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The rest of our time on the Alta Via 2, after the first 4 days of mist, cold mornings, and frequent showers, reverted back to sunshine, great clear views and steady heat. The scenery was very varied. This is looking over the horse meadows towards yet another high mountain range- The Pale di San Martino group- which in the preferred style of the Alta Via 2- we guessed we would be tackling head on- straight up one side- straight down the other.... and so it proved.
I'm calling these the horse meadows due to the fact I've never seen so many horses left to roam completely free in one place. I was slightly hesitant about crossing this open space, having been pursued by a stallion in Spain years ago in a similar open mountain meadow- only avoiding its determined and unfriendly looking advances by heading into a patch of rough, uneven, stone filled ground where it was reluctant to follow. Something about the weird way it looked up, seen my approach from a long way off, then immediately headed at speed in my direction made me think this wasn't going to be a pleasant encounter so I made sure to avoid it just in case... but Paul assured me these particular horses would be different....
This was a lovely stage of the trip- very green and lush with, just for a change, an easy flat path to follow with no severe up and down sections to negotiate.
At other times the sheer beauty and majestic scale of the Dolomites took the breath away. A surreal stone forest constantly unfolding every day of impossibly high, wildly romantic savage peaks- some of the highest vertical limestone walls in the world rest here, apparently.
We also found time to climb the highest, most celebrated peak in the Dolomites. The mighty Marmolada. 3,343 metres or 10,968 feet high. We viewed it first from this lower peak with an afternoon thunderstorm building slowly over it then climbed it the next day when it was less electric. I'm ashamed to say I do not have any photos or many memories of the summit trudge up the glacier to the large cross at the apex. In fact I had to look it up online to remember I'd actually done the summit so it must have been just an easy snow plod. Unlike the beautiful Paradiso or scary Monte Pelmo the Marmolada was one summit ascent that was something of an anti-climax. I never took a single decent photo from the summit itself, just like Mont Blanc in that respect, but flat, grey skies that day didn't help. We had a few big thunderstorms here, including one monster that forced us off the peaks, but nothing like the relentless afternoon/evening onslaught we experienced almost daily in the Pyrenees. With climate change increasing the amount of energy available in the clouds, I'd imagine they might get worse but a full blown Alpine/ Pyrenean thunderstorm is one of nature's great spectacles... as long as you are in a place of safety to enjoy it without getting hit by lightning, of course.
It is a spectacular peak with fine ridges and large areas of bare exposed rock but not the way we climbed it which was the usual tourist route that anyone can do ( there's even a chairlift taking you near the summit- which we didn't use) so it did not have that feeling of true mountaineering achievement on it at any point. Just a high point tourist tick.
A bit busy and commercialized with a few late summer skiers climbing the summit then skiing back down the glacier to the chairlift. The steep ridge here is not the actual summit which is reached across the crevasse free glacier. Scott and Julian had a much more memorable ascent as they climbed one of the classic via ferrata routes on the mountain to get to the top, using ladders, rungs and wires and a different long approach. As this involved ropes?, climbing helmets, and full via ferrata kit, which they'd carried throughout this trip the rest of us missed it out. This mountain wasn't part of the Alta Via 2 but having read various online accounts about the comparisons between the AV 1 and the AV 2 everyone seems to think the AV 2 is more challenging and strenuous than the AV 1 which is certainly true as AV 2 does go up and down a lot more.
They also say there's far more via ferrata to negotiate on the AV 2 but I honestly do not remember any interesting via ferrata sections of note other than this one.. Everyone is wearing helmets and clipping in here but it's easy stuff and I just bombed along it to take this photo. It's my only via ferrata photo on the AV 2 so there couldn't have been much or I'd have captured it as well.
This was a spectacular section across an elevated limestone table top with huge vertical drops and jagged stone towers sticking up.
We could see via ferrata routes taking improbable lines up vertical walls, as seen here with climbers on a rock tower and a thin bridge crossing the gap just visible but the AV 2 itself avoided any serious difficulties where possible and I do not remember any real scrambling or dangerous exposure anywhere.
The scenery was incredible however with so much bare white limestone it dazzled the eyes and also dazzled the camera when the sun was out.
Amazing to think all this stunning verticality formed out of coral growing slowly, millennium after millennium, in an ancient shallow sea. Piz Boe' summit here, at 3,152 metres, 10,341 feet, the highest peak in the Sella Group and an easy popular summit to climb.
A hut in the dolomites on the AV 2.
I feel I have to stick up for the AV 1 here though which is also a stunning two week hike through spectacular scenery and I do remember incredible via ferrata routes on that trip. You can also do, as we did, spend a few days in Cortina d' Ampezzo, which is a major hub for excellent via ferrata routes in every direction from easy to hard.... or do a low level pastoral circuit of Monte Pelmo. Exploring 'God's Throne' from every angle... a classic valley day hike round the bottom of the sheer cliffs..
Also on our first full day on the Alta Via 1 we ascended from the town of Belluno up a deep gorge, passed the 7th alpini hut, then stopped below the vertical walls of the Schiara and Pelf. According to our guide book you can do a harder variation of the AV1 here which climbs these 800 metre soaring towers via an improbable line of vertical ladders, steel cables up chimneys and gullies, and horizontal unprotected ledge walks- taking you into places even rock climbers would think twice about.
And I've found that very route here.
Normally I would never post a 24 minute video as no-one would take the time to watch it but this is an exception. You should watch it full screen without skipping any bits or fast forwarding anything. This is truly 'a walk among the angels' and a route we followed with large, bulky multi day rucksacks weighing around 24 kg or 4 stone, heaving them up vertical ladders and chimneys with great effort.
In our via ferrata guide book a quarter of the way up this vast cliff the route splits into two... we went right continuing up metal ladders, cables and scrambling ridges to the high gap between the Schiara and the Pelf. This is the AV 1 variation route, which was desperate enough. Thank God we never took the left hand line as, carrying heavy packs, we would have really struggled on it.
I say again this is worth watching all the way through. The best mountain day out I've ever seen captured on video and done by ordinary guys not super-fit young rock climbers. Even saying that...you need serious balls to climb in the Dolomites. We could have done this left hand route in our prime but only with light day sacks. Even then it would be an epic adventure you would never forget. This video is amazing! And the higher up it climbs.... the more improbable it gets.
Hmmm - I'll have to watch that video but don't think it will be tonight as I'm at work in the morning!
ReplyDeleteAll very spectacular again though. I wish I'd done some stuff in the Alps - wonder if it's too late now?
As for horses, you did exactly the right thing with the one which was chasing you they hate stony ground and will only go over it if you're on them and you make them! A horse approaching you at a walk is generally okay, at a trot usually means a friendly greeting (but is generally reserved for the food-bringer/owner). Anything faster than that, vacate the area!
Once again, spectacular.
ReplyDeleteHi Carol,
ReplyDeleteYou could do the Alta Via 1 no problem, just miss out the Schiara via ferrata stage and the rest is easy but very spectacular. I.m sure they do guided walking holidays along it. You might need to stay in booked huts though as I think, with the increase in numbers everywhere, camping at the huts might be off limits now from what I've read online. Huts can be busy and noisy places which was another reason, apart from saving money, that we camped.Be a lot easier with a light pack.
The video is worth watching at its own pace. The relaxed way those old guys tackle the route I suspect they were good climbers in their prime. I could have done it when I was rock climbing mountain routes every summer but no way now as you loose your head for heights unless you keep at it at a high level.
Cheers Anabel.
ReplyDeleteThe Palominos are an almost identical horse to the Haflinger horse that we have seen in the Austrian Alps.
ReplyDeleteHaflingers were abandoned in the Tyrolean valleys in central Europe by Eastern Goths fleeing from Byzantine troops after the fall of Conza in 555 AD.
I will look at the video as it does sound well worth its 24mins.
Hi Rosemary,
ReplyDeleteI looked at photos of Palomino horses( fawn coloured, silvery white manes) before I picked that breed, Couldn't find much info on why so many were there in that meadow other than photos of people riding them in that region, some pulling lightweight touring carts for tourists seeing the mountains and it did say Palominos were in that general area.
Paul is Scottish Italian so I think I remembered him saying they were P as well. The other name I'm not familiar with at all but I'm not 100 percent sure as to the breed here.
I thought the video was fantastic and very professional, worthy of TV or cinema distribution, but you may need a head for heights to enjoy it fully. Sorry.
Couldn't agree more about losing your head for heights if you don't keep at it. Each start of the walking/climbing/scrambling season, I have to 'get my head in gear' (which is how I put it). It soon comes back though...
ReplyDeleteI agree with Rosemary that those horses are probably Haflingers. Right colour, build and shape. They're beautiful anyway.
Okay, watched the video. It was 'orrid! I could do that for maybe half an hour to an hour but definitely not for all that distance. I'd never get to sleep again for the nightmares and feeling of falling each time I started to fall asleep (I've had that plenty of times before). It just looks like a loose and horrible hell. Not too bad where there's cables but it looked like too many sections with nothing, on a narrow and loose ledge which kept disappearing and all over a huge drop.
ReplyDeleteNo thanks... If I do a via ferrata, it'll have to be way shorter than that!
Most of the via ferrata are like that unfortunately. Cables and ladders allow you to gain great height but they can't protect all of it, only the harder sections as it's difficult and no doubt expensive putting it in yet its free to use so there's usually narrow ledges above huge drops to cope with- that's where having rock climbing or scrambling experience comes in as it's pretty essential. We couldn't have done Monte Pelmo without it as that high traverse across the vertical cliffs went on for ages, completely unprotected.
ReplyDeleteLoving these retro-posts and adventures from days gone by. They always bring back some great memories. Enjoyed the video as well. I reckon I could handle the climbs at that level of difficulty but there is something about those exposed traverses, even protected by cables that really make me shudder.
ReplyDelete