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Rifugio Toni Demetz |
September 17, 2014
Last night I had a huge plate of macaroni, which was very good; after eating
the whole thing, though, I don't know how well it will treat me today.
Just as in Patagonia, there doesn't seem to be anything resembling a balanced
meal on any menu. About the closest thing to it is pizza, where one can
get a few tiny pieces of some veggie along with a few tiny pieces of meat.
One option is always to eat out with others, order different dishes, then share
them — as one might do at a Chinese restaurant. That way,
one would not end up with twice as big an entree as is wanted.
Today at breakfast, without warning, the hostess brings me a boiled egg.
Having no particular interest in that, I give it to my companion. Also,
I observe that Dave has become a convert to my recommended delicious
yogurt-on-cereal concoction; now I must train him to include some
fruit as well.
Dave has highly anticipated today's hike into the vaunted Brenta Dolomites; and the prospect of clambering up a slope with spires towering a couple thousand feet above on all sides certainly is exciting. The weather might well not cooperate, however.
After a pair of bus rides to Selva Gardena, we hop onto the Ciampinoi cabin lift, in a car big enough to seat a dozen people.
Raindrops on the gondola window are not a good sign
Already we are in the clouds, and already Dave's disappointment is evident. Every day we have been hopeful that the clouds might lift as the day progresses; but they never have, and I don't know why today should be an exception.
We need to go around that mountain, the Sassolungo
Rifugio Comici is not on our route
Despite the weather, we will have company
Into the clouds
That's a pretty strong stick!
Many folk are hanging out at this major trail junction, including another of those mysterious wooden falcons:
A popular lunch spot
Heading for the big cleft with the cloud in it
A high-altitude garden
We won't be going way over there
Rifugio Vicenza appears, 300 feet above
Not much business today, for obvious reasons
We don't even bother to go inside this hut; for the crux of the mission
is at hand, and we seem anxious to get on with it. The next leg of the
route is a 1,300-foot scramble up a scree slope, deemed so relatively
treacherous that hikers are advised to tackle it only in the uphill direction.
Into the breach
Memorial of a helicopter accident
Maybe Shangri-La is in there somewhere
This is indeed as steep and treacherous a route as I have experienced; moreover, the rocks are cold and wet, compounding the difficulty. I am enjoying it nonetheless.
The clouds do seem to be lifting down below...
...but not up ahead
Despite the obscured views, I am having a good time. This situation
is different from anything I have experienced previously, and I find it rather
exciting. I am not cold or wet, the rigors of the steep climb are being
handled without issue, and we are on a mission — to get to the
top. As long as it doesn't actually rain, I am a happy guy.
Pressing on
Trail to nowhere
Trail to somewhere
The gradient begins to flatten out now, so we must be nearing the col. Our spirits rise accordingly.
This snowdrift is negotiated without incident
Somewhat eerie, but exciting and beautiful
There is another reason why I am feeling better about this adventure than I might
have been — the knowledge that we are not going to have to walk down!
We can hear motors just around the corner
The summit, 8800'
Most trail markers in these mountains denote destinations in terms of hours
and minutes of walking time, but for whom? Because we are old, Dave tends
to add about 50% to the published times as a worst-case scenario; but we
invariably manage to do quite a bit better than that.
There is plenty of time for a bowl of hot vegetable soup
Now it is time to get off the mountain by way of — what's this? A lift that never stops, that's what. Without warning, the attendant shoves me into a moving car, alone, then slams the door shut just before I plunge over the precipice.
It's okay once I realize that I'm not going to die
There is nothing in this compartment vaguely resembling a bench or even a handhold, but there are some ventilation holes in the floor! While I'm standing, I might as well take some pictures.
Dave is right behind me, I trust
At the bottom, one attendant opens the door while another grabs my arm to prevent a fall as I set foot upon the stationary platform. Dave also found his own ride to be great fun.
Another long wait, another drink
That lift has carried us down into Passo Sella, where we can catch the bus.
At the bus stop
A last look at the mountain, where conditions have not improved
§: The weather proved a major disappointment today. I am sure that Dave is as anxious as I to experience a clear day in the Dolomites; we haven't seen one yet. On the other hand, I actually had a great time achieving our goal despite the adverse conditions, which also provided material for some interesting and unusual photographs.
Due to the novelty of today's hike, it rates to remain one of our more memorable outings. To top it off, this twelfth consecutive day of hiking constitutes a personal record for me.
| Scenery |  |
| Difficulty |  |
| Personality | |
| Weather |  |
| Solitude |  |
The ski lift to the trailhead at Rifugio Comici is not shown here
