A Walk On The High Side
By Iain McCallum
The Dolomites - Alta Via 2 - July 2008
Dudley - "Iain if you don't do AV2 now you never will." Me - "It is over 100 miles with 25,000 feet of ascent carrying a big bag." Keith - "Iain you can do it!"
Day 1
Sometime later I found myself spending the night with Dudley and Keith in a splendid guest house on hillside near Feltre. The following day we took a taxi from Feltre to Passo Di Croce D'Aune from where we climbed the steep track for about 1,000 metres to our first hut " Rifugio dal Paz". Here we met a group from the Kinder Mountain Rescue Team who were just about to finish AV2 from North to South. They were carrying heavy packs as they were planning to go to climb the Gran Paradiso in the high Alps and so they needed ice axes, crampons and ropes. One of them entertained us in the evening playing a medley of Irish and Scottish tunes on his penny whistle.
Day 2
We crossed over the low pass behind the hut and made our way to the Rif. Boz. While traversing the alpine meadows we saw many colourful flowers and several chamois.
It was a hot day so when we arrived at the hut we washed and dried our sweat stained clothes in the open. We were the only people staying at the hut. The hut warden spoke French and so Dudley had quite a chat with him. He gave us glasses of free grappa! So we all slept well. Under the stairs to the dormitories there were piles of wood for the stove. Clearly fire safety was not a high priority.
Day 3
A long, hard day. It took us eleven hours to walk from Rif. Boz to Passo Cerada.
We stopped for lunch at the Biv. Feltre. Two corrugated-iron buildings, one a 15 bed bivouac hut complete with mattresses and blankets and a kitchen area with tables and chairs but no stove. Choughs joined us for lunch. Following a strenuous climb we reached the top of Forecella Di Comedon (2067m). The old smugglers pass. Initially the descent involved a traverse of steep slippery cliffs then difficult loose ground with patches of hard snow. Care are was needed to avoid knocking rocks down the steep slope. I breathed a great sigh of relief when we reached safe ground.
Eventually we reached a boulder-choked ravine, which proved difficult to navigate. Finding where the path left the stream posed a challenge and we spent some time trying to establish the route. Somewhere along the way we missed the main path. A local man pointed us towards the Passo Cerada but this took us through woods over rough terrain until we reached the road and at last the Albergo Cerada. Here we met four Brits walking the AV2 from North to South.
Day 4
A much easier day. Our route to the Rif. Treviso involved a climb of about 1,000 metres over quite difficult terrain beneath crags and rock faces to Forcella D'Oltro (2,229m). The narrow ridge gave us extensive views over the valleys below. The steep descent over rocks and scree took us down to the treeline and onto a path leading to the hut. Here we met Chris.from Hay on Wye, another AV2 walker. The hut is very popular with climbers as it is fairly close to a road. There are a number of Via Ferratas in the area. Dudley and Keith were rather sorry that they did not take advantage of them. They claimed that this was due to my insistence on having beers on the sunny terrace. In the evening we dined with Chris and also with Philip, a German boy, aged 15, and his Grandfather who were also walking AV2.
Day 5
This was probably our hardest day. Initially the weather was fine but when we reached Passo Delle Lede (2,695m) the mist came down and it started to rain. From the pass we crossed the Pale Di Martino, a very rocky plateau with lots of snow traverses, in very poor visibility. At some point we ended up on the wrong path causing us to lose height. Eventually after a hard slog we arrived at the Rif. Rosetta in a thunderstorm and torrential rain. Once in the warmth of the hut we soon recovered from our exertions. A good hut.
Day 6
A rest day. Dudley and Keith had planned to do a V.F but it was raining. It was also my birthday so we took the cable car down to San Martino Di Castrozzi, a ski resort. In the valley it was warm and sunny with tourists wandering around in tee shirts and shorts. We drank lots of coffees and teas, wrote lots of postcards and to celebrate we had lunch in a restaurant. I bought myself a pair of walking poles for 16 Euros. Rain and sleet greeted us when arrived back at the top of the lift so we lingered a while and drank some beers before walking back to the hut.
Day 7
Another damp day. At first our route to the Rif. Mulaz took us down into a small rocky valley. It then contoured along a very narrow trail, exposed in places. Some of the exposed sections were protected by cables. There were plenty of flowers along the mountain side In due course the path climbed steeply up the rock strewn slopes to Passo Delle Farangole (2,912), the highest pass on the AV2. This pass between towering peaks marked the half-way point. There was a large snow drift at the top partly obscuring the cable and ladder protection. We made our way down a steep scree slope, over rocks and snowfields to Passo del Mulatz and so to the Mulaz Hut. Here we met a large party of elderly Italians from near Genoa who were spending a week walking from hut to hut. A very noisy evening ensued.
Day 8
An easier day with good weather. Down hill most of way to the Passo Di Valles (2031m) where we met by Barry, a great St. Bernard. We indulged in soup,beer and coffee at the Rifugio. Then after crossing a grassy upland area strewn with large granite boulders we dropped down through the woods to Passo Di San Pellegrino and to the luxury of the Albergo Miralago where we stayed the night.
Day 9
A long ascent starting at Rif Fuchiade brought us to the Forca Rosso (2,490m), followed by a very long descent on good paths and tracks to Malga Ciapela. On our way we came across a black snake crossing the road. While waiting for the bus to the Passo Di Fedaia we had a few beers. From the pass we walked along the lake to the dam and the Rif. Dolomia. The food and accommodation was very good at this private guest house.
Day 10
Dudley and Keith had intended to do the V.F. Eterna Brigada Cadore on the Marmalada but they decided to do V.F. Trichee instead. I had a very pleasant walk below the basalt ridge along a pathway devoted to the area's geology. It also ran past the remains of trenches marking the frontline between the Austrian and Italians in WW1. The views of the Marmolada and its glacier across the valley were magnificent. Dudley and Keith met me at the café at the top of the lift at the eastern end of the ridge for a late lunch. While eating our meal we enjoyed watching the storm which had broken out. We waited for the storm to end and then made our way down the slopes to the dam and our Rifugio. On our way we passed through a colony of marmots.
Day 11
The climb over the ridge to Passo Pordoi and along the Viel del Pan was easy. As Keith had forecast we started to meet lots of people. From the pass a cable car took us to the top of the plateau above Val Lasties with superb views of the rugged Sella Massif. It was only a short walk to the Rif. Boe where we had lunch. On our way we met the guide from the hut who it turned out had collected food from the lift. After lunch we continued via some cabled sections and by a small lake to the Rif. Pisciadu.
Another good hut.
Day 12
Another wet start. Aided by some cables we scrambled down the ravine, over scree and old snow drifts to Passo Gardena where we stopped for coffee. From the pass we climbed up through a forest of rocky pinnacles to Passo Cir (2,446m) then over Passo Crespeina (2,528m). After crossing a large limestone plateau we reached our next hut the Rif. Puez. A very poor hut. Cold and inhospitable. The company of Mike and Eileen from Hampshire, however, raised our spirits. We spent a very pleasant evening with them.
Day 13
A really tough day. The weather was terrible. The rain came down in torrents. It sleeted and snowed from time to time. During the day we crossed several passes. In a thunderstorm we descended a steep exposed gulley from Forcella Della Roa (2,617m) Although there were cables for protection I still found it most intimidating. Some Germans called "englischer wetter" to us as we passed them on the path.
We lunched at a small farm - a welcome respite from the weather. After crossing the Forcella San Zenon we arrived at the Rif. Genova where we met a group of Ramblers. Their leader recommended the Schatzerhutte where their group had stayed the previous night. This involved a long descent to Passo Rodella and then a sting in the tail, uphill to the Schatzerhutte. This was our best hut. We had an excellent meal which included fish for a change. This privately owned hut was also one of the cheapest huts. A nine hour day but we did stop for about two hours.
Day 14
A pleasant climb to Rif. Plose took us just two hours. We celebrated the finish with beer, soup and large apfelstrudels. It was a beautiful sunny day with superb views of the Dolomites and the Zillertal peaks to the north. Below the hut we took the cable car down to Brixen/ Bressanone. Dudley and Keith found us some excellent accommodation close to the town centre. Later we sat in the town square drinking beer and listening to music played by a German Youth Orchestra. Next day we travelled by train via Verona to Venice.
Note: Normally the 185km AV2 is walked from North to South.
The Cicerone Guide Book, "Treks in the Dolomites" covers AV1 and AV2.
Party - Dudley Moore (Ex-KMC member), Keith Williams and Iain McCallum.
