Dolomites 2005 A personal diary ....

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Day 7: Tuesday 6 September

Rifugio Castiglioni to Rifugio Contrin

With a nice flat mattress, I had thought I would get a good night’s sleep.  Did we all sleep well?  There was no snoring .. but that was because everyone was mostly kept awake by a dog barking for a good part of the night.  However, I must have got some sleep as I didn’t feel tired as I headed down for breakfast.  This turned out to be excellent .. possibly the best we had so far.

Andy had decided to take the bus back down the Val di Fassa and then walk up to the Contrin to save himself for the potential climb of the Marmolada.  However the rest of us geared up for a big day’s walk.  Before leaving, we settled the account and the outstanding bar bill to our satisfaction, despite the language problems.

I actually had a very pleasant walk down on route 605 to the village of Penia, where I enjoyed a lemon tea and a hearty slice of apfelstrüdel before making the grinding ascent to the Contrin.  It would appear to be a fairly popular route since I overtook a conga line of about 100 school children making the ascent!

My mission was to organise an ascent of Marmolada for the next day, but discovered that we would require not only climbing gear, but also winter ironmongery, since the final approach to the summit is along the glacier edge .. beware of bergschründs!  So I'm afraid the highest Dolomite will have to wait for another time .. all that was left for me to do was enjoy a little sunbathing, disturbed only by the clamour of the schoolies cavorting about, until the others made their descent from the Passo Ombretta .....

Andy

It was a very still morning and the lake was like the proverbial mill pond.  As we started to cross, we noticed that there were a couple of anglers below.  We watched as one of them landed a fish. He had obviously been having a successful morning as he added it to a sizeable collection.

We walked along the old road beside the lago to the other side of the passo at which point we came to the top end of a ski piste.  This was our route down to avoid the main road.  It proved to be very easy going and we made a quick descent.  About half way down we had to negotiate our way through a large flock of sheep.  Off to one side were the shepherds and their dogs, although one of them looked as if it were part wolf!

We eventually got to the bottom of the pistes and then followed the road through a very nice caravan park (it even had a wishing well) before coming across a sign indicating that the Rifugio Contrin was 5 hours walk.

We continued on and there were good paths to follow.  As we climbed, we came across some guard fencing that appeared new .. however some of the cables seemed a bit slack. We soon realised the reason for this as we passed the workmen who were still constructing it.  We eventually came out of the forest and into some meadows where we stopped at the Malga Ciapela. This was a small farmhouse that served snacks and drinks.  The drinks and stop were most welcome.  Due to a perspiration problem, Diane took the opportunity to change her shorts.  Gordon noticed that a nearby barn had a metal roof and helpfully put the shorts on it to dry out.

After our break, we then headed on up the path and it didn’t seem long before we arrived at the Rifugio O Failer.  We stopped there and had a very good lunch.  It was a very scenic location and the food was excellent.  A few photos were taken and then we all got the packs back on and set off for the Passo Ombretta.

This was a slow and steady slog.  At one point we split up with Allan, Jim and myself taking one path while the rest headed up by a different route.  On my way up I suddenly came upon a marmot sunning itself on a rock about 10 feet away from the path.  Unfortunately, just as I got my camera out, it disappeared down a nearby burrow.

We eventually all arrived at the passo.  Gordon and James explored a good bit of the col as there was still a good deal of the World War 1 paraphernalia about.  This had obviously, at one point, been part of the front line.  We took a number of photos, (there was a nice sign post on the col that everyone posed by) before starting our descent to the Rifugio Contrin.

To begin with it was steep and the path has loose gravel, but we still made good time.  The path flattened out and the walking was easier and before long the Contrin came into view.  As we got near, we could see Andy sitting outside at one of the tables.  He had got us booked in and explained where our room was.  We were all in the one room but, as there was a spare bunk, we had plenty of space.

We got the tokens for the shower from the bar and then headed in to get ourselves washed and changed.  The hut had good shower and toilet arrangements and we soon got cleaned up. Some even had time to do some laundry.

We all gradually congregated outside for some drinks, but as it was getting chilly, I had to get my fleece out for the first time on the trip.  Unfortunately, Andy has spoken to the warden and it seems that a guide and full gear is needed for the ascent of Marmolada.  We are too late to book a guide, so will have to make other plans for tomorrow.

Before long, it was time to head in for dinner.  This was again a good meal and was of course followed by a round of schnapps. Most of us headed off to bed early as we have had by far the longest day’s walking.

As I get into bed, the last thing I hear is a debate about who is switching the light off.   What crosses my mind is .. this is a comfortable bed and there are no barking dogs.

Bob MacDonald