Out of Touch in the Dolomites

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I´ve been hiking again. That´s probably not shocking news.

On Wednesday I took a bus from Trento up to a small Banff they call Madonna di Campiglio, 1500m above sea level in the Italian Dolomites. The town´s near the top of a broad pass, and mountains rise up on both sides, especially the east. Here is the Brenta Group of the Italian Dolomites, with massive towers and huge cliff faces that soar up close to a kilometre in places.

I managed to find a mountain hut in the valley where I could leave some of my heavy gear again, and ended up heading out for a couple days with a lighter pack. It´s nice having mountain huts everywhere that you can stay in, even if it does feel a little over-developed. It was a shorter hike on Wednesday, just up a valley and over one tight pass between huge walls to the hut, but I didn´t get started until afternoon so that was ok. There was a really neat fin of rock (on the scale of a small mountain) near the hut that provided some entertaining scrambling in the evening.

Thursday morning was, in contrast to Wednesday´s clouds, perfectly blue. I grabbed at the opportunity and rambled up one small peak near the hut in the morning, from where I had an amazing view of the range. These mountains are incredible! Only photos can describe - and unfortunately, as you can see, I can´t add photos at this computer. Bummer! You´ll have to wait!

Thursday afternoon I carried on my way, along the side of the Brenta Group and then back over another tight pass that is almost invisible until you´re right on top of it. In a couple places there were cables to hang on to, but the terrain was easy and it was just a walk.

There are other paths where the cables are much more practical though. These trails are known as the Via Ferrata (iron roads), and are something of a cross between hiking and climbing. You need some climbing gear to safely travel them - a harness and a few carabiners, mostly - and the via ferrata go straight up mountain sides with ladders, along narrow ledges, and generally everywhere you wish you could hike but can´t. It´s not quite climbing, since you just use the cables and ladders that are already there, but it´s certainly exposed enough that you don´t want to walk it without being attached to something. Imagine climbing a 50-step ladder that has a 300 metre drop below the bottom of it! I think I´ll have to return to the area some day equipped with the necessary gear, because it seems like a really good way to get to the top of some otherwise inaccessible mountains!

The Via Ferrata, incidently, have their origin in the fact that this area has always been the border land between Austria and Italy. In centuries past, these paths were constructed to allow armies to safely move about in the mountains without needing to be trained climbers. There are also a large number of forts and tunnels built right into the mountains in some places, with the same idea in mind. Pretty neat stuff!

Thursday night I reclaimed my gear and took a camp site near the town. Friday I was in the mood for one more hike, so I headed up to the west of Madonna di Campiglio where there are some lower peaks and a bunch of lakes. I was hoping for an outstanding view across the valley to the towers of the Brenta Group, but first the sun was in the wrong place (directly behind the Brenta Group) and then some clouds appeared out of nowhere, so it wasn´t quite ideal. Still, I managed some good photos! I also bagged 3 peaks and visited 5 different lakes on my way. 100% enjoyable!

Friday evening I took a bus back down to Trento, where I arrived late and pretty much went straight to sleep. Today, Saturday, I hopped on a train and got myself to Innsbruck, Austria, where I am now. And surrounded by mountains! Again! You know what I´ll be doing tomorrow... (if it doesn´t rain).

The only other thing worth mentioning is the surprise I got today. Turns out I should´ve put off sleeping last night and checked my email first: Zoom, the airline I´m scheduled to fly back to Calgary with in a few weeks, has filed for bankruptcy and no longer exists. Guess this means I have no idea when I´m coming back now! It´ll be an adventure, I guess... hope it´s a fun one!

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Comments

[Edit, the Hungarian]

Zoooooooom!
Hello there! I am envy you could do the Via Ferrata, or at least a good portion of it! We still plan to go though. Your hikes and pictures from the different places you have been are fantastic! We used to say that if people did not speak German in Austria we could live there for a while - and hike. Zoom... Do you know when and how will you come back? Do you want to? :) Keep posting, I love reading your blog. Edit