Rifugio Bai de Dones - Averau (Trincee)

Access to starting point:
A) From Kranjska Gora over Korensko sedlo to Austria, where at the first major intersection we continue left towards Podklošter / Arnoldstein and Trbiž / Tarvisio. At the end of the settlement Podklošter, signs for Šmohor / Hermagor direct us right onto a regional road, along which, past the mentioned settlement, we drive to the end of the Gailtal valley, or more precisely to the settlement Kötschach-Mauthen, where we turn right towards the settlement Oberdrauburg. The road ahead leads us over the alpine pass Gailbergsattel (982 m), after which we descend into the mentioned settlement. After crossing the bridge over the river Drau, we continue left towards the settlement Lienz. In the main roundabout in Lienz we continue "left" in the direction of the settlement Sillian and Italy. Further on, we cross the state border between Austria and Italy, and we follow the main road to the settlement Dobbiaco / Toblach, where we turn left towards Cortina d'Ampezzo. When we arrive in Cortina d'Ampezzo, we follow the signs for the alpine pass Passo Falzarego. The road above Cortina d'Ampezzo begins to ascend more steeply, and we follow it for quite some time, more precisely to the spot where, just before a sharp right turn, a road branches off to the left, by which we quickly reach the large parking lot at the hut Rifugio Bai de Dones. From Kranjska Gora to the starting point is 208 km.
B) From Kranjska Gora via the border crossing Rateče to Trbiž / Tarvisio and further on the highway towards Udine. We leave the highway at Tolmezzo, from where we continue driving towards the settlement Ampezzo and further towards the alpine pass Passo della Mauria (1298 m). The road then begins to descend and brings us into the Cadore valley, where we continue right towards the settlement Auronzo di Cadore. At the following intersections we follow the signs for Cortina d'Ampezzo. When we arrive in Cortina d'Ampezzo, we follow the signs for the alpine pass Passo Falzarego. The road above Cortina d'Ampezzo begins to ascend more steeply, and we follow it for quite some time, more precisely to the spot where, just before a sharp right turn, a road branches off to the left, by which we quickly reach the large parking lot at the hut Rifugio Bai de Dones. From Kranjska Gora to the starting point is 198 km.
C) From Nova Gorica we drive into Italy and continue on the highway to Portogruaro, where at the highway junction we turn in the direction of Belluno. We follow the highway to its end (we do not turn towards Belluno), then continue driving towards Cortina d'Ampezzo. When we arrive in Cortina d'Ampezzo, we follow the signs for the alpine pass Passo Falzarego. The road above Cortina d'Ampezzo begins to ascend more steeply, and we follow it for quite some time, more precisely to the spot where, just before a sharp right turn, a road branches off to the left, by which we quickly reach the large parking lot at the hut Rifugio Bai de Dones. From the border crossing to the starting point is approximately 230 km.

Route description:
From the parking lot, we head east on path 425 following the signs »Cinque Torri, Rifugio Scoiattoli«. At the beginning we walk a few meters on a macadam road, then the blazes direct us left onto a well-maintained footpath. Here we first walk on somewhat swampy terrain, then the path quickly takes us into the forest and leads us past Lake Lago Bai de Dones. Behind the lake the path turns slightly right and descends slightly. Such a path then brings us to a junction where path 424 joins from the left.
At the junction the path turns right again and soon begins to ascend through the forest. The path continues ascending through the forest for some time, then joins an asphalt road.
Continuing, we ascend the road from which views begin to open up mainly towards the Tofane. Later the path brings us to a marked junction.
Further along the road it is not far to Rifugio Cinque Torri hut, but we turn right onto the footpath called Trincee. From the junction we walk a narrow trail through increasingly sparse larch forest. Such a path then brings us to renovated military trenches along which we walk for some time. There are also many information boards along the path describing events from the First World War. As we approach the famous Cinque Torri towers, the path from Rifugio Cinque Torri hut joins from the left. At the junction we continue right and bypass the towers, which are extremely popular among climbers, along the right north side. When we reach the west side, a short descent follows, then the path begins to ascend again. Along the path there are still numerous military trenches and some renovated military structures. In the last part to Rifugio Scoiattoli there follows an ascent mostly on grassy slopes.
From Rifugio Scoiattoli hut, from which there is a nice view of Cinque Torri, we go right following the signs for Rifugio Nuvolau and Rifugio Averau. The path ahead leads along a rocky road, or much more pleasant parallel hiking trail ascending on the left side of the road. After about 20 minutes of moderate ascent over panoramic terrain, initially still grassy slopes, the trail splits into two parts (the junction is unmarked).
The left path, continuing moderately steeply, leads to Nuvolau, while we continue on the right path, which rejoins the aforementioned road. We continue on the road, which brings us to a small valley between the peaks Nuvolau and Averau, and follow it all the way to the saddle between both peaks, where the Averau hut stands.
From the hut we continue right along the mountain road. Already after a few meters the sign »Ferrata Averau« directs us left uphill. The path first crosses scree on the east side of the mountain and soon turns left, entering the climbing section. At the start of the climbing path we ascend steeply along the steel cable over a steep wall, then reach a path junction. The left slightly easier path ascends vertically on pegs through a chimney. The right path also ascends almost vertically, but without pegs. Note that the left path is often damp and snow lingers somewhat longer. After a short steep section both paths reunite and a traverse to the right with steel cable aid follows. The climbing section ends quickly and we soon reach the less steep summit slopes. In the final part the path is no longer demanding and we soon reach the very panoramic summit.
Rifugio Bai de Dones - Rifugio Scoiattoli 1:45, Rifugio Scoiattoli - Rifugio Averau 30 minutes, Rifugio Averau - Averau 45 minutes.

Along the route: Lago Bai de Dones (1895m), Rifugio Scoiattoli (2255m), Rifugio Averau (2413m)

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