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The Dolomitic Jigsaw
by Christine Farr and Duncan Innes
Every trip to the Dolomites is akin to piecing together another section of a bizarre three dimensional jigsaw puzzle. Even by Alpine standards the Dolomites are remarkable, and between us Chris and myself had visited these mountains on five previous occasions. For our 2008 trip we chose a route that would make partial use of a couple of the walks suggested in Gillian Price’s excellent book ‘Walking in the Dolomites’. Starting in the small town of Calalzo di Cadore (a three hour train jour- ney from Venice) we would wind our way in a roughly north westerly direction, finishing up in the unofficial capital of the region, Cortina.
We are walkers, not climbers, and this presents challenges in the Dolomites with some areas being littered with via ferrata sections. Despite this, with a good head for heights and careful planning there are excellent opportunities for multiple day treks at high altitude, and for much of our 2008 trip we would be staying well above the 2000m mark.
Day one of the walk was straightforward enough – a 1000 metre ascent from Calalzo to the picturesque and friendly Rifuge Antelao 1796m, situated on the edge of the tree line with superb views eastwards towards the Parco Naturale Dolomiti Frulane. In actual fact these views did not become apparent until the following morning – we arrived at the hut in thick cloud and this soon turned into a classic alpine thunderstorm; loud, dramatic and best experienced from inside a hut with food and drink in front of you.
On day two we awoke to a crystal clear morning and ahead of us was a meandering route skirting to the east and the north of Antelao, the second highest peak in the Dolomites 3264m. Our destination would be the tiny San Marco Rifuge 1823m. For those with equipment or a high bravery quotient there is a comparatively direct route to this hut going over a series of roped sections. A conversation with a group of Germans in the Antelao Hut the night before, where they demonstrated their good knowledge of English language expletives to describe this route, had convinced us that a lower level alternative was more sensible. The route we chose (via the Forc Piria, the Piande Antelao and the Rifuge Galassi) turned into a classic alpine day out. There were different views every half hour, occasional mini-adventures on alpine scree, and a well earned rest at the end having ascended (and descended) more than 1500m during the day.
Every trip to the mountains has a defining image that you know will stay with you forever and for us the ever changing views of Mount Pelmo (located immediately to the west of our third hut, the Venezia Rifuge) provided us with such a memory. Pelmo is a maverick mountain, impressive and dramatic from any angle and standing proudly by itself. Other mountains that have had a similar effect on us in the past are Taranaki (New Zealand), Suilven (Scotland) and of course the Matterhorn in the Alps. Pelmo is also one of the highest peaks of the Dolomites at 3168m but it is not the height as such that inspires, it is the sheer uncompromising steepness that leaves you looking at it in amazement. Day three of our walk took us closer and closer to Pelmo, and by the time we were at the Venezia Rifuge the cliffs that com- prise the eastern edge of the Massif dominated the skyline. Climbing Pelmo is a possibility but it involves sections where you have to crawl along cliff face edges, and as an alternative we chose a route that would circumnavigate the mountain, taking in a fine lunch stop and, for added interest, a site where dinosaur footprints have been found.
Day five of our walk saw us heading north and covering a lot of ground (although not so much height) to end at the beautifully located Rifugio Croda da Lago. After an overnight here we headed westwards for the Rifugio Nuvolau 2575m, situated on top of a knife edge ridge with wonderful panoramic views and an equally superb sunset. This hut was the most unusual and eccentric of the week, being run by a Canadian woman who cooked us a very welcome egg and bacon in the morning and inhabited by a completely insane four month old kitten. Earlier in the week we had talked to a Dutch couple who had mentioned that immediately to the east of this hut there was some exposed but relatively straightforward grade 1 via ferrata. With six days of mountain legs behind us we decided to brave this route and were rewarded with an exhilarating if somewhat nervy hour descending from the ridge.
The via ferrata marked the start of our final full day of walking which ended up with an ascent through a labyrinth of First World War tunnels to the Lagazoi Rifuge 2752m. Our total distance covered in the tunnels was over one kilometre, with 300 metres of climb. In previous trips to the Dolomites we had both seen evidence of the fighting that had taken place during the First World War, but the area around the Lagazoi Rifuge is so littered with relics from the War that it takes over from everything else.
It is very sobering to be up in the mountains, amongst such beauty, and to realise what happened there less than 100 years ago.
Our final morning of walking provided us with a snapshot of all the Alpine terrain we had walked through during the previous week. Starting at the Lagazoi Rifuge we descended 1600 metres through the multiple strata of terrain that make up the Dolomites to arrive in the very posh town of Cortina for lunch. This was our best day for seeing both chamois and marmots and provided a fitting finale to our week long journey. Another piece of the Dolomitic Jigsaw in place, many more to come!
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Last updated 06 March 2009