Next: day 4: Agostini to valley.
Tuesday 21st: day 3: Brentei to Agostini
Up 7 as before, woken by wise people setting off before us. D sleeps through it all. We're up in the roof again. Overnight rain, and lightning. Somewhat cloudier today.
A thought: unlike say the Roche Faurio, which I can visualise - even now, as I write this down several months in arrears - piece by piece, the via ferrata are more of a confusing mass that don't fit easily into any scheme in my mind. Or, as E said, you generally can't see your objective.
Off 8:10 initially up a pleasant, i.e. not too steep, path up to the obvious col, Bocca di Brenta. It's several km of nice walking, with great views, and the end in sight for once. This is because we started from the Brentei, not the higher Alimonta, so are skipping a section of the vf.
Off 8:10 initially up a pleasant, i.e. not too steep, path up to the obvious col, Bocca di Brenta. It's several km of nice walking, with great views, and the end in sight for once. This is because we started from the Brentei, not the higher Alimonta, so are skipping a section of the vf.
Just before we get to the steep bit (a bit of snow, a bit of scree, a bit of ironwork that elsewhere would just be a path forced up the scree), we see three climbers on the Campanile Basso (more distant shot). From the top, it's very little distance to the "Tosa e Pedrotti". Pedrotti is the "real" hut; it's where M and I stayed a day or two all those years ago. We stop for drinks and cake; 9:50.
Pic: col to Pedrotti, with Tosa down on the left. The slightly odd low "wall" on the path alongside the rock wall protects their water pipe. View from the hut plus signposts.
After half an hour head off, contouring round the Pozza Tramontana. Looking along our trail, WNW, from underneath Brenta Bassa towards the bulk of Cima Tosa, and somewhat rightwards the peak of Cima Margherita.
Pic: col to Pedrotti, with Tosa down on the left. The slightly odd low "wall" on the path alongside the rock wall protects their water pipe. View from the hut plus signposts.
After half an hour head off, contouring round the Pozza Tramontana. Looking along our trail, WNW, from underneath Brenta Bassa towards the bulk of Cima Tosa, and somewhat rightwards the peak of Cima Margherita.
Somewhat out of sequence, here's a view back, showing the Pozza Tramontana. Which is to say, the big hollow in the ground. The Pedrotti is not-quite-visible off to the left, but you can see the flattish area it is on and the path leading to it.
Back to sequence. Here we're leaving the level to head up the scree.
There were flowers, but rarely (some more, near the Agostini)
Mostly it is limestone and so very dry and moonscape-y. But impressive.
The col comes suddenly, because Cima Polsa is nearly level. M and D rest while E and I walk east along it. E stares south, into what is probably Val d'Ambiez.
We're unsure what is next, but gear up anyway. That turns out to make sense, because the in-parts-quite-airy next section does the std looking-impossible-from-a-distance route across a face. Spot the people; may require enlargement.
Descending towards the Vedr. d'Ambiez. Note red-roofed hut peeking out at the left. Also note impressive Giant Fractured Boulders that have fallen off something.
The ladders were a bit airy too, disappearing over the edge into nothingness. Note gen-u-wine crevasses in the glacier behind.
We had ice axes, and crampons - even if not enough for all of us, but had we needed them I'm sure we'd have managed - mostly "to be sure". As it turned out, there really was some glacier this time. However, the nice people had arranged a rope at the end of the ladders. So although you had to walk on a thin layer of gravel / stones / rubble on top of bare ice, with the rope as a handrail it was fairly easy not to fall over.
After this the "official" route, apparently madly, goes across and slightly up the glacier, and descends the rock on the far side. I assert that this is due to the path-setters paranoia, and their desire to minimise your glacier-distance at all costs, so D and I pioneer a route down the glacier, which proves easy and pleasant, and we wave M and E down.
Looking back up. If you zoom in, there's a bloke in red on the rock band, so you can see where we came down (closer shot, so you can see more people).
Coming out of the glacier basin we return to the true path, with the hut tantalisingly close but still several hundred meters below.
It's a lovely afternoon. Sit around, play cards - floating bridge in the Dolomites - and enjoy the views. Signposts. The chef comes to take our dinner order.
There are bolts on them thar boulders.
There were flowers, but rarely (some more, near the Agostini)
Mostly it is limestone and so very dry and moonscape-y. But impressive.
The col comes suddenly, because Cima Polsa is nearly level. M and D rest while E and I walk east along it. E stares south, into what is probably Val d'Ambiez.
We're unsure what is next, but gear up anyway. That turns out to make sense, because the in-parts-quite-airy next section does the std looking-impossible-from-a-distance route across a face. Spot the people; may require enlargement.
Descending towards the Vedr. d'Ambiez. Note red-roofed hut peeking out at the left. Also note impressive Giant Fractured Boulders that have fallen off something.
The ladders were a bit airy too, disappearing over the edge into nothingness. Note gen-u-wine crevasses in the glacier behind.
We had ice axes, and crampons - even if not enough for all of us, but had we needed them I'm sure we'd have managed - mostly "to be sure". As it turned out, there really was some glacier this time. However, the nice people had arranged a rope at the end of the ladders. So although you had to walk on a thin layer of gravel / stones / rubble on top of bare ice, with the rope as a handrail it was fairly easy not to fall over.
After this the "official" route, apparently madly, goes across and slightly up the glacier, and descends the rock on the far side. I assert that this is due to the path-setters paranoia, and their desire to minimise your glacier-distance at all costs, so D and I pioneer a route down the glacier, which proves easy and pleasant, and we wave M and E down.
Looking back up. If you zoom in, there's a bloke in red on the rock band, so you can see where we came down (closer shot, so you can see more people).
Coming out of the glacier basin we return to the true path, with the hut tantalisingly close but still several hundred meters below.
It's a lovely afternoon. Sit around, play cards - floating bridge in the Dolomites - and enjoy the views. Signposts. The chef comes to take our dinner order.
There are bolts on them thar boulders.
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