The Dolomites 2012: Day 11

Rifugio Mulatz – Rifugio Rosetta (2578 m)

This was the hardest day I’ve ever experienced on my hiking trips, or maybe in life. It was a little bit of a nightmare for a person like me that suffers from vertigo. But I made it, and I’m proud of myself. I knew from the guidebook that we would have to do the most difficult via ferrata on this trip, some vertical climbing. I was really nervous and I had nightmares.

The morning view from Rifugio Mulatz

We started walking up through a ravine with loose slippery stones. Pretty soon we came to the via ferrata. it looked terrible if you ask me! I was to scarred to take a picture. I realized I could not ask Heiða to take my backpack. There where some other people in front of us and I followed them, it was difficult for a vertigo suffering person, but it was doable, I did it! first I climbed vertical an then down on the other side.

Forcella Margherita

It was a relieve to come down to the other side.

”I came from there”

I thought I was done with the most difficult part of this day and this trip. I knew we would pass one more via ferrata that day but it would be less difficult. We basically ran down the ravine. We took a break before we turned to walk on a path on the cliff face. It was a narrow path and looking down was terrible, it was so steep.

The view from from the cliff face

In between there was no path, just stones to climb over and no wires to hold on to. Actually I think this was the worst part of this trip. The via ferratas were always short, doing them I had wires to hold on to and I only had to be scarred for a shorter moment before it was over. But this cliff face never ended. We walked, and we walked and my legs were shaking the whole time. In the end we came to a via ferrata which felt like nothing after this terrible path. I was really relieved after I had done this. From now on there was a highway to the rifuge.

Finally horizontal ground

After the green terrible cliff face the landscape changed it became more like a moon landscape, rocky with not so much vegetation.

Rif. Pedrotti also known as Rif. Rosetta

We came to the rifugio at three o’clock, I was exhausted after this challenging day. But I was happy! We had a well earned beer outside the rifugio !