Time to leave the Brenta Dolomites, so Steve bares it all (or most of it anyway)

Lago di’ Val d’Agola.

Maybe it was the aching legs or perhaps the weather was disappointing but we definitely felt it was OK to leave the mountains and start our journey home. Anyway, we had to drop Dick at Innsbruck Airport as his mountaineering pass expired on Saturday.

Friday started as last night had finished, cold and damp with mist way down. Our planned route over the glaciers  to the high pass at 2,757m  was declined. So we set off down the Scala Santa track through the forest back to the car at Vallesinella.  This way started down rock, along a few wires and across scree. Chamois watched us carefully through the cloud as we cross the high slopes of the valley. The few who stayed with us at the refuge last night were also down this way, we had all wimped out.

Soon through the tree line and into the smells of the forest, it felt so different from the past five days up in the cliffs and snow of the mountains. This was the tree filled Val d’Agola, with rock spires peaking through the cloud high up to our right (east). Soon the path had mountain bikers and day hikers go up the hill, out for day walk from Madonna di Campiglio.  Trees opened out to reveal a lovely lake. Its smooth water reflected green trees and grey mountains.

Steve took the opportunity to strip down and take a refreshing swim. Most of us were a shocked he did that, it’s not as though we didn’t use the showers in the Refuges.

Past the lake we met the rough road at the point were on our last visit Mike and I  were given a lift from a kind hunter. Mike shared the back of the car with a Chamois carcass and a couple of rifles!

Our track took off into the woods following the valley bottom and fast flowing river. A couple of hours of steady walking took us to Vallesinella and up past spectacular cascades. Steve found a track  behind the highest waterfall, a bit of an adventure across a wet scramble exit. Thats me in the video by the way!

Back at the hotel the sky had cleared showing the snow free mountains high above us. That was where we had climbed just a few days before.

Time for a beer and strudel before a trip into town and a celebration pizza.

High above Vallesinella