On trail 15, Fanes Forest

A third day of unbroken blue skies and sunshine.

We took the two lifts to Sant Croce again, as we did on Tuesday. Had a coffee at the Refugio then turned right onto path 15 which led us down to San Cassiano in the valley below.

The first part meandered it way through pine forests and snowfields at around 6000 feet where the air was cold and crisp which was where today’s blip was taken. Good views behind us of the towering cliffs of the Sas Dla Crusc where humans are dwarfed by the imposing bulk of these mountains.

Coming out of the forest we entered a south facing area which was so much warmer, where most of the snow had gone or was hard slippery ice in the shade. We sat for many minutes soaking up the sunshine and the view.

Finally we arrived in San Cassiano for lunch, sitting on a terrace in the warm sunshine enjoying a beer and our food.

The last part of the journey from San Cassiano to La Villa was alongside the Ru de San Cassiano which was icebound in the icy cold of this north facing valley. Just shows the effect of aspect on local conditions.

Finally, 6 and a half miles from the start we arrived in La Villa with sufficient time for a coffee and (shared) apple strudel before our lift back to the hotel. Another exceptional day in the Dolomites.