u/AnActualMillenial — reddlx

Visiting Appennino Tosco-Emiliano National Park: How to get there?

Hoping to visit Appennino Tosco-Emiliano National Park this September. Will coming from Massa with my spouse, where we are staying with family. We are outdoorsy hikers/campers/backpackers and would love to stay in a Rifugio, but could also do day hikes from a town if there are still great views. My ideal place is to hike part of the North Appenine Ridge Line (Path 00) and possibly visit Mt Cusna and/or Mt Prado, it sounds like this is one of the park highlights.

I'm running into two logistical challenges I'm hoping you all could help me with!

I can't find a reliable trail map - the NP website map is difficult to work with and I'm not seeing kilometers or trail labels...
I'm concerned about logistics for getting to the park form Massa/from there to an airport. There are many entrances into the park, but so far I have not yet identified any close to major transit, so there may be multiple buses involved. Are buses reliable? Do we need to rent a car? (places I've looked at: Cerreto, Civago, Febbio)
Are there other sections of the park/entrances that would be easier to get to with public transportation and still have decent day hikes or overnights?

Thanks so much! Any/all suggestions are welcome! (and sorry in advance if i chose the wrong flair?)

travel dates: this leg of the trip will start Aug 29 and end Sept 1 or 2

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u/AnActualMillenial — 3 days ago

▲ 4 r/viaferrata

Beginner trip to Rosengarten - Via Ferrata difficulty check?

Hi, I am doing research into a trip to Rosengarten (Dolomites) with my spouse in early September. I'm having some difficulty finding clear ratings/difficulty information and would love input from y'all on the suitability of these Via Ferrata for beginners and any experiences or descriptions:

Via Ferrata Roda di Vaél (2B)
Via Ferrata Masaré (1A)
Passo Santner Ferrata (rating unclear?) - I'm most concerned about this one because I couldn't find a consensus on the rating, and I don't think we can skip it on the planned route. It sounds like it's most difficult if there is snowpack in a section, so maybe we are going at a good time of year for it.
Via Ferrata Catinaccio D’Antermoia (rating unclear?)
Via Ferrata Sentiero Massimiliano - Intermediate and optional, we would probably only do this if feeling very confident after the others

We're athletic/adventurous folks in our mid/late 30's, and have decent (USA) backpacking & elevation hiking experience but definitely are not mountaineers or rock climbers. We play sports and have solid cardio and hiking fitness. We also weightlift and are reasonably strong, but I cannot do an unassisted pull up (working on it!). We are up for a physical and mental challenge, but also want to make sure we know what we are getting into and don't end up in a sketchy or life-threatening situation.

We will obviously be prepared with appropriate rented gear, footwear, check the weather, light packs, etc.

Looking forward to any input, thanks so much!

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u/AnActualMillenial — 8 days ago

▲ 1 r/dolomites

Itinerary Check/Advice for Hut to Hut/Via Ferrata in Rosengarten NP

Ciao! Will be visiting Italy and hoping to take the opportunity to do some hut to hut hiking and beginner level Via Ferrata! We won't be able to do a super long trip but I found this itinerary for Rosengarten which looks lovely: https://inafarawayland.com/rosengarten-traverse/

Day 1: Bolzano - Kararsee - Roda di Vael (or Rifugio Paolina). Weather permitting, day hike loop Via Ferrata Roda di Vael (2B) and Via Ferrata Masare (1A)
Day 2: Roda Di Vael - Alberto Primero (Garthuette) (includes Passo Santer Ferrata (B))
Day 3: Gartheutte to Passo Principe. Weather permitting, day hike Fettara Catinaccio D/Antermoia (believe this is a beginner one as well)
Day 4: Passo Principe to Rifugio Alpe di Tires
Day 5: Exit to Suisi

I have a bunch of questions which are mostly related to difficulty/safety - we are adventurous but don't want to bite off more than we can chew and be the dumb tourists on the news!

Questions:

Is this a good choice of location for a shorter trip to the dolomites?
What do folks do in case of unexpected weather changes, especially considering the reservation system - just wait it out at the current Rifugio? What if it storms all day and we can't safely get to our next location?
How technical are the non Via Ferrata parts of the trails? Are there sketchy sections without cables?
For us these hikes seem a little short (unless adding the day hikes) compared to a traditional backpacking trip. Is this because of potential afternoon thunderstorms? Or is it just very fatiguing due to terrain/elevation?
If we were going to shorten the trip, what would you suggest leaving out?

EDIT TO ADD my most important questions!!

I am unfortunately Gluten Free - obviously I will ask each Rifugio, but would love to know if anyone has successfully navigated this?

About us:

Trip timing is looking like early September due to other logistical constraints

My spouse & I are both very active with sports/weight lifting, and we typically do backcountry type backpacking in the US with a tent/carry all of our food/gear/etc. We've done high elevation hikes, and mild technical sections/scrambles, but have not done any mountaineering or highly technical trails. (examples of places we've been - Old Rag, Haleakala, Lares Trek Peru) We are mid-30's, pretty fit, but not rock climbers or mountaineers, though I went on a beginner ice climbing course this winter. We like to have a good balance between pushing ourselves physically and being risk aware.

Appreciate any/all input and recommendations! TIA!

u/AnActualMillenial — 8 days ago