The Translagorai is a trail that traverse the Lagorai, a wild and uncontaminated
range made up of volcanic rocks, part of the Italian Eastern Alps and not far from the Dolomites.
The trail runs for 80+ kilometers and goes from Panarotta - to the west - to Rolle Pass - to the east - but it can be done both ways. It’s usually best to walk it from late june to september, but we chose to start our trip the 4th of October which luckily gave us some warm days.
What’s special about this mountain range is the little human presence or impact: no paved roads, no ski plants, no parking lots or electricity wires. There are not so many huts, and especially none of them is at high elevation. Which means that the trek, that almost never goes below 2000m a.s.l., stays above everything that’s human.
When we started, on October the 4th, fall was fast approaching at those high altitudes: the colors were warm and vibrant, the sky mostly clear and the sun warming us up was never too high making some special light perfect for us. The grass was starting to lose its green colour, giving space to a yellow-ish tint. Lakes and creeks are abundant in the area, giving us the idea of being somewhere in Scotland or Ireland at times, in proper Dolomites territory at others, with big slopes and vertical walls.
Here is a brief reportage and some pics of the trek:
DAY 1 | A cold start
Our first day was though, not only for the mileage, which we knew beforehand it would pass the 20km and reach 2000m of elevation gain, but also for the cold wind of the morning that greeted us when we started. As soon as the sun came up, though, the weather was great and we felt rewarded, and start cruising on the trail. We arrived at our designated place for the night, a cold and unwelcoming bivouac, after one hour of walking in the dark with the light of our headlamps as the only beacon to guide us on the trail. We ate our dehydrated meals and went straight inside our sleeping bags.
DAY 2 | Warm meal heals everything
The night was horrible: the temperature dropped around 0°C and we couldn’t quite sleep. We left our sleeping bags quite early, trying to sleep was useless and we were eager to have something warm to fix our bodies. We had a hot tea that boosted our morale a little and start walking. One foot after the other, regular pace and breathe, heart pumping blood to our legs: everything had its own rhythm and our minds, free of our daily chores were fully focused on what we were doing and what was in front of our eyes. We decided to keep the second day shorter and to stop for a proper sleep in Malga Conseria, were we had a great meal and a warm shower.
DAY 3 | Nice lakes, nice rocks, great hiking
At the start of the third day we were fresh as never before: we woke up at 6:00 and started walking by 6:30. Such a beautiful light welcomed us outside the hut. This section was one of the most beautiful, in our opinion: we hiked past beautiful lakes, over fallen trees (twisted our ankles a little) and on beautiful ridges. We arrived at a beautiful bivouac, named “Paolo and Nicola", already warm thanks to another hiker that lit up the stove. We spent the evening chatting with some overnighter hikers and had some good laughs.
DAY 4 | Cloudy Dolomites on sight
We left Paolo and Nicola bivouac for our last day of hiking. Our legs were sore, one had an aching knee and the other a semi-sprained ankle. Slowly but determined, we proceeded to our goal. It was a cloudy and quite cold day which meant no breaks, fast hiking (when possible) and less photos. Our final destination was Rolle Pass, a very famous location facing some beautiful Dolomites walls, including Cimon della Pala and the Vezzana peaks. Unfortunately, the clouds made impossible to see those peaks but we felt their presence. Once we arrived at Colbricon Lakes we knew it was almost over and rushed to the pass and to the car waiting for us.
Some numbers of our Translagorai:
4 days (3 nights out) | 81km / 50 miles | 5126m / 16.871 feet of elevation gain in total
The trail itself is not hard, but it can be challenging in some parts: the terrain can become pretty steep with big rocks that require some attention. Moreover, it’s a bit of task to complete it in 4 days, with a notable elevation gain and our food and equipment in our packs (12kg for both of us). For the most part, however, is a well marked trail with easy terrain.
Those were some good days, in which we rediscovered why we love so much being outside: the raw reality of the wilderness around you is a slap of fresh air to go back to a simple way of living and disconnect, even if for a little while, from the daily chores and preoccupations. We encourage you to discover more about it and to walk through it. Feel free to ask any kind of information to us.
Andrea and Luca
