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A five day trek through the Dolomites Tre Cime (three peaks) national park, culminating in a via ferrata up Mount Paterno (2744m).
We stayed in 'huts' every night, although these were not crumbling shacks with holes in the roof as the name might suggest, but large, modern buildings with comfortable (usually) dormotories and huge quantities of good food in the evening. The price was around 50 euros for bed, breakfast and evening meal. Shower tokens were about 5 euros each - apparently because of the shortage of water. I skimped on the showers.
Breakfast was generally bread, bread, and more bread. The evening meals were all very good, although on one evening I ate something which didn't agree with me and spent a long time in the middle of the night crouched over a drop toilet in the dark with aching thighs, which was probably the low point of my trip. The high point, in both senses, was reaching the top of Mount Paterno using the via ferrata route.
I couldn't help trying to compare treking here with walking in Scotland. It seemed easier to navigate here, mainly because most of the paths and routes were so clearly marked, but also because the visibility was generally better and the landscape had more distinctive features. After a couple of days I had concluded that treking in the Dolomites was just munroing for idiots, but a couple of storms and a big rockfall close to one of our huts one night reminded me not to get cocky about it.
- Second day, on the way up from the first hut to the Tre Cime, about 900m ascent
- Most paths and routes were very clearly signposted, with additional markers along the way. I was surprised that times were given instead of distances, as these surely vary depending on the people doing them, but they turned out to be pretty accurate for us.
- Looking unimpressed with the Tre Cime!
- One of the huts. We didn't stay in this one but I ate some pasta here and it was amazing.
- Starting off on the walk around the 'Tre Cime'
- You are never more than about 2km away from a drink and a hot meal!
- Another hut
- The most remote hut in the national park.
- The lunchtime crowds
- Final day. The via ferrata starts in a tunnel
- Via ferrata is bascially like scrambling but you have a cable running up the rock which you clip into with cords attached to your harness.
- At the top!
- The way down
- The End!