Next: day 3: Brentei to Agostini; day 4: Agostini to valley.
Monday 20th: day 2: Tuckett to Brentei
Up 7, down to breakfast, D then M and E trickle in. We aim to leave at 8 and manage 8:15. M somewhat worried about the glacier at the start of today's route; I assert that it will be fine, in some way; and unlike most other parties are are at least carrying some crampons, even if not enough for everyone. But as I expected it turns out to be the sad moranic remains of a once proud Vedr. di Brenta Inf. Here we are approaching the pass, happily in the shade at this point; M and E on the left, D further on. We were not alone.
Here's a view back from the top, for the situation of the hut. Or a zoomed-out view.
At the top of the Bocca del Tuckett, 2613, we're just a hop over Cima Sella from connecting to yesterday's route before it headed down to the hut. At the col we put our gear on and proceed to the Ferrate aspect. On the far side, views down into the Val Perse and the cliffs of the Croz dell Altissimo. A little further round we can see lake Molveno and the town, which I think is where M and I started off decades ago when we visited the Dolomites.
Today's via is a little harder than yesterday, but not much. As usual it's rather hard to capture the flavour in a picture; try clicking one and going through the sequences. At some point we were on the Sentiero Dorotea Foresti.
The drops on the south side seem steeper than the north. At some point we realise that we're under Cima Brenta and that - given the number of people above us - it is probably climbable. Since it's 11:30 we have time, so I (and with some cajoling D) give it a go. But the ?Swiss? who are doing it are a party of ten and turn out to have secured themselves with a fixed rope. A little way up D and I realise that it is getting a little airy and we have no rope, and no real idea of how hard it is, so we beat a prudent retreat.
Not long after that we turn a corner to the Bocch. della Vallazza and can just see the red roof of the Brentei, far below (zoom). They don't want you littering. After a little section of ladders we come to the Bocca Bassa dei Massodi; from col down is the via Detassis.
The path becomes a bit weird, and I think I lost track of exactly where we were... lots more ladders... and more... and more... 14 in all, and eventually it becomes clear that the ladders are avoiding a manky narrow steep scree / soil pile between two walls; here's a view back up to it (more distant).
After that it's a fairly easy path down to the hut, which we reach around 5: a long day, but we all survived well. D as photogenic as ever, no-one else comes close.
The rocks are also photogenic, and surreal.
Lower down it starts to get green, and you realise how relentlessly rock it is higher up.
Even flowers!
Note that we're in the Brentei (2182), not the Alimonta (2580), because the Alimonta was full when the Tuckett phoned them for us this morning. That's kinda OK; the central section is rumoured to have suffered a collapse that might be annoying to get round; and we get a somewhat easier start to tomorrow by missing out the "central" portion, and so since we're all feeling good we skip a semi-planned reset day.
Dinner is good, preceded by playing bananagrams with an Italian woman at the next table, who does remarkably well given that she's playing in English. but we win :-).
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