To the Bivacco Slataper

More lovely weather for our last day of hiking on this vacation. Today we're hiking in the Sorapiss massif again (we hiked here on the first day too... symmetry!), but this time on the other side. Starting at the lift station above San Vito di Cadore we hike up, up, up, mostly along forest road, until we hit the construction area around the Rif. Scotter. From here we cross a bit more construction and then are finally on real trail for the last bit up up to the Rif. San Marco. This is a lovely small hut with a great location. We've already done 700m, but we aren't even close to done with the climbing.

Up, up some more, now on a nice trail until we hit the Forcella Grande. Here we find a good spot to enjoy the views (the bowl in front of us really is nice) and do a food break. Then onward and upwards around the left side of the bowl and then up, up to the Bivacco Slataper. This is a bright red tube perched on a point with fantastic views. We've been almost entirely alone to this point (we saw two hikers up to the first hut and one while having the break), but now there are people around. One pair is very intent on establishing the fact that they're going to be in the bivac, a group with klettersteig equipment is also descending, and there's a group of four, also with klettersteig equipment, up above in the saddle. We head up to the saddle and a bit up one side to a quiet spot for another food break and some more view appreciation. We're sitting on the edge of a big drop, more or less at the altitude where the afternoon clouds are getting started, so our views to the West are intermittent, but everything to the East is clear. 

After the break we head back. We start by heading straight down the valley across a set of nice slabs through a stone landscape which is really reminiscent of being on a glacier, including crevasses(!). It's wild. Under the bivac we walk past a group of three ibex grazing and enjoying the afternoon sun; they aren't too concerned about us. The rest of the way out is the same as how we came in, just with different views since we're walking in the other direction and the light and clouds are different.

The Rif. San Marco is just too tempting, so we stop there for a cool beverage and lovely piece of pie before finishing the last bit down, down, down to the car.

Great day! And next time we're back in the area we definitely need to consider doing some of the klettersteigs around Sorapiss. The route from either Faloria or Passo Tre Cime to Biv. Slapeter looks really good!

Stats: 7:00, 19.4 km, ~1500m up and down