stuck with the traditional route.
Note: don’t be a purist. Read on.
The morning revealed a cloudless sky, cold enough for hats and puffy jackets. Too early for the daytrippers. The trail was nearly empty and my mood was 100% better than yesterday at arrival.
looking impressive but not (yet) treacherous
A labyrinth of paths radiated from ours (are we on 401? 402? 404?) as we walked through Val Travenanzes, a narrow valley filled with Dolomiti boulders and ruins of stone buildings and rock walls. Again I tried to picture thousands of soldiers hunkered down in deep winter snows to attack/defend this unforgiving territory. Andrew McCluggage’s Trekking the Dolomites AV1 has a chilling description of the maneuvers and trench warfare of World War I.
As our guidebook promised, there was confusion at Forcella Col dei Bos and we suspected a critical sign was missing. We briefly conferred with other folks also looking at their guidebooks, including a woman named Marina who was a hiking guide on a solo trek for fun. Marina would figure prominently on wayfinding in days ahead.
Two trails appeared to cross the scree field beneath the Tofane massif, one close to the stone base very high up and one maybe a hundred yards below it. Other trails descended into the green valley, where we were sure we didn’t want to go. The higher one accessed via ferrata trails and looked scary, so we chose the lower traverse, a relatively flat bench trail (perhaps a little narrow) with a steep slope above and below the tread. Foreshadowing clue: one guidebook called it a “memorable traverse.”
Until it wasn’t okay. We reached a severely eroded section where the trail was simply washed away - probably the most unstable stretch of trail we have ever walked (the terror of yesterday’s Forcella di Lago was long forgotten). In several spots Jim held one end of a hiking pole while I held the other end as I crept my way across rock debris, leaning as hard into the slope as possible. At one point a huge boulder was sitting on the trail, jutting out into space, and I had to hug it tight while I stepped around it.
We took just two photos. Can you see the trail?
Later in the day, we shook our heads in disbelief at what we'd done. What would our children think if they saw us? Jim observed, “I would not be allowed to walk across that at work.” He said that we had the skills and talked it through together, but all the skill in the world may not prevent one foot slipping on loose rubble. The danger was not so much a twisted or broken ankle but rolling hundreds of feet downslope and DEAD. Writing it now, I’m incredulous we took that risk.
Marmolada on the center horizon
We looked at the parallel trail higher up and saw tiny people walking along with confidence. Was that a safer route? We’ll never know.
carrying climbing gear for the via ferrata
After descending on a long series of short switchbacks down into the scrubby evergreens, we connected with a road (403? 404? Who knows?) We followed this to Rifugio Dibona.
Rifugio Dibona with the Tofana di Rozes backdropSo freakin’ happy to reach a known landmark! After hiking for hours in full sun, we sat at an outside table under an umbrella. A couple entered the patio also searching for shade and we invited them to join us for lunch together with the view. They were from Paris, a few years younger than us, touring the area by car. They have visited the U.S several times, focusing on national parks.
Back on the AV1, we traded slippery scree for tree roots in deep woods. The plunging downhill was challenging. I started out happy with the cool shade but grew tired of the gravity pull.
We hit the bottom and crossed a paved road, then started a rather boring 3-mile ascent on a rocky roadbed. I walked slow enough to maintain forward motion, brief pauses and counting my steps. I could do it, wasn’t complaining as much as I’ve been known to do, but it felt more taxing than yesterday’s grind up to Rifugio Lagazuoi (Really? Or was it just today’s challenge? Are we having fun yet?)
Chair lifts passed overhead as we chugged up the trail. They started from several points along the road we crossed. Could we have taken one? Nope, we’re still purists.
A young couple caught up with us and introduced themselves as Steve and Emily from Utah. We talked about the sketchy traverse under Tofana di Rozes and Emily exclaimed, "All I could think about was what would my mother think if she saw us?" These two would become friends for the rest of our trek.
At last we reached the rock formations known as Cinque Torri (Five Towers), a significant landmark and popular hiking destination in the Dolomites. (That’s where the chair lifts were going.)
Like the Lagazuoi area we passed through earlier, the Cinque Torri Open-Air Museum is protected and interpreted with information boards about World War I. Visitors can explore on trails passing through trenches and bunkers built by the Italian army, which used this unique vantage point to track the Austrian army’s movements across the valley.
(Sigh.) Jim and I didn’t explore it, though. We had two kilometers to go to our home for the night (uphill, of course). My right knee was aching, so I was hyper focused on refilling my water bottles and taking ibuprofen. I downed a liter of Nuun water and Jim gave me a Gu to get me through. Catchy slogan.
The final approach to our destination passed through an open expanse on multiple crisscrossing trails. Which one was the most direct? Some branched left to go up to Rifugio Nuvolau and others branched right to Rifugio Averau. I didn’t want to take any extra steps!
But Rifugio Averau was impossible to miss. It’s a posh, modern building known for its cuisine and, of course, the views. As soon as we checked in my mood elevated, the relief of ending the day. For some reason, I neglected to take exterior photos of the rifugio except for the terrace.
Somewhere on that rocky ridge beyond Averau’s terrace is Rifugio Nuvolau, the very first hut in the Dolomites, opened in 1883 and nearly destroyed by artillery during World War I. The local Alpine club rebuilt it. Nuvolau is rustic (no showers, no hot water) but I’ve heard the sunrise is legendary.
Meanwhile, at Rifugio Averau tonight we were in a 10-person dorm room, 5 bunk beds, very little space to unpack or spread out smelly gear. I took a top bunk to gain a little headroom. Outlets in the ceiling and a little shelf by my head were a nice touch. Getting down to go the hall bathroom in the middle of the night was interesting.
Also assigned to our bunkroom were a young British guy (age 20) named Dom and his dad Tony, very friendly. They were climbing via ferratas for a few days. We had a pre-dinner drink (and cake for me) on the terrace with Dom and Tony. They chatted while we listened. Then our assigned tables for dinner were side by side. We had a lot of Dom and Tony and wine with dinner!
Our meal: penne pasta with tomato sauce, salad course, lemon trout with veggies. Because of my cake indulgence, I couldn’t finish the trout…but had no problem enjoying the panna cotta dessert.
As everyone wound down for the night in our cozy-sardine-packed bunkroom, we chatted with a pair of young women friends hiking together, Emily and Erin, also from Utah. Maybe we are finding our hiker bubble?
Random note in case you’re going to the Dolomites: this was the first rifugio (but not the last) with no potable water (only bathing, not drinking). There was bottled water for sale, but I carried a water filter to avoid using the disposable plastic. Many other hikers did the same.
Today’s lesson: Take the tunnel route or the valley route and make time to explore the Cinque Torri area.
“When you’re safe at home you wish you were having an adventure; when you’re having an adventure you wish you were safe at home.” ~Thornton Wilder
