Craig Henderson Europe '23 Part 9 - Dolomites Alta Via 1

3 September 2023 - Lago di Braies, South Tyrol, Italy; day prior to start of Alta Via 1 (aka the Dolomites High Route 1)

Why the Dolomites?

The Dolomites are located in far north-eastern Italy. They’re very close to the Italy/Austria border which, as I will explain shortly, is relevant to the walk we’re doing.

The Dolomites were always going to feature in my walk safari. There’s an aura about them. Seasoned walkers seem to put them on another level, above and beyond the rest of the European Alps. I’ve only ever seen them from a distance.

Pictures convey a thrilling terrain. Mountains thrust upwards improbably and unexpectedly. Peaks and ridges are jagged and serrated, like shattered shards of glass. Cliffs plunge precipitously. Rock-strewn plateaus look like they’re from another world. There’s a harsh, unforgiving tone to the region. No one would ever think of using the Dolomites for the lid of a chocolate box.

I wrestled over which Dolomites walk to do. It’s a large region and it’s riddled with paths. Walk trip operators have developed some great routes in recent years, using refugios, hotels and a mixture of both.

Ultimately, I chose the classic - Alta Via 1 (aka the Dolomite High Route 1). Alta Via 1 is the oldest of the Alta Via walks in the Dolomites (there are Alta Via 2, Alta Via 3 and several more) and the most accessible. It doesn’t involve any Via Ferrata (very steep rock ascents or descents where steel fixtures have been installed to assist walkers/climbers). It’s a north/south route of about 115 km and during its course your views encompass about 80% of the Dolomites.

The Alta Via 1 also has some interesting reminders of World War I. The Dolomites were the scene of fierce and protracted fighting between the Austrian-Hungarian Empire and Italy. There are still ruins of barracks, trenches and tunnels to be seen, as well as several open air museums.

Lago di Braies

Lago di Braies is the starting point for Alta Via 1 and also one of the world’s most beautiful lakes. The lake is a true mountain lake; it’s located at 1,496m and is fed by glacial streams and springs. Its outstanding feature is its vivid emerald colour, but its impact also stems from the conifers and sheer sided mountains that surround it.

There’s one hotel located right on the lake and I’m splurging on it. It has quite a history, this hotel. It was built in the 1890’s in a grand Austrian Tyrol style and has changed little since. The rooms are furnished with original Art Nouveau furniture. Its views are spectacular.

During World War II, the hotel was commandeered by the Nazis, presumably for recreational purposes. Even more fascinatingly, in the dying days of the war, Hitler came up with a desperate scheme to try to buy some time. He instructed the SS to move 139 high value prisoners to the hotel (statesmen, diplomats, officers, aristocrats) with a view to trading their lives for some concessions from the Allies. The prisoners were moved but the plan was foiled, partly due to resistance from German regular forces and partly because things unravelled too quickly for the Nazis to implement it.

I’m doing this walk with my sister and brother-in-law, Fiona and Andrew. That’s if they make it in time. An 11 hour plane delay in Singapore has thrown their plans into disarray. This caravan has to leave in the morning!

4 September 2023 - Day 1 of Alta Via 1: Lago di Braies to Rifugio Pederu (14 km; 6.0h)

Fiona and Andrew made it by the skin of their teeth, arriving at 7pm by taxi having missed the last bus on the last leg of their epic journey. Today should be easy - just swing one foot after the other.

The day starts with a meander around Lago di Braies. It’s a cloudless, clear and still Monday morning and the lake reflects the surrounding mountains. At 8.30am, it’s 11C but it will rise to low 20’s during the day. There are plenty of walkers heading off and there’s a bounce in their steps. As there should be given their location, the weather and the hour of the day.

Our challenging work today comes early with an 800m climb up to Refugio Biella. It’s a steady climb, although one section of 50 metres or so has cables for assistance. Reward comes with views back to the lake.

Refugio Biella lies just beyond our high point for the day at around 2,300m. It sits in a rock-strewn plateau without a tree in sight. We join other walkers under the refugio’s sun umbrellas. Fiona is intrigued by the menu item “cafe correcta” and, as a chronically curious veteran traveller, orders it. It’s a shot of espresso and a shot of a spirit of some sort. She forces herself to finish it. Not sure what was “correct” about that concoction.

The rest of the day is an easy decline until the last hour when we plunge down a gorge. One side of the gorge is a sheer cliff face and the gorge is heavily forested. The route here follows a gravel road which is popular with intrepid mountain bikers. We’re provided with entertainment watching the different strategies employed for the tricky descent. The ‘get off and walk’ strategy is the most popular.

5 September 2023 - Day 2 of Alta Via 1: Rifugio Pederu to Rifugio Col Gallina (20 km; 6.5h)

The refuges of the Dolomites are very popular in summer. You need to use them to do the Alta Via 1 as the path doesn’t pass through villages. So your walking days are dictated by the location of the refuge you managed to book for that night.

Tonight’s refuge, Rifugio Col Gallina, is off the trail. In fact, it’s in a valley 1,000m below the trail! Fortunately, there’s a cable car that should spare us a cruel addition to an already long day. However, the last cable car leaves at 5pm and we’ve got 20km, including 1,700m of ascent, to cover before then.

So, we’re out of Refugio Pederu by 8am and striding with more purpose than I generally muster at that hour. We’re climbing but it’s mostly gentle and we make good time. Then temptation appears in the form of beautiful Rifugio Fanes and its freshly baked cake and strudel. The Hendersons, notorious cake consumers, seek to convince a dubious Andrew that we’re ahead of schedule and the treats will actually speed us up. Andrew remains unconvinced so the sweet lovers out-vote him.

In my mind at least, we positively bowl along after the break. Certainly, we hardly break stride as we leave a cruisy valley path and start the climb to Forcella del Lago (2,486m). This is a narrow notch in a chain of mountains. We get to the notch and our jaws drop in astonishment. On the other side, the track plunges precipitously and terrifyingly down a scree slope.

We all peer down the slope and wonder how we’re going to get down alive. The young couple ahead of us put on climbers helmets and start gingerly. Then it’s our turn. What follows is one of the most masterful examples of track-making I’ve ever seen. Through a series of tight switchbacks we lose a couple of hundred metres. Then as the scree gets larger and more dangerous, the track-maker employs long wooden posts to somehow create a walkway of sorts through the scree. As we approach the bottom, we keep turning back and peering upwards; we’re incredulous that we’ve just descended that slope.

The drama of the day is not over. There’s 500m to climb to get to Refugio Lagazuio (at 2,752m) and the co-located cable car station. It’s a slog up through featureless moraine. The sun feels intense and is reflecting off the pale stones. Towards the top, WWI fortifications can be viewed, including a tunnel that descends hundreds of metres.

You can climb down the length of the tunnel and pop out at the bottom of the mountain. We don’t plan to do that but we do want to explore a bit. Andrew enters forgetting that the height of the average man in 1914 was a lot shorter than today. He promptly bashes his forehead against a beam and starts bleeding profusely.

Enough excitement for the day. We descend on the 4pm cable car and retreat to the haven of our refuge.

6 September 2023 - Day 3 of Alta Via 1: Rifugio Col Gallina to Rifugio Scoiatolla (17 km; 5.0h)

We’ve hardly seen a cloud on this walk so far and today is to be the same. The first two days have made us ultra sun-conscious; the sun has a kick here and there are long stretches of shade-less walking. Good sun protection and early starts are essential.

The cable car delivers us back to the track, at the lofty level of 2,750m. Our first few hours involve a gradual descent under the massive rock faces of Tofane and Castelletto. It’s tricky walking as the slopes we’re traversing are steep and predominantly scree. At times the track is narrow and exposed and extreme care is required.

Rifugio Dibona, our chosen lunch spot, is a welcome sight. Its flower adorned terrace has wonderful mountain views and vacant tables. However, the terrace has limited shade. For baked and overheated walkers, shade at lunchtime is non-negotiable. A sun umbrella is installed. I’m reminded yet again of the differences between walking in the European alps and walking in most other areas of the world. My lunch is a tuna Niçoise salad followed by warm apple strudel, Andrew has mushroom ravioli and Fiona (as always, the most daring) has blueberry tagliolini. The challenges of the hot and tricky scree slope fade into the background.

Post-lunch we revel in the first forest walking of the trip. This stretch does also involve a plummet to a valley floor and then a lung-busting climb but, hey, this is the Dolomites what would you expect?

Our overnight rifugio is located alongside the Cinque Torri outdoor World War I museum. Bunkers, guard posts, artillery stations, reinforced trenches etc have been restored and information boards installed. It’s a fascinating area to wander around for a couple of hours.

7 September 2023 - Day 4 of Alta Via 1: Rifugio Rifugio Scoiatolla to Rifugio Passo Staulanza (19 km; 6.5h)

You have to wonder about the creator of Alta Via 1 sometimes. Soon after the start of today we plunge a couple of hundred metres via a pile of boulders that are clearly at the start of their inevitable journey to the bottom of the valley. At the end of this little challenge, Andrew observes that in Spring we would have been climbing down a waterfall. An unmade road that doesn’t seem to carry any traffic sidles down the slope not far from our obstacle course.

The motivation of the track planner here and elsewhere seems to be to allow AV1 walkers to get up close and personal to the stars of the show - the towers, spires, shards and tors that make up these ranges. For those that love the excitement of mixing with these magnificent divas, the AV1 (and so many other Dolomites tracks) is nothing less than thrilling.

There’s lots of variety in today’s stage. We have vast grassy basins, saddles and passes and some more forest. We also have a couple more scree slopes, one of which had been closed till recently due to a landslide.

The scree slopes and the steep ascents and descents of this walk have got me pondering walking poles. I’d say about 80% of AV1 walkers are using them. I have walking poles at home but I’ve almost never used them and decided not to bring them on this safari. The fact that I’ve rarely used them, as well as weight and space considerations, were the reasons for that decision.

I haven’t felt the need for poles on the walks I’ve done to date but on Alta Via 1 I’ve no doubt they would be useful. In particular, on the steep descents and on the scree and moraine. In those situations, they would provide additional stability and security, enable a bit more speed and reduce the risk of knee strains.

The main ‘cost’ of poles is the extra weight. They’re also an impediment to rock scrambling (where you need to use your hands) but that issue can be addressed by stowing them away through the external stowing systems which are standard on most hiking backpacks. Whether they’re an advantage on ascents not involving rock scrambling, gentle descents and on the flat is more contentious. I think the benefit is marginal but others swear they make a huge difference. Each to their own is the obvious conclusion.

Fiona and Andrew walk with one pole each. At times they look like pilgrims taking a very indirect route to Santiago de Compostela.

8 September 2023 - Day 5 of Alta Via 1: Rifugio Passo Staulanza to Rifugio Vazzoler (19 km; 6.5h)

We’re well into the southern half of the walk now. It feels more remote and there are less day walkers. This means that it’s easier to identify your fellow Alta Via 1 walkers.

I think around 60% of AV1 walkers would be Western European, with the remainder being “international”. Based on those we’ve come across, the international contingent is represented by people from the US, Canada, Israel, the UK and Australia (being us; we haven’t come across other Australians). The age range is wide. We’ve met a Canadian lady travelling by herself who we think would be mid 70’s, there are plenty in their mid to late 20’s and there are plenty in their 50’s and 60’s. Genders seem about evenly represented.

As always on multi-day walks, people mix and socialise readily, particularly once you’ve come across someone a few times. On this walk, meals at most of the refuges are at tables with others so that accelerates the interaction.

Our unit of Fiona, Andrew and me are travelling well and generally our times for stages are around the times estimated in our guide book. In fact, an hour before lunch today, we vote unanimously to climb to Refugio Tissi, a refuge renowned for its food but located atop a steep hill. The AV1 allows you to skirt around this hill, but we choose not to!

Tonight we are staying at a rifugio run by Club Alpino Italiano, Rifugio Vazzoler. It has a lovely location amidst a conifer forest and is quite remote. We’re lucky to be in a four person dorm (as opposed to a dorm sleeping more people) but the room is tiny. With four people standing in the dorm holding their backpacks the floor space is entirely taken up.

Rifugio Vazzoler’s best feature is its outside terrace that provides dress circle views of the surrounding giants. We sit resting and enjoying the cooler temperature of the late afternoon with various walkers, including Teresa and Ruben. This couple live in the Czech Republic but Teresa runs a travel business specialising in treks in Morocco. She tells us about the many attractions of trekking in the Atlas Mountains.

9 September 2023 - Day 6 of Alta Via 1: Rifugio Vazzoler to Passo Duran (16 km; 5.5h)

Today we walk with two engaging Israelis, Ofer and Uzi. They would be in their 50’s and have known each other since school. Ofer and his wife have four girls while Uzi and his wife have four boys. They’ve shared many travel adventures together over the years and the AV1 is one more. Ofer is a coffee aficionado, while Uzi loves herbal teas. They carry a gas stove and glass drinking cups and stop regularly for a brew. We tease them about these periodic indulgences, but really we’re envious.

We walk through more conifer forests today, although we’re never far from the scree slopes that fall away from the looming Civetta and Moiazza mountain groups. Occasionally, of course, the track-maker can’t resist a foray up a scree slope to the very cliff-face of the mountains. Rifugio Carestiato is the only refuge we pass en route today. We spot it from afar, but it proves elusive and it seems an eternity before we reach it. We’re disappointed. It’s busy (as there’s a road further on that gives access to it) and its terrace is baking in unshaded sun. No attraction to us beetroots. We find a patch of grass in half-shade behind the refuge and drink our water.

In the early evening, at our overnight refuge at Passo Duran, we notice that Teresa and Ruben have not arrived. We’re puzzled by that. But then we hear the news of the horrendous earthquake in Morocco. Clearly, at some stage last night or today the news had got to Teresa and they have had to abandon their AV1 to deal with infinitely more important matters. Obviously, thousands losing their lives is the primary tragedy but we also think of people like Teresa whose businesses and livelihoods will be battered.

10 September 2023 - Day 7 of Alta Via 1: Passo Duran to Rifugio Pian de Fontana (21 km; 7.0h)

We expect today will be demanding so we farewell Rifugio San Sebastián bright and early. We climb up though thick forest that’s still damp from the overnight dew. It will be warm again this afternoon so we relish the coolness of the forest. Sadly, the bark beetles are present in this area and some of the conifers have succumbed.

We cross a few scree slopes but they are not too difficult and we’re walking in the shade of the mountains to our east. The scree slopes are another proposition in the heat of the day when the rocks reflect the sun so effectively.

The afternoon stretch is pretty challenging - we climb steeply up to Forcella de Zita Sud (2,395m) and then descend equally dramatically to the renovated shepherd huts that comprise our refuge for the night. The climb involves a hands-on rock scramble up a quite narrow rocky ridge. At the Forcella there is a grassy terrace that affords welcome space and security. At this point, a group of Americans in their 20’s employ their drone to try to locate a member of their group who has dropped behind. Gotta say, it beats descending to try to find him.

We didn’t see Ofer or Uzi on today’s walk and we’re a bit surprised when they arrive at the refuge at about 7.30pm. They had decided to take a short-cut but after a while the short-cut became too challenging so they had retraced their steps. We couldn’t resist reminding Uzi of his counsel yesterday to “stick on the path and always follow the signs”!

Tonight is our last night on the trail. At dinner, the table discusses whether anyone has sighted a cloud on the walk. A French couple claim to have spotted two clouds on the one day. They are interrogated but they stick to their guns.

11 September 2023 - Day 8 of Alta Via 1: Rifugio Pian de Fontana to La Pissa (15 km; 4.5h)

We set off on our last day with mixed feelings. The walk has been amazing but a rest and some additional living comforts will be nice as well.

An hour into the walk, Ofer and Uzi ask us to join them for herbal tea. Of course, we’re delighted to do so. Their concoction is a bit like a chai tea without milk. It’s wonderful! We sip our tea contentedly as we gaze down the deep and winding gorge that we’re about to descend.

We’re on a slower timetable than our fellow walkers today. They’re all aiming for the 13.30 bus from the end of the walk at La Pissa to nearby Belluno. We have an hour longer as we’ve booked a 14.30 taxi to take us to Cortina. So we gradually farewell those we’ve met as they rush off and we continue at a more leisurely rate.

The extra time is great to have. Unlike some other multi-day walks, the Alta Via 1 delivers terrific walking right to its end. There is 1,000m to descend over the last five or six kilometres but the track is mostly well-graded and it’s not as knee-straining as we thought it might be. The forest is dense and the narrow gorge provides great vistas. We feel lucky that we can take our time and enjoy this final stretch.

As we amble to the finish, we also have an opportunity to reflect on the last eight days. For the average walker this is a challenging walk and on warm days you have to be able to cope with heavy exercise in those conditions. But the rewards are there in spades and we now have an understanding of why Dolomites walkers speak of these mountain ranges in hallowed tones.