Over the long weekend Rita and I went hiking in the Dolomites near Cortina d’Ampezzo; the weather forecast was superb. Right after arriving we were pretty lucky: my Corsa was losing huge amounts of oil, and we probably only just escaped engine damage. While the car went to the garage the next morning, we set off on foot from our hotel in Misurina to the famous Tre Cime di Lavaredo. A lovely hike. The pass road was still closed to cars because the last two kilometres were still snowed in. Sadly the weather wasn’t as nice as forecast, but it stayed dry all day. So Rita could practise diligently with the Sony camera, and in the evening there was a beautiful sunset and spinach spätzle. Yesss! The Tre Cime stand in the Sexten Dolomites on the border between South Tyrol and Belluno; until 1919 this was the border between Italy and Austria-Hungary, and the Cima Grande is 2,999 metres high.
At the lake in Misurina, where our hotel stood – the starting point of the hike to the Tre Cime.“Tre Cime, Auronzo, Misurina” painted on the tarmac – the pass road was still closed to cars, so we walked.Purple heather at ground level, a fallen trunk in the conifer forest behind.Arms spread wide on the heather path: a hiker in pink on the trail.Golden-brown larches below a snow-covered peak – spring in the Dolomites near Cortina d’Ampezzo.Bare trees below the pale rock face, a contrail across the sky.Only the rocky edge stays sharp; everything beyond dissolves into grey.The mountain hut in focus, the two rock towers behind only hinted at.A rest on the rocks in sunglasses, the steep towers of the Sexten Dolomites behind.Cap on, knees pulled up: a hiker on pale limestone in front of the towering wall.“Bus Campers” and an arrow pointing left – a sign in the snow by the closed pass road.Snow on the slopes, cloud over the summit – the last two kilometres of road were still snowed in.Dark clouds over the valley, a village and a small lake below – the weather wasn’t as good as forecast.Layered rock with patches of snow under breaking clouds.A small figure stands on the ridge, the snowy valley opening up below.Camera in hand in the snow below the high rock wall – there was no shortage of subjects on this hike.The white hut on its rocky ledge, a row of pointed peaks in the background.Poles in hand across the snowfield, in front of a broad rock mountain in the Sexten Dolomites.Rock towers above scree and snow – until 1919 the border between Italy and Austria-Hungary ran here.On a boulder in the snow, the steep towers behind.Seen from below, the rock towers reach into the blue sky, a contrail above.A pale wall above scree slopes and snowfields – it stayed dry all day.Several rock towers above a wide snowfield, clouds drifting over them.The Tre Cime on the right, the tallest rising to 2,999 metres – snowy mountains on the left.Two hikers on the snowy path, one waving – a small hut behind.A deep valley between rugged, snow-covered ridges.Banks of cloud pile up above the rocky crest, larches below.Larches still bare of needles, golden against the snowy peaks.Through tall spruces: a cloudy sky and a summit.Camera in hand in the middle of the bend, larches and snowy peaks behind him.Walking poles on “Misurina”: heading back along the still-closed road.Tiny purple heather bells on dark twigs.At the crash barrier on the bend: golden larch forest, snowy spikes above.Mackerel clouds above the forest and two snowy peaks.A path across the brown alpine meadow, a snowy peak behind in the late light.Evening sky over the ridge, a spruce and a house in shadow.The last rays of sun on the summit – that evening brought a lovely sunset and spinach spätzle.The lake still frozen, pink clouds above it at dusk.
