July 2nd to 4th, 2023 – Sesto Dolomites, hotel in Dobbiaco. The first few days of our tour we had cloudy and rainy weather, but still completed three awesome hikes, with plenty of time to admire wildflowers, and to appreciate the stunning views that occasionally appeared in the brighter weather windows.
Our three hikes in the Tre Cime area area
#1. July 2 – Rifugio Citta di Carpi – We drove from Bressanone past Lake Misurina to the Refugio Col di Varda (6950′). We rode up to our first trail in an open two person chair lift, above an amazing array of wildflowers in the tangled vegetation beneath us. We hiked up through damp forest and open meadows that were completely full of wildflowers – so many that we kept stopping to take pictures. Green lumpy meadows completely spangled with bright yellow globes, buttercups, cinquefoil and trefoil; pink alpenrose, valerian and daphne; purple orchids, clematis and gentians. We had our first Rifugio lunch at the Refugio Citta di Carpi. As we walked back down our trail, the clouds cleared enough for us to see the mountain views we had missed on the way up. And back at the bottom, we could see all the way across Lake Misurina. A very fun, damp first day. (5.6 miles/1300 feet)
Map of our trail from Col di Varda to Citta di Carpi.
Trail from the top of the chair lift
Flowers in the forest
Flowers in the meadows
Along the dolomite path toward cloud-covered peaks…
Purple orchid and buttercup meadows.
Up the rocky trail…
Nearing the Rifugio, peaks coming out of the clouds.
Flowers all the way…
So many different kinds of flowers!
Avens, buttercups,
Alpenrose, globes,
Avens and yellow trefoils…
Avens, alpenrose,
And more flowers…
Eventually we reached the Rifugio for lunch –
Rifugio Citti di Carpi
After lunch, we could see the surrounding mountains a little better as we descended back to the chair lift that would take us back to Lake Misurina.
Mountains beyond the clouds and flowers
More flower meadow and peaks
Close up of the Cadini peaks
Cirque wall
Looking down on Lake Misurina from the descending chair lift
Lake Misurina
Later that evening the clouds cleared more, and we could see the Cadini from our hotel in Dobbiaco…
View of the Cadini from our hotel.
#2. July 3 – Tre Cime – Our bus took us from our hotel in Dobbiaco to Refugio Auranzo. We hiked up to Refugio Locatelli, mostly in clouds. After lunch, as we circled back to our starting point, we finally saw the Tre Cime, or three chimneys. We also saw a million flowers, bedded dolomite, and glacial cirques. The rain started again just as we reached the bus. A hard hike for me, on tired legs from yesterday. (7.3 miles, 1500 feet)
Trail sign, with our locations highlighted. Purple are Rifugios, and Blue is the Tre Cime Massif we are hiking around, and trying to see through the clouds.
We passed this Alpine Chapel on the first part of our walk.
Then we passed the Rifugio Lavaredo, still not seeing many views.
Trail junction.
Now hiking toward the Rifugio Locatelli…
Green, flower-filled meadows along our way,
and flowers on the rocky slopes as well.
Some clearing, but we seem to be walking into the clouds.
At last, we can see the Rifugio Locatelli through the mist on the skyline,
And some of the craggy peaks nearby.
Fractured dolomite in the switchback cliffs heading up to the Rifugio
Rifugio Locatelli, our lunch stop.
Patio dining, hoping for a view of the Tre Cime.
Small lakes in the valley on the other side of the Rifugio.
After lunch, we started our return loop. We could see the trail we had taken in the morning,
and our trail down through the cirque and up the other side (blue arrow). The Tre Cime are mostly behind the clouds.
Zooming in on the bedded dolomites in the face of one of the Tre Cime cliffs.
Crossing the green, wildflower filled cirque,
with partial views to the valley below
Plenty of wildflowers along the way.
Up on the shoulder on the other side, looking back to the Rifugio Locatelli, and our day’s journey. A little more clearing.
The cliffs we walked under in the morning.
A little while later, we finally had an almost clear view of the Tre Cime, for about ten minutes!
Some of the other surrounding peaks we had yet to see.
As we continued hiking, we passed one last mountain hut – the Manga Langalm.
Vertical dipping rocks along the trail
And one last view of our day, before we hiked out of this view, and finished our hike back at the Rifugio Auronzo in yet another cloud burst.
A selection of the day’s wildflowers…
Trail sign with local flower names.
# 3. July 4 – Rifugio Fonda Savio – On the drive to our hike today, we passed the Tre Cime view point and got a great view of the peaks we had hiked around yesterday from the bus.
View of the Tre Cime from the bus.
GPS Track of our hike to Rifugio Fonda Savio.
From our trailhead, we walked through the meadows of the Pian dei Spiriti, and then up a rocky dolomite trail, and along a cirque, through green grassy meadows full of flowers. The trail passed under the pulley that hauled our lunch up to the Refugio. Some of our group hiked down the steep side, with cable railings along the trail. The rest of us returned the way we came, but with better views as the skies cleared a bit. We saw rock climbers and all the mountains and flowers, and more clouds but no rain. (5.5 miles, 1800 feet)
Our trail goes between the two peaks into the Ciadin dei Tocci.
Looking back, we can see a wide panorama, thanks to our clear skies today.
The cable in the foreground goes up to the Rifugio
Trail upward into the cirque, lined with flowers.
We passed under the pulley carrying Rifugio supplies upward.
Panorama of our surroundings
And a closer look at some of the peaks beyond.
First view of the Rifugio on our trail up the cirque
So many flowers!
Backward view again, on a rest stop.
Sun on this mountain
Avens along the Rifugio trail
The last rocky pitch up to our lunch stop, with flag flying above.
Delicious lunch at the Rifugio Fonda Savio.
After lunch we climbed to the ridge above the Rifugio,
then up to the flag pole, and looked out at the views on the other side.
View on the other side to the Val de la Cianpedele.
Some of our group started down the iron trail on the other side, and they would rendezvous with us at the bottom.
Close up – you can see the trail-side cable they are holding on to.
The rest of us returned the way we came, admiring rocky peaks and flowers all the way down, and trails not taken. There are a lot of other options here.
Starting down past the pulley infrastructure, with raven.
Down the dolomite path.
Rock climbers in some of the cracks above us.
Flowers and peaks…
Flowers and peaks..
And more flowers…
We had enjoyed this day, with no rain, and were looking forward to clearer skies as we moved westward for our next few days of hiking.
Margaret Quilts 