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| Odd geology |
We set off down! Yes down.
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| A view |
Admittedly down the up we had done last thing yesterday. Took a bit of the shine off it. But still, unusually, down. And then across. Not quite sure if you could call it a valley more of a wide ledge in the middle of the cliff. See above.
As I am sitting writing I am thinking that the Dolomites, while being spectacular, are really all the same. I don't think we would bother doing more than what we planned, about 2 weeks. Don't get me wrong. We would go back - but cycling and day walks, and for the brave, the ferrata (cycling for me). The days have just sort of blended with nothing really standing out. A very high standard of sameness but still the same.
Maybe, we are spoilt, or have no appreciation. Some people we have spoken to come here year after year.
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| Sun rise... |
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| Dinosaur Footprint |
The cliff that had been in front of the rifugio is still pretty impressive. It had a name but it didn't make it any prettier.
Today seemed gentler up and down. The sun was shining again. Everything was dry. I even struggled to get a footprint picture. And this was the best of several attempts.
It also seemed more peaceful. Less people. We were up high - harder to get to so only hikers like us and not very many of them.
The track wound round something or other. Through beautiful meadows. Bits of forest and past more rocks. Paradise really. We couldn't have asked for more. We weren't really interested in how far or long long. All of the days were easily manageable. Nothing too far away. This was a holiday of a walking holiday.
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| Taking it easy... |
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| Climbers |
We weren't alone. Or we were being watched. Again there were climbers. Easy to hear - but incredibly difficult to spot. The kids spotted them but I wasn't sure - ultra magnification proved them right. Just above the pale 'Africa' shaped bit to the left of the crack... didn't work for me either. But they were there - a sport that is not for me.
But its a great hobby - trying to spot them that is. It takes ages.
The path here got a bit technical, as Martin puts it. The Dolomites are not so easy - there are boulder fields and climbs and scrambles. They are real mountains after all. They may look tame but ...
The view back towards the rifugio was spectacular. Like every other view.
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| View back |
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| The path |
We walked right up against the cliffs, on narrow uneven rocky paths. Death lurked every where. A fall to my death or a rock from above (probably not). The limestone and the climate makes for quite an alpine garden, if that phrase can apply to the Dolomites (probably not).
We had seen the edelweiss and lots of other beautiful flowers. Red ones, lots of yellow ones ... you can see we are experts. But this purple, below, one struck me as the most beautiful we had seen so far.
We keep saying we will learn the names of the flowers. or trees, or birds, or butterflies. But as I struggle with the colours why bother.
Some people carry books...
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| The purple beauty |
Views every which way you looked.
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| Typical view |
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| Art |
We reached the rifugio with time to spare. So we spared our time eating and drinking and playing cards and looking at maps and taking photos.
The promised shower was welcome, if time and space limited, and then we drank and ate again.
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