Cows near Rif di Passo Lucia
Monday 8 August - Via Attrezzata del Gronton (by Martin)
No driving of any consequence today, so we had a lie in inside the sun-drenched tent, to 8 am. Not a cloud in the sky!
We chose Via
Ferrata Fassa 8 (Cicerone Guide Book Volume 1), Via Attrezzata del Gronton, and after crowding into the small 'Spar'
type shop to get provisions, we drove the two miles up to El Zirmo and the
chairlift station. The two-stage chairlift, four seats wide, took us gently in twenty
minutes up to 1945 metres from around 1550 metres. A lovely gentle ride with
the swish of the wind, the rattle of the chains, and the buzz of the cables to
keep us company whilst we ascended above gentle green meadows and ski runs in a
cool breeze. Nutcrackers flitted in and out of the pine trees.
After leaving
the chairlift, a short path brought us to a motorable road - route 623. This
rough track led us easily up to Rifugio Passo di Lucia at 2055 metres. We had
set off up the chairlift at 9:55, reached the top at 10:15, and got to the
refuge at 10:45. We enjoyed 15 minutes in the sun outside the refuge with
cappuccinos, before joining a steady trickle of people on path 633, which rose
gently past Cima di Lusia, eventually reaching Lac di Lucia, by Biv. S. Redolf.
This was an
excellent ancient path. Sue surprised a hawk, which quickly turned away, and
later eagles and choughs were seen.
Before the
little lake, we headed left along a thin path that took us to the north side of
the ridge and then back to the crest at Forcella Lucia (2363 metres) - the
start of the Via Ferrata (VF). (12:30) The route took us pleasantly along the
northern side of the mountain - Cima Gronton, mostly just below the crest. There
were cables which could be used as handrails, but nothing remotely serious
enough to warrant the use of VF kit, which we didn't have with us anyway.
The VF took about an hour, after which we lunched (1:30 to 2:05) out of the cool breeze (it was only 13°C here) just above Forcella di Bocche. Really quite cool when the sun goes behind the clouds.
Magnificent
views on this ultra clear day, and even better after we had risen to the 2745
metre summit of Cima Bocche on an easy path. We lingered here from 2:45 to 3:15
(10°C). There were four other people, plus eagles and choughs.
We chose to
descend by route 626 to Mga Bocche (5:20), via Lago di Bocche. It warmed up and
we enjoyed the change to t-shirts and, for me, shorts. There were brilliantly
clear views to the east. At Mga Bocche we rejoined route 623 and walked up it
for an hour back to the chairlift station, which had shut, and missing a signed
path to Castelir which we should have taken (we did see it - I thought it was
the wrong path).
It was 6:20. The
chairlift had shut an hour ago. At least route 623 hadn't been too busy with
traffic. And so, a direct route down - past puffing mountain bikes (going up)
and rustling trees - got us back to the car by 7 pm. 15°C. Too late for the Bellamonte
shop, so we enjoyed good pizzas at the campsite restaurant, and another early
night.
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