Dolomites Summer 2025

An unexpected possibility occured and I decided literally over night to spend more days in the mountains. It is the first time since my days as a student that I visit the Dolomites and my second hometown Cimolais in Summer. As always I drove at night. After about 12 hours I came by the Lago Misurina and the path  that leads up the Tre Cime. It was an early Monday morning, and the signs already displayed that the parking lots were full. So this are the Dolomites in summer, I thought. I made the decision on the spot that I would not return there or anywhere near of South Tirol, the Western Dolomites or anywhere else I could encounter these masses of tourists. I drove straight towards the Friulan Dolomites and Cimolais. 2 hours later I arrived and my summer of solitude began. In my other blogs I report about the fact that when I seek solitude in the mountains I always come across people. Poeple that are fellow hikers and some of the nicest human beings. I never regreted any of these encounters. But how crowded would it be in summer? Would there be a chance for my first solo night in one of the Bivaccos? Yes! I'm right now about half way through my vacation and I had some amazing trips already and over-night stays in the mountain huts and in my tent.

The first trip was a new one.  As always I got the tip from my brother who is even more of an explorer and stays even more often in Cimolais than I do. For this trip I had to cross a river. In summer that is totally fine although the mountain water is freezing cold and the force of flowing water is often underestimated. After that it is a trip to 1750 altimeters with about 800 meters of elevation gain. I came across a wide field with an abondonned hut and lots of yellow flowers. It was so beautiful that I almost whished I could set up a tent there instead of getting further up and sleeping in the bivacco. But as I reached the valley with the bivacco I knew for sure that I want to sleep this night in this bivacco (Casera Laghetto di sopra).
The valley was beautiful with the same yellow flowers and impressive green mountain ridges (later I found out that these flowers were "Gelber Eisenhut", "yellow monkshood" - one of the most venomous flowers in the Alps). I spend almost 20 hours up there and for the whole time I was on my own. Finally. My first night alone in the hut with no company.
Well, almost. At twilight I went into the cabin. Minutes later I heard something outside. I went to see who that might be. When I looked through the windows of the frontdoor I saw deers. Not one. There were several. And they approached the hut like they know that it is mostly empty. I could follow them walking around the hut as I was moving quietly from window to window. I made a video with my smartphone as I knew that my kids would love to see that. I cannot say how long they stayed during the night, but in the morning they were still there.
At one time I had to leave the bivacco. I tried to leave the house as less intimidating as possible and the deers were leaving as if  they had no fear, just respect. One of them was even looking back before they all went out of sight. I made photo of that very special moment. At least it was for me.

My second trip went to the place that I've visited frequently on my last vacation in late Spring. I camped in my tent near a river that leads into the valley. The weatherforecast was so good that planned to sleep in my tent without the outer shell, so to speak sleeping under the stars.
Also that was an amazing experience. It got a little chilly but I slept quite well. I finally got the picture I wanted after 4 visits.
My third trip should lead me to a place I've been last Fall. The Cason di Braca is a hut deep in the Parco Naturale Dolomiti Friulane and placed almost halfway up a round track that leads you to the Valle dell'Inferno. Last time I went there I had the opportunity to meet a pair of travellers and their big but gentle dog and we spend the night as a party of 4 in the cabin. 
As nice as that was, I hoped for another solo stay for the upcoming night.  And for the second time on this trip I was lucky. Although some hikers were passing through nobody stayed at the cabin. I had THE BEST good night sleep I ever had on a camping trip.

So for now I havn't mentioned photography at all. That is because this time being outdoor was more important for me than photography. Of course I had always my 5 kilos of photography gear with me but I only used it when the circumstanced allowed for. 
And man, what circumstances I had on that last morning!
I woke up after the best sleep I ever had on a camping trip. It was 4:50 a.m. when my alarm bell rang. Sunrise should be at 5:30 a.m. I scouted the location the day before and so there was no need to rush. I did not have to look out the window, I could already here it rain alot.  The days before I also realised that sunrise at 5:30 really means sunrise at 6 earliest, at least in the mountains. So I made the decision on get to rest a little longer. I fell asleep instantly without any regrets that I might leave out on a glorious sunrise.
I woke up at 5:45 without any alarm and immediately realised that it was silent. No more rain. I packed my photography gear incl. my drone and went to the location. The sky looked promising and I must admit that this have probably been the best conditions to start a shooting I ever had. My subject was a mountain ridge that would be illuminated by the sun and should give me that alpen glow that I always whish for. In the background of the ridge wasn''t a boring blu sky, but instead a wild mixture of low hanging clouds and fog. Wow. In addition the way the sun would be coming from was NOT covered by clouds. I set my tripod and the drone and right when I was finished and ready the ridge cought fire.
For the next 10-15 minutes I was in photography heaven. Especially the drone footage was amazing and based on the unedited material I got this must have been the best drone footage I recorded thus far. It really only lasted minutes as the sun went behind a cloud and wasn't seen again that morning. 

An unplanned 4th hike turned out to be the best of the holiday. I decided to make use of a short window of good weather for another ascent to the Campanile. The sunny weather was forecast to change in the early afternoon, with thunderstorms expected to pass through. So I set off in the morning and reached the bivouac around 11 a.m. For the first time, I didn't feel completely drained after the climb. It must have been the training effect from the three previous ascents.

I decided to leave everything except my photo equipment in the bivouac and take on another 1½ hour climb to the Forcella Montanaia. That steep wall of loose rock, where you had to take almost every step twice, had always discouraged me. So I went for it and kept turning back to take photos of the Campanile and the lush green valley it sits in. Then something happened that made this trip truly special for me. On every trip, I always prepare my gear in case I catch sight of some wildlife. My dream has always been to see an ibex in the mountains. And this time, out of the blue, my wish came true. Not far from my route were two young ones and their mother or father. They played, grazed, and noticed me—but weren't bothered at all. Never would I have expected to get so close to one of these animals, and never could I have imagined that my encounter with the deer at the hut would be topped.

The ascent ended up taking me 2½ hours instead of 1½. No surprise, given the distractions. At the summit, I felt as joyful as on my first ascent to the Montanaia. By now, time was pressing—the approaching storm could be felt and seen. On the way back, the largest ibex even came a bit closer on its own. I can't wait to see the pictures. I made it back to the bivouac in time and got cozy inside. I was totally wiped out, but happy with the experience. As the rain began, I glanced outside—and I couldn't quite believe my eyes. The ibex was standing right next to my bivouac. I slowly got up, walked to the door, opened it quietly, and there he stood. Just five to ten meters away. And on the other side, the two young ones. I left it at that—I didn’t want to damage the trust they’d shown me. Later in the evening, after the sun had already set, I saw the three once more. They crossed a slope with absolute ease, probably heading to their nighttime shelter. I captured this with my camera on video.

Sadly, sunrise and sunset weren’t visible this time, but the view of the Campanile from the Forcella di Montanaia and the ibex encounter will forever be among the most beautiful memories for me.

Late that night, I was joined by some human company. During the day, I’d only met three groups or individuals. As is always the case in the mountains, they all left a positive impression on me. 

Group 1 consisted of two young Italians who stayed until midday and enjoyed the view. We chatted, and when they learned I was staying overnight, they gave me half a chocolate bar (the good Ritter Sport dark chocolate with nuts!) 

Group 2 was made up of two couples from Spain. I managed to talk to them briefly, though only in fragments, since we had no common language. 

And finally, David from Baden-Württemberg arrived late in the evening. 

Turns out he had been at the parking lot earlier, when I began my ascent. He was camping there in a red VW van. So enviable. Like me, he struggled with his gear (2 photo cameras, a gimbal, and a drone), though his setup was even bulkier than mine. We spent the evening together on the mountain, and the next morning—after my descent—we shared a coffee by his van. I spend the night alone in the Bivacco, which makes 3 out of 3 nights alone.

This holiday gave me so much. In many ways, more than the previous ones. I had no trouble with my knee, and for every night outside the house, I was completely alone. Spending the night solo in the huts, in the tent, and in the bivouac was wonderfully cozy. I’m heading back home tomorrow, and I’m looking for the perfect word to describe this trip: fulfilling.