Time out in the Dolomites

On the Go

Part 2 of Sajjad’s photographs from his mountaineering trips with his beloved Saaralya, in the Italian Alps

Part 1 with introduction: Postcard from the Dolomites

(click on photos to see full screen)

Sesto Dolomites

Before breakfast“

Before Breakfast
Mt Paterno and Three Peaks, San Candido (San Candel, Innichen*)

The Locatelli Hut (Dreizinnenhütte) in front of Monte Paterno (Paternkofel) and the Three Peaks (Tre Cime, Drei Zinnen).

Mt Paterno played an important role during WWI as troops created a tunnel system within the mountain. Still today the peak can be reached through that tunnel system. With an altitude of 2744 m, Mt. Paterno is – next to the Three Peaks – one of the most important and famous peaks of the Sesto Dolomites.

Three Peaks, San Candido,

Il Classico
The Three Peaks, San Candido

After a cloudy day the sky opened in the evening and let us see the beauty of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo. Situated in the Three Peaks Nature Park (Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage since 2009) they create the border between South Tyrol (Trentino-Alto Adige) in the north and the Veneto Region in the south.

Laghi dei Piani

Time Out…
at a Place Where Time Stands Still

Lake Piani and Mt Paterno, Locatelli Hut on the horizon, San Candido

When we arrived at the Laghi dei Piani, a strong wind made a clean reflection almost impossible. After attempting several shots I was about to give up, but suddenly the wind relaxed, and voilà!

With these last three shots I apparently gave a hard time to the curator of this article; I have so many beautiful photographs of the same hut and the same three peaks and the same lake – all brilliant, she says. But which one to choose?

Torre di Toblin

Dwarfed
Torre di Toblin (Toblinger Knoten), San Candido (Innichen)

While in summer the hut is as crowded as a pedestrian zone in the middle of a city and the chatter of the tourists is setting the mood, in winter the hut is closed and goes into a long hibernation.

Walking past this view, we would have liked to linger for a bit longer and listen more carefully to what nature was whispering in that atmosphere, but the icy temperatures and the relentless wind pushed us to keep on going. With our headlamps we eventually found our way through the darkness while heading towards the cosy lights of the huts down below – and the starry night above us which made us feel so much in oneness with existence.

Lights on

Lights On
Rifugio Passo Giau, Livinallongo, Selva di Cadore

After a cloudy day the sun comes through at the height of the Giau Pass, giving us a view to the peak Ra Gusela, resembling a galleon figurehead.

Lake Baste

Enchanted Land
Mondeval Plateau, Lake Baste, Livinallongo, Selva di Cadore

Mount Pelmo on the horizon reflected in the small lake, Lago delle Baste. The Mondeval high plateau (2150 m) was already settled in ancient times. Proof is that a skeleton of a hunter who lived up here 7500 years ago was found in 1987. (See the Mondeval Man)

Ampezzo Dolomites

Lagazuoi

Think Big
Lagazuoi, Falzarego Pass, Cortina d’Ampezzo

Mount Lagazuoi on the left and Tofana di Rozes to the right are the two peaks that dominate the Ampezzo Dolomites.

Lago di Federa

Reflecting Solitude
Lago di Federa with Becco di Mezzodí, Cortina d’Ampezzo

In fall this place is a jewel with the vibrant colours of the larches all around, their beauty emphasized by the morning sun.

I have so many more photos of this beautiful lake. I will show them in a collection called Reflections. Again it was an agony for the curator to choose just one…

Lago Federa

Fall in Love
Lake Federa, Cortina d’Ampezzo

Lago di Federa seen from another angle, and also in fall. Here it’s reflecting the sky just below the Croda da Lago mountain chain, with the Sorapis and Antelao on the other side of the Valle del Boite.

Cortina d'Ampezzo

Chapel on the Hill
Misurina, Cortina d’Ampezzo

View onto the wild Cadini Group. This chapel was built in memory of the fallen soldiers during WWI. There were many battles on these peaks. But in the present we can enjoy sliding down on our sledges on this sunny and cold winter’s day.

* As mentioned in Part 1, some of the locations and mountains have names in different languages. Italian is the official language as the Dolomites area now belongs to Italy. Previously, parts were under Austria, speaking German. The third language is Ladin, an ancient language spoken in some of these valleys.

Sajjad and Saaralya

Sajjad Günter Zwaka is a health practitioner, passionate about mountaineering and photography. He lives with his beloved Saaralya in Munich, Germany. sajjad@gmx.net

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