A 45 minute ride on bus 465 took us to the Falzarego pass, just a bit further than yesterday's trip. The free bus passes we have for this week have been very useful - our car remains where we left it on arrival last Saturday.
There were hordes of people and for a while the bus was crammed full, but unlike yesterday everyone managed to get on as the journey progressed. (No problem for us as we get on at the terminus, which is a few metres from our front door.)
We set off along path 423, with fine views across the valley to Mount Averau, a favourite spot of ours.
Down in the valley, a running race seemed to be taking place on this lovely sunny day.
We reached a path junction where runners were heading off downhill to where the hooting and cheering was coming from. For the next hour or so we met runners, some of them pictured here after they had passed us next to the remains of a WW1 hospital.
It turned out to be the Lavaredo 50km race, an ultra marathon. And what a lovely day for it. We must have met nearly 1000 of the runners and walkers over the course of an hour. They had done about 20km at this point.
Eventually a long series of zigzags and a final very steep section brought us to Col dei Bos, where we lost the runners but gained a magnificent view into the Lavaredo area from which the runners were emerging.
Sue got left behind for a while thanks to some camera shy snowbells and some chatty Americans.
After a few snowfields, Forcella Travenanzes was reached. Time for lunch (part 2), in the company of some tame snow finches.
I then continued to Forcella Lagazuoi, before ambling back to Falzarego, whilst Sue nipped up to the Lagazuoi rifugio before joining me at the bus stop.
More wonderful views from near this second lunch spot and beyond.
An uneventful bus ride got us back to base for tea on our balcony by 4pm.
We had walked about 10km with 700 metres ascent (a bit more of both for Sue) taking around 5 hours.
We went down to La Tambra hotel for office hour at 6pm, basically to say goodbye to Floris and Elison, two of the Dutch staff who represent Collett's in Corvara. Sadly Brexit makes it much more difficult to employ staff from the UK.
We were delighted to discover that Barry and a friend had made it to the top of Sassongher. He was grateful for my emphatic advice to be extremely careful. It had been a tough day.
Back at Posta Zirm Hotel, Sue and I enjoyed another lovely tasty meal.
As usual, today was suitable for some more flower photography, some of the results of which are shown below.
