After midnight, our nine German friends quietly drifted into the Rifugio Fanes bunkroom by 1’s and 2’s and settled into their beds. I kept count because I was awake worrying about the upcoming hike. AND I had to visit the bathroom down the hall a couple of times. AND I had an email from Rifugio Fodara Vedla saying I hadn’t turned in my key at checkout and could I please send it to them?
This morning one of the guys told me that I was the noisiest person in the room…
At breakfast Jim and I chatted with a family of five from Baltimore who were hiking the first 3 days of the AV1. Their kids reminded us of our own at ages 7, 10 and 13. Would we have dared to take them on such an adventure? (Well, we did have a family trip to Yosemite National Park…)
Today we hiked into the heart of the Dolomites. We felt prepared for the route after spending yesterday afternoon poring over the guidebook narratives and the gigantic paper maps. Our route numbers will change several times so we made a cheat sheet for quick reference.
The trail zigzagged through the forest and joined a wide gravel track at Passo di Limo. Along this stretch our German roommates passed us, never to be seen again.
The path leveled out for several kilometers of pleasant walking in a hanging valley of green pastures. Blue skies, puffy white clouds, imposing Dolomiti peaks rising up all around. Despite the easy terrain, this section was slow going due to constant picture-taking. (Confession: and too much coffee with breakfast caused me to duck behind low bushes several times.)
Jim and local bovines at Lago di Limo
a docile breed suited for the mountain terrain and often used for work and tourism
The beauty of the valley did not assuage my concerns about today’s upcoming decision point – staying on the main low route (20) or going over a high pass route (20B) to Forcella del Lago (aka Forcela di Lech), distinguished as one of the hardest sections of the Alta Via 1. The guidebook mentions a “plunging, stomach-dropping gully…zigzagging insanely downhill.” Was this an exaggeration? Would we miss an extraordinary experience? Or would we die? The alternate route is less treacherous but more miles…
At the decision-time trail junction, a couple from Holland was sitting on a bench and I spilled my jitters about dangers of the high route. The man reassuringly said, “It’s a very popular hike so they keep the trail well maintained. With the good weather today it should be fine.”
much steeper and further away than it looks
Conturines Mountains. The two tiny black dots are hikers.
Up, up, up the landscape strewn with rocks of all sizes. The grade grew steeper and steeper. I paced myself very slowly like the first two days and felt okay (not good, but okay). We could see ant-sized people moving up the switchbacks of white rocks and loose scree.
The last half hour (or was it 3 hours?) was a struggle, but good news: the Baltimore family was at the forcella! We took photos for each other and tried to talk, but the wind was stiff and chilling. Too cold to sit and rest.
Looking over the edge of the pass, we couldn’t see more than a few steps down and a bit of the lake at the base. Looking across the valley to the southwest, the smooth profile of Piccolo Lagazuoi is perfectly framed on the horizon. (Piccolo is Italian for“small".) On the left, the dirt path sketches the route from the lake up towards Rifugio Lagazuoi. Where the line fades away, the path turns to rock.
Watching the Baltimore kids disappear below us with no screams, we stepped over the edge. I don’t normally suffer from vertigo or a fear of heights as long as my feet are in contact with the ground, so I focused on the trail tread and just kept going. Jim was in front of me so he would be the last person I saw if…
We descended from the pass via dozens of short, tight switchbacks through a rubble field that seemed a sheer impossibility. Some switchbacks were lined with timbers to stabilize the edges. In actuality (I can’t believe I’m saying this) it was a well-designed trail descent.
Look to the right
People were sitting around the lake’s edge in various stages of euphoria/relief. There are several trails to the lake in addition to the high and low routes, and none of them are easy. Jim and I enjoyed a well-deserved rest and our takeaway lunch from Rifigio Fanes.
scree field that we’d hiked down – yikes!
All we had to do now was hike UP to Rifugio Lagazuoi…easier said than done.
My naïve hiking self thought the descent from the forcella was the hard work, totally underestimating the challenge ahead. We could see the rifugio high up on the ridge of Piccolo Lagazuoi. How bad could it be?
Answer: pretty bad, 2 hours, 3.2km (2 miles), nearly 1,800 feet elevation gain. Did I mention that Rifugio Lagazuoi is the highest point on the AV1 at 9,078 feet elevation?
Following Route 20 again, Jim and I tackled the immense rock incline called the Alpe di Lagazuoi. A lot of gasping for air going on, our pace slowed to about one mile per hour, and I made the mistake of pushing without eating enough. I didn’t get too upset (or did I? Ask Jim about the whining factor) just very tired as the relentless ascent went on.
The rugged terrain here enters Parco Naturale delle Dolomiti d’Ampezzo, designated as an outdoor “museum” of World War I infrastructure. Stone huts, rock walls, trenches, scattered timbers and extensive tunnels evoke grim images of 1915 to 1918. In this beautiful but harsh environment, young men fought and died trying to protect or take over the Italian/Austrian border and change the world order.
and shared bathrooms down the hall.
Dozens of jagged mountain peaks in every direction; the sheer mass/height/number of mountains was overwhelming. What clouds?
Seats assigned for meals, Jim and me with a couple from Buffalo NY and their elementary age daughter – Jim & Joann & daughter Magda (Magdalena). Joann is from Poland and speaks only Polish with her daughter. Both parents were very talkative and travel extensively. Young Magda has hiked some big mountains! Lots of conversation, mostly them talking and us listening (which was fine because we were exhausted).
Several times during dinner we rushed outside to capture the fading light. A big thanks to Jim from NY for the photo at the top of this post.
The AV1 is hailed as the ultimate multi-day high level trekking route in the Dolomites (a mouthful, right?) Reservations at Rifugio Lagazuoi are hard to get and Jim and I were very fortunate to have the overnight experience. (Wait til you see tomorrow morning’s photos!) We’re beginning to understand that the hikes are tough but the payoffs are priceless. Will there be another challenge tomorrow? Oh yeah.
Miles hiked: 8.7. Elevation gain: 3,645 feet
are many more hills to climb.”
