So it was up up up to Passo di Valles (2031), and we roared up the final 800m to the pass at a climb rate which would have worked out to a 24 minute Dyers time, which with our luggers and mountain bikes seemed pretty speedy! We both wished we could pop home for a quick time trial up Dyers on our race bikes and set some new personal bests (-: The road going up to the pass was wonderfully quiet, and we sat on the top of the pass for a snack wondering why, until we realised we were both absolutly freezing and then we remembered it was becoming winter! So we biked down the hill to the turn off to our 'bikes only' route up the Val Venegia. The valley was beautiful even if very cold. The bikes were stashed yet again, and we prepared for a steep climb up into the mountains where we planned to do a 3 day tramp before returning to the bikes.
The track zig zagged steeply up through the very yellow pines, then onto a scree slope. It was a stiff 600m climb up to the Refugio del Mulaz, and on the way we saw 8 mountain goats, but not a soul. We got to the cold hut just on dark and searched every door hoping for a winterroom. All were locked....until I climbed some wee stairs and found a cozy winter room for us hidden on the top floor of the hut, pheeweee. We cooked up a feast and snuggled into the cozy blankets provided by the hut.
It was very misty in the morning, and we didn't emerge from the hut till about midday. The Ref Mulaz was shaded by a huge tower, so at this time of year it practically doesn't get any sun. With all our warm gear on we climbed up the snowy slope and followed our marked route up and over Passo delle Farangole (2969) which had an awesome section of easy via Ferrata leading us into the next valley. Here Chris was keen for a climb up to an even higher pass, so I reluctantly followed (I was tired from our mere 2000m altitude gain the day before!). We scrambled up a scree slope, then a snowy one which we had to kick steps into to Passo Bureloni (3139). On the way down my drink bottle decided to commit suicide, and bombed its way down an insanely steep gully, opps.
So, as it got colder again we sidled round the very steep hillside on another bit of cool via Ferrata, then into a flat basin and up to the rocky plain where Refugio Rosetta (2581) is situated. The landscape was neat, a sort of rocky Mt Owen. The winterroom in the hut was very cozy, with a great view out the window, and we had the whole place to oursleves.
We had a big day ahead of us as we planned to get close to Borgo Valsugana, which would involve another 2000m climb on the bikes, plus the 3 hour walk back down to pick them up. We set off by 8.30am (!) and headed down a very steep track into the valley. We passed the ugliest gondola with montstrous buildings at each end. The whole valley really would have looked much better without it.
Then on down into lovely red, gold and yellow forest and up to Passo del Mulaz. From there we dumped our packs and jogged down to the bikes, grabbed them, and biked back up the shingle road to the pass. We ate lunch in the variable sun and looked up at the spectacular towers were we had walked the day before. Then it was down from the Pass to join up with Passo Rolle. Then a huge descent from there into Mezzano, then up a 300m to Passo di Gobbera (nicknamed the gobbler by Emily). From there we dropped down into Canal San Bovo, before a 700m climb up to Passo del Brocon (1615). The heights of the passes were now lower - but we were starting from lower so the climbs were still massive.
Still, we knew there were now not so many passes left before we would reach the flat lands near Venice, so 'we'd better savour them' (quote: Chris). It was getting dark when we arrived at the top of the pass so we found a campspot just off the road and I got into my sleeping bag while Chris cooked the dinner (my treat after such a mission day!).
The next day was sunny, but nevertheless we put on all our warm gear for a massive descent down into Borgo Valsugana, and a well deserved sumptuous breafast. From there our mission was of a slightly different variety: clean clothes, clean selves, get hepatitus shots(?). The third task was a result of the shots we already had in Munich and we were supposed to get a follow up shot 5 weeks later.
This proved rather an adventure:
- Step 1: go to information centre: they say go to doctors clinic
- Step 2: Doctors clinic = they send us to hospital
- Step 3: Lost wandering round wards, see hospital information sign
- Step 4: Man at information speaks no english, spends much time yabbering rapid italian on phone, eventually send us away with some crazy directions.
- Step 5: Into another ward, wandering round, patients everywhere, oh dear...
- Step 6: helpful lady, no english, consults fellow nurse.
- Step 7: fellow nurse leads us to another building with sign 'vaccinations!'
- Step 8: 2 friendly doctors, not one word english.
- Step 9: they phone someone on their cell phone who speaks english and we make progress.
- Step 10: needles prepared.
- Step 11:Much much more fast Italian discussion while we sit and wait...
- Step 12: Success! Amazingly, we got our injections after some hours (0:
Anyway, that was very funny. That night we reached Levico Terme were it turned out all the campgrounds were shut, so we had a quick naked dip in the lake, and washed our gear at the local Laundriette (poor laundriette ladies - it was sooo smelly), then camped over night beside the lake. And we were out of the Dolomites, and now ready for our final foray in the mountains before the plains of Italy.
Below: Chris proudly showing off our clean clothes all neatly packaged in these little plastic bags...just like new!
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