We spent most of day 5 hiking with our new friends Anh and Keaton, heading out from Refugio Averau in the morning. The morning scenery featured some iconic Dolomite vistas, passing nearby Cinque Torri and many other dramatic rock formations. Along the trail, we passed the crumbling remains of a notable military fort carved into the granite at the base of the peaks. We descended through some weathered canyons, then made our down to a roadside Refugio that was a popular stopping point for motorcyclists. From there, it was a short but steep climb to one of the other spectacular views of the trail, a bowl-shaped valley rimmed with peaks and a monumental grassy slope that seemed like a ramp to the sky. My little Alta Via guidebook talked about how this valley used to an ancient hunting ground, where animals would be funneled into the valley, and hunters would block the few entry points, trapping their prey. We said farewell to our hiking pals who were splitting off to go into town, and continued along the Alta Via.

When I booked our trip, the nearest refugio was booked for the night, so I found another nearby down a side trail. We rolled up to Rifugio Palafavera, at the base of a ski slope, in the early afternoon. We were stumped to see that the place looked completely deserted, and all the doors were locked. Confused, I double-checked my booking to make sure I had the right day, and everything seemed to be correct. We sat around at one of the picnic tables, trying to figure out what was going on, and after a while, we saw someone moving around inside. I guess the place shuts down for the afternoon between check-in and check-out, but we were able to get our room for the night, and everything turned out fine.

In the morning, we climbed up the ski runs, just grassy scars running up the mountain without snow cover. Eventually, we reconnected with the Alta Via and then continued to ascend up to Forcella Coldai. We found a Refugio perched at the top, with wraparound porches to take in the views. From there, we descended with a fresh set of new views. We passed a beautiful alpine lake sitting at the base of a hulking grey mountain, then moved through a peaceful meadow with patchy wildflowers. In the mid-afternoon, we reached Rifugio Vazzoler, one of the smaller ones, surrounded by welcoming picnic tables. This Refugio was a bit smaller and packed to the brim with hiking groups. My trail runners were alone in a sea of leather hiking boots on the porch shoe racks.

Day 5: Rifugio Averau to Rifugio Palafavera (11.25 miles, 2292 feet)

Day 6: Rifugio Palafavera to Rifugio Vazzoler (9.5 miles, 3595 feet)