Alta Via 3 Gallery | Baxter Nature

01. The small town of Villabassa in the Pusteria Valley is the starting point for the Alta Via 3.

02. After a 1500 metre climb up from the town of Villabassa you finally reach the Sarlsattel saddle

03 Heading across the high alp from Sarlsattel saddle to Picco di Vallandro, which rises steeply to the south of the meadow.

04. Looking from the NW flanks of Picco di Vallandro back across the meadow to the Sarlsattel saddle between the two rocky peaks

05. After skirting round the west side of Picco di Vallandro of loose scree, stony paths and some easy via ferrata is was a relief to get to the grassy Prota Piazzo meadows just before the Rifugio Vallandro

06. The view from Rifugio Vallandro across the valley and to Monte Cristallo

07. Heading down the steep Chiara Valley towards the Tre Cime Hotel in the Landro Valley. The mountain ahead is Monte Piana and the steep Sentiero dei Pionieri (Pioneers Path) is up the side facing us.

08. Starting the climb up the Sentiero dei Pionieri looking north down the Landro Valley

09. Some parts of the Sentiero dei Pionieri are steep and a few places have cables for security, especially towards the top

10. The Sentiero dei Pionieri path takes one to the top of Monte Piano where the is an open World War One museum of fortifications. There are also some great views. Here is the view SE towards the Cadini di Misurina massif

11. Misurina lake with the The Pio XII Institute for asthma. This building was formerly the Grand Hotel Savoy. In the background is the Sorapiss Massif

12. A steeper section on the path to Rifugio Vandelli. Beside the rifugio is a turquoise glacial lake and it had become a very popular day hike from Tre Croci

13. Lake Sorapiss lake near Rifugio Vandelli in the middle of the Sorapiss massif has become a popular day hike. The route of the Alta Via 3 goes along the shore of this small lake.

14. Looking back down to Sorapiss Lake and the Rifugio Vandelli. Just beyond the rfugio is the start of the Vandelli Via Ferrata which goes up to the notch on the ridge line

15. The very exposed ledge system on the west side of Croda Marcora runs for about a km. There are no protection cables here until you get to the start of the Berti Via Feratta round the corner

16. Looking back at some of the ledges which the Alta Via 3 route follows on the west side of Croda Marcora before you reach the security of the cables on the Via Feratta Berti

17. High up on the exposed ledges of Croda Marcora before you reach the Via Feratta Berti.

18. The start of the Via Feratta Berti. The Alta Via 3 goes left to right along the obvious ledge and then down a series of cables and ladders for 30-40 metres into the loose scree of the gully

19. The final section of Via Feratta Berti goes up along this reddish shelf to a pass called Forcella di Bivacco, which marks the end of the Via Feratta.

20. Looking east from the Forcella di Bivacco at the end of the Via Feratta Berti towards Slataper bivouac, which is a red shed of iron sheets bolted to the rock

21. Slataper bivouac is it bolted and guy-roped to the rock. t had 3 rustic roof height beds, but could probably sleep 7 at a push.

22. Below Slataper bivouac there are good pastures for the herd of Alpine Ibex, Capra ibex, which are often resident here

23, Some of the male Alpine Ibex, Capra ibex, can weight up to 120 kg with horns nearly a metre long.

24. Looking down to Rifugio San Marco ( bottom centre) from near Forcella Grande Pass. In the background is the cloud covered bulk of Monte Antelao and to the right is the Boite Valley and the town of San Vito di Cadore

25 The quaint Rifugio San Marco is one of the nicest lodges in the Dolomites. It is about a 2-3 hour walk above San Vito di Cadore

26. Heading down from Rifugio San Marco to San Vito di Cadore with the huge block of Monte Pelmo in the background.

27. Looking up to Croda Marcora where the Via Feratta Berti runs along the ledges just about photo’s centerline before it emerges at the right ridge line well below the summit

28. Rifugio Venezia lies just at the east foot of Monte Pelmo. The high mountain in the distance is Croda Marcora in the Sorapiss Massif from 2 days previous

29. Looking up at Monte Pelmo form the meadows near Rifugio Venezia

30. En route from Rifugio Venezia to Rifugio Talamini with the serrated Bosconero massif in the background

31. Half way between Rifugio Venezia and Rifugio Talamini the route follows some very faint paths but it also goes past the lovely alp at Cason de Serla with its old cabin

32. The view from Rifugio Dolomites on top of Monte Rite looking south towards the Bosconero massif. In the center is Sasso di Bosconero,2,468m, behind it to the middle right is Sasso di Toanella, 2430m, and on the far right is Rocchetta, 2412m

33. Breakfast in Italy is usually a sweet mealtime, but at Rifugio Dolomites on Monte Rite they took it a stage further

34. Looking north from the roof of the Messner Mountain Museum on Monte Rita into the Boite Valley. On the very right is Monte Antelao and in the middle is the Sorapiss massif

35. Looking south from the Le Calades pass. On the centre left is Sasso di Bosconero and Rocchetta is on the centre right. In a clearing on a shelf in the bottom right is the lovely Rifugio Bosconero. The next day I had to go up the scree filled gully in the centre between the two mountains

36. The lovely Rifugio Bosconero, with the dining room in the main building and the dormitory in the log cabin on the left

37. On the way up the scree-filled gully between the towers of Sasso di Bosconero and Sasso di Toanella I flushed out two chamois who sprinted down the cliffs taking huge leaps from ledge to ledge

38. From the top of the scree filled gully was the Forcella Toanella Pass, this is the view looking south down the rest of the Bosconero massif ridge. The Bivouac Tovanella lies beyond the peak in the middle of the photo. The route goes down to the saddle before the near peak and then crosses over to the other side (west) before continuing down the crest of the ridge

39. Looking back to a small section of Via Feratta just to the north of Pic Madonna. At the start of this section the only way along the ledge was to crawl on hand and knees.

40. Looking NW from near the pass La Porta de la Sera, to the Zoldo valley and Monte Pelmo

41. Looking south from La Porta de la Sera pass. The Bivouac Tovanella lies down in the larch trees in a meadow on the bottom right

42. Two bronze plaques at the Porta de la Sera pass to Mario Brovelli and Bruno Tolot, who devised the Alta Via 3 in 1966

43. The rustic Bivouac Tovanelli lies in a high pasture some 4 hours from the end at Langarone. It has no bedding or gas stove and the water comes from a cistern

44. A bee on one of the many Wooly Thistles, Cirsium eriophorum, growing in the meadows around Bivouac Tovanella

45. Looking SE from the Costa del Dou ridge down towards the town of Longarone, which is largely hidden in the valley some 1400 metres below

46. The meadow to the south of the Costa del Dou were full of these Parasol Mushrooms, Macrolepiota procera, one I had a wheelbarrow I could have filled it many times over

47. The dappled light in the beech forest on the good mule path as I walked the final kilometers down to Langarone

48. The town of Longarone is the end of the Alta Via 3. This is the town above the Vajont Valley. In 1963 a landslide into a damned reservoir caused a wall of water to sweep down the Vajont Valley (just out of the picture to the right) destroying much of the town and killing over 1800 people.

49. Despite waking up in the remote Bivouac Tovanelli in the remote Bosconero range where I did dot see anyone for a day and half there was still time to get to venice and take a vaporetto down the Grand Canal and under the Rialto Bridge

50. More of the Grand Canal in Venice before the flight home

Alta Via 3 / Gallery

The Alta Via 3