Alta Via 1, Part 3

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.