Day 4 (july 31) Rif Lagazuoi to rif Scoiattoli
Not as good a day. A good start with clear sunny weather and a terrific view from rifugio Lagazuoi. The path for the day goes east along the side of the valley the rifugio sits above, then drops to cross to the other side of the valley, climbs and goes west to end almost across from where we started. The first part of the day was on good trails through meadows. We crossed patches of hail from the previous day that looked like snow. However, Inge had taken some migraine medication and felt unbalanced as we climbed higher on a narrow trail across steep scree. We turned around and found a path down to the road at the bottom of the valley where Inge could take a ski lift up to rif Scoiattoli. I carried on with the original route. Inge didn’t miss much. It was a long steep climb from the valley bottom on an old rocky trail in trees. The trees didn’t open up until almost at the rifugio.
Rifugio Scoiattoli (the squirrels) at 2225m was great. Good food, hot showers and comfortable bunks; all a tired hiker could ask for. Great views. The usual late afternoon thundershower and some heavy rain.
Day 5 (Aug 1) Rif Scoiattoli to rif Cità di Fiume
A wonderful day. Sunny, good trail and beautiful country.
After a few days of walking we know some of the people doing the same walk. We see each other on the trail, stop at the same places for coffee, end up in the same rifugi and talk over dinner. It creates a sense of community.
We began with two hours in scenic alpine with a good mix of climbing and descents, then crossed a paved road at 2000m elevation with a busy coffee shop full of cyclists and motorcyclists. The road must have been part of the Giro d’Italia as it was painted with messages encouraging teams and riders. We saw a very Italian group of older cyclists dressed in club jerseys, out for a day of riding in the mountains.
After the road, several hours in a lovely high meadow area that felt a privilege to walk through. Then a longish walk down to the rifugio. No rain.
