The Sella is a part of the Dolomites which I know very well from countless skiing holidays. It was great to visit this area in summer. After spending the night at the Pordoi Joch we wanted to save the fee for the funicular and walk up to the mountain station instead.
 |
| Parking at the Pordoi Joch with the Langkofel in the back |
 |
| Full of energy we started to walk up |
This lovely fellow walked with us from the start. He always waited patiently when we stopped for another photo. After a while I decided he needed a name so we baptised him calling him Schorschi.
 |
| Schorschi is leading the way |
 |
| 50 more minutes to go ? |
 |
| Crossing the first fields of snow |
 |
| Getting higher also meant it got colder |
 |
| and the snow got deeper |
Schorschi had stopped when the snow got so deep that it was difficult for him to walk. He waited a while, probably wondering why we kept on going. When we were already much further up the mountain, he barked, maybe to tell us he is not waiting for us any longer.
 |
| Still a steep climb to the Refugio |
 |
| The weather forecast predicted rain for the afternoon |
 |
| Instead of the zigzag of the path, we walked straight up through the snow |
 |
| There were footprints of people who had walked down before |
 |
| but mostly we had to make our own steps into the snow |
 |
| Freezing cold at 2.848 metres |
When we reached the Refugio Forcella Pordoi, it was of course closed. It would have been really nice to warm up! Our initial plan was to walk on to the mountain station of the funicular and go down this way. The restaurant there was open, and we could have had a cup of hot tea and an Apfelstrudel. (By the way: I love Apfelstrudel the South Tyrolean way!) But that was just a dream. Around the Refugio Forcella the snow was very deep, and we didn’t see a path leading in that direction. We were not equipped properly for such harsh conditions and the clouds were closing in, so we made the only sensible thing – we walked back down through the snow.
 |
| Flower of the Day |
