23 August 2013
Chalet Angelo were offering some high level walking this week and one of the options took guests to Lago di Sorapis, a majestic lake just the other side of Cortina.
As the drive took us to the Falzarego Pass and away from Badia, the blue skies sadly disappeared in the distance as a huge rain cloud hovered above Cortina. Guests sat questioning why they had chosen shorts for the day as organiser Gemma reassured them that clear skies were definitely forecasted! It was a small group of five, including myself, out for the day and the route was new to everybody. We had all heard stories that Lake Sorapis is a place of awe-inspiring beauty so we could not wait to start the walk.
The first hour flew by as we all conversed, getting to know one another. It soon became evident that we were sharing the route with walkers of the Alta Via 3, a long distance hut to hut walk. The traffic built up as we begin the gentle ascent heading for the small section of protected path. One of our guests, Rebecca, commented “If she can do it, then so can I!” as she pointed to a little girl no older than 3 years. The protected ledge, which offered a trustworthy wire to hold on to, opened up fantastic views across the valley as far as the eye could see.
Soon enough, Rifugio Vandelli poked its head out of the trees in the distance. We all put a bet on how long it would take us before we were sat comfortably enjoying a coffee; at a minute past midday, it couldn’t have been better timing. It wasn’t long before our eagerness to see this supposed majestic lake overcame us, so we plodded the extra 5 minutes up the hill before it came into view.
A simultaneous “WOW” escaped everybody. The pure blue colour of the water, the protruding rock formations in the background and the sudden arrival of sunshine (something we weren’t sure we’d see!) created a picture-perfect scene so commonly found here in the Dolomites. We took advantage of such a place by enjoying a long lunch in the sunshine as the boys headed down to skim stones across the water. Before time escaped us completely, we decided to carry on with our walk at a leisurely pace.
Up until this point, it was difficult to understand why the walk was graded as hard. However, we soon came across an interesting path which incorporated steep ascent, light scrambling and loose rock – nothing our adventurous and sure-footed guests couldn’t handle nevertheless. Reaching heights of over 2200m, views were ever extending and changeable as we wound around the rock face.
When you go up, you must come down. The last downhill section introduced unstable scree which had some of us down on our bums – sometimes intentionally. Much support (as well as laughs) was offered to each member of the party and we all got down safely, with thanks from our knees. A nice, flat 2km stretch brought us back to swapping stories and having a good old natter before the track brought us out right alongside the van. A great day had by all unearthing one of the many hidden gems found here in the Italian Dolomites.
Collett’s blogs are written by our resort diarist, photographer and walker, Kelly Diggle. If you are out on a walk with her you are sure to be included in her photographs in one of her weekly blogs. Kelly’s personal travel blog can be found here.
