Cima Valdritta: a challenging hike

We caught two cable cars up Monte Baldo with Dan and Jackie today. John and I then climbed Cima Vadritta (2218 metres), while Dan mountain biked down the mountain and Jackie had a walk to a nearer peak.

From the cable car station (1760 metres), we followed a broad gravel track past the upper station of a chair lift.

We then joined a panoramic ridge overlooking Malcesine and Lake Garda, far below us. We could even see snow covered mountains in the distance.

The path soon became rockier and covered with dense dwarf pines, and we were pleased to spot some chamois on the path ahead of us.

After about an hour and a half, we reached the summit cross on Cima delle Pozzette (2132 metres), where we sat and had a butty in the sunshine, watching teeny tiny sailing boats and windsurfers on the lake below. Wonderful!

Now the more difficult section of the hike began. We dropped down about 150 metres from Cima delle Pozzette, before detouring around a couple of peaks to our right.

The path constantly went up and down, losing and regaining height. Also, there were many tricky sections, clambering over tree roots, scrambling through rocks, and crossing rock slabs protected by cables. At one point, when Cima Valdritta seemed such a long way off, we debated turning back, having time limitations. However, both of us really wanted to reach the top so we decided to carry on.

After what seemed a long time, we reached some impressive rock towers where we turned off the main trail to make our final ascent to the summit. Much of this was on a carved mule track, a remnant of World War 1 and a reminder of the battles that took place in these mountains.

Just 15 minutes later, after around 3 hours 20 minutes, we reached the summit. Phew! My little legs were tired and I was hot and sticky, but it was worth it. Great views, and a wonderful sense of achievement.

The way back didn’t seem much easier, over the rugged terrain, constantly up and down, and over heating where there was no breeze. I was pleased to reach the top of Cima delle Pozzette again, knowing the trail would be slightly easier now, and seeing the cable car in the distance, marking the end of our hike.

We had a drink in a bar by the cable car station before catching the lifts down and riding our bikes back to the campsite. In the evening we went to a restaurant for dinner… delicious, and the wine was only 13 euros for a litre… such good value we had two bottles! 🤭