OTHER Trip Report 10/08/2014

Peak(s):	Tre -Cime Italian Dolomites - 9000
Date Posted:	10/08/2014
Date Climbed:	09/19/2014
Author:	worldtraveler532

Tre Cime De Lavadero circuit in Italian Dolomites
This is the 2nd of the trip reports in the Italian Dolomites during my recent trip there. After visiting Brenta Dolomites I decided to go to the northernmost range called Sesto/Sexten range of the Dolomites. Reason ? View of the very pretty Tre Cime de Lavadero. Despite it being in one of the remotest part of the country I saw it was highly visited , courtesy of countless Germans and Austrians - the latter border is less than 10 miles away! And the language spoken is German and NOT Italian - though most of the people can speak both and English. In this circuit I was able to get much better photos due to much better weather! Also I noticed this range was not steep as the Brenta range and the trail was mostly class 1 - though if you needed some fun some scrambles were never far off! Total gain about 3600ft mostly over the 1st day. Day1 From Hotel Dolomitinhof to Rif Locatelli through Val Sassavecchio Take the bus to Hotel Dolomitenhof (el 1454 mts) and start hiking! The trail starts really flat to the 1st Rif - Fondo Valle (el 1548 mts) which you'll reach in 15-20 mins Herei s where the tourists turn around and the only people who are fit hikers venture beyond. You see the tall Cima Una for a while on the other side of the trail and it seems majestic. There are cascading waterfalls. The steep trail eventually reaches a plateau and eventually you'll see the very famous Rif Locatelli /Drizenhutte in German than can accommodate more than 180 people. Day 2 From the hut there are many small circuits possible. I went to a 2547 mts pass that is surrounded by WW1 fortifications in the rocks where apparently you can even go inside if you have the proper gear ( I didnt venture into those tunnels). At one point you can have good views of Forcella Baranci. There was supposed to be a trail going to the other end of the vally but I couldnt find it. I eventually came back to Locatelli and went straight in front towards Rif Auronzo that is not too far and in fact has a road with public buses coming. The hike was going to be easy class 1 and boring, so I took a class 2+ alternative hugging the slope as you can see. You eventually reach a pass and go down to Rif Auronzo in slighly over an hr ( I took longer as I went on an alternative route). Bottom line This is an an easy hike compared to some other sections of Dolomites but you can still increase your degree of difficulty if you wish. Sights are unparalleled provided you get clear days. Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Tre Cime De Lavadero circuit in Italian Dolomites

This is the 2nd of the trip reports in the Italian Dolomites during my recent trip there.
After visiting Brenta Dolomites I decided to go to the northernmost range called Sesto/Sexten range of the Dolomites. Reason ? View of the very pretty Tre Cime de Lavadero. Despite it being in one of the remotest part of the country I saw it was highly visited , courtesy of countless Germans and Austrians - the latter border is less than 10 miles away!
And the language spoken is German and NOT Italian - though most of the people can speak both and English.
In this circuit I was able to get much better photos due to much better weather!
Also I noticed this range was not steep as the Brenta range and the trail was mostly class 1 - though if you needed some fun some scrambles were never far off!
Total gain about 3600ft mostly over the 1st day.

Day1
From Hotel Dolomitinhof to Rif Locatelli through Val Sassavecchio
Take the bus to Hotel Dolomitenhof (el 1454 mts) and start hiking! The trail starts really flat to the 1st Rif - Fondo Valle (el 1548 mts) which you'll reach in 15-20 mins Herei s where the tourists turn around and the only people who are fit hikers venture beyond. You see the tall Cima Una for a while on the other side of the trail and it seems majestic. There are cascading waterfalls. The steep trail eventually reaches a plateau and eventually you'll see the very famous Rif Locatelli /Drizenhutte in German than can accommodate more than 180 people.

Day 2
From the hut there are many small circuits possible. I went to a 2547 mts pass that is surrounded by WW1 fortifications in the rocks where apparently you can even go inside if you have the proper gear ( I didnt venture into those tunnels).
At one point you can have good views of Forcella Baranci. There was supposed to be a trail going to the other end of the vally but I couldnt find it.
I eventually came back to Locatelli and went straight in front towards Rif Auronzo that is not too far and in fact has a road with public buses coming.
The hike was going to be easy class 1 and boring, so I took a class 2+ alternative hugging the slope as you can see.
You eventually reach a pass and go down to Rif Auronzo in slighly over an hr ( I took longer as I went on an alternative route).

Bottom line
This is an an easy hike compared to some other sections of Dolomites but you can still increase your degree of difficulty if you wish. Sights are unparalleled provided you get clear days.

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

XMULE

Cool hike in a seriousl cool place
10/9/2014 5:18pm

Cool hike. I did a guided snow-shoe hike on the same trail(Hotel Dolomitinhof to Rif Locatelli) in March of 2013. Seems the weather was about the same - one minute foggy, the next minute bluebird skies. Given 1/2 a chance I would go back to the Dolomites in a heartbeat, esp the area around Sesto/Sexten. Really nice people, although the only ones I met who spoke English were the guide and the folks at the Sesto/Sexten tourist bureau.

Must add that the day before the hike to the Tre Cimi de Lavaredo, I did a hike near the Passo Monte Croce Cornelico. Ran into 3 Italian soldiers out on holiday who bought me an espresso at the first refuge we came to; at the next refuge I stopped for lunch. The place was packed and, at age 60, I was about the youngest person there apart from the wait-staff. At one point the waiter/owner took a squeeze box down from a shelf and began playing some sort of Tyrolean polka. This old duffer and his wife (girlfriend?) got up and began dancing while everyone clapped and cheered. Priceless memory.

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