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| Hiking route for day 5 |
Halfway through the hike, I was starting to get used to the trail and the conditions and terrain of the Dolomite trails. But day 5 was the longest day of the trip, just under 15 miles. At mile 10, I started to feel some heat on the bottom of my feet and had to deal with it before it turned into a full-blistered mess. As I sat down to let Helen tend to my foot, my cell phone rang to call two friends (sorry, Don and Vincent) who had just woken up at 7am in California. It all comes down to one day of karma. The views over the last two days have been just as amazing as the previous days, maybe even more spectacular! And the weather, as you can see, has been great.
Day 5 – Refugio Cinque Torri to Stauranza
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| We said goodbye to the Cinqui Torri, one of the most famous formations in the Dolomites. |
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| A steep descent greeted us first thing in the morning, and I probably grimaced knowing that it would be followed by an ascent. |
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| Yes, there is a hiker (Helen) where the cliff “touches” the trail. |
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| South view of Passo Giau |
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| Looking back to the north from near Passo Giau, Mount Lagusera stands tall. |
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| View east from Passo Giau towards Monte Antelao – another independent mountain range in the Dolomites |
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| The glacier-filled valley points to the highest peak in the Dolomite mountain range, the Marmolada, at 10,968 feet. |
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| Walking to Forcella Giau, looking northwest – note the northeasterly inclination of the strata |
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| Finally! Something other than white Triassic limestone – brown shale and sandstone |
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| Easy to navigate From Passo Giau To the east, Mount Pelmo rises in the distance. |
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| The size of the boulders was astonishing, but they looked small compared to the enormous relief of the mountains. |
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| This was a relatively easy route up to the Forcella Ambrisola Pass and was very scenic. |
There were several interpretive signs along the way, some of which had English translations. Below is a cross section seen along the trail near Forcella Ambrizzola, with an English translation about the formation of the Dolomites. The text appears to be a direct translation from Italian to English. Here is my translation of the signed translation: The present appearance and spectacular formation of the Dolomites is the result of multiple events over long geological time which together make these mountains unique. They also feature an alternation of harder layers forming plateaus and cliffs, and softer rocks which weather easily and degrade to form slopes and valleys. This combination gives rise to a diverse topography of peaks and valleys. The last part about the French mineralogist Dolomieu makes sense straight away: there’s no mention here of the glaciers that carved out deep valleys across the Dolomites. The red line below is a fault. The reference to hydrochloric acid is that limestone foams immediately on contact with HCl, whereas dolomite (or dolostone as it’s now called) foams in HAL only after it’s been powdered with a sharp instrument.
