Trying to capture the switchback insanity

Day 3 was short, but it featured one of the most memorable stretches of the trail. The morning started with a climb into the hills surrounding Rifugio Lavarella, with the trail eventually transitioning to a relatively flat gravel road for a few mellow miles. We decided to make things a little more exciting by taking an alternate over a nearby pass. The trail quickly started climbing along the steep hillside, headed towards the distant notch in the mountains. We were keeping pace with the couple we met the other night at Lavarella, and took turns taking photos as we approached the top of the pass. The views from the top of Forcella di Lago were dramatic. Standing at the top of the pass, we were flanked by steep cliffs rising up on either side of us, with views of Lagazuoi across the valley and a pale blue pond immediately below the pass. The descent was marked by the most ridiculous series of switchbacks that I’ve ever encountered. I don’t believe it’s an exaggeration to say that there were over 100 zigzagging down the steep slope.

From the bottom, we said goodbye to our new friends who were staying at Rifugio Lagazuoi. That was my intended destination for the day, but their reservations were already full, so we opted for Rifugio Scotoni down the hill. It was the early afternoon when we arrived, and there were plenty of people eating lunch on the deck. A storm rolled in shortly after and chased them all away, so we sat for hours under the awning, having drinks and watching the two funny-looking alpacas.

In the morning, we decided to climb the spur up to Lagazuoi, the highest point on the Alta Via 1. It was foul weather, foggy, and raining, but we were enjoying ourselves enough to do the unnecessary climb. The ascent was marked by old tunnels carved into the mountain, ruins from World War 1. At the top, we spent about an hour hanging around the Refugio, but the views were ensconced in fog. For the rest of the afternoon, our walk meandered past more crumbling structures, slowly materializing out of the mist. The rain cleared in the afternoon, and we passed some ski areas nearby as we approached Rifugio Averae. Perched on the top of a mountain near some ski lifts, we shared some spritzes on the wrap-around porch.

Day 3: Rifugio Lavarella to Rifugio Scotoni (6.3 miles, 1900 feet)

Day 4: Rifugio Scotoni to Rifugio Averau (12.6 miles, 4740 feet)