The Dolomites
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THE DOLOMITES . HA MER S . H WIT H SI XTE EN I LLU STRAT IONS I N COLO UR BY HARRY ROUNTRE E S EC ON D EDIT I ON M E T H U E N C O . LT D . 3 6 E S S E X S T R E E T W. C . L O N D O N u s t 18th 1 10 F ir s t P u b lis he d A ug 9 Oc tober 1 10 S econd E dition 9 A U THOR’ S N O T E I SHO U LD like here to express my deep o f to Mr . sense indebtedness my friend , W o f l W J . Williams , the A pine Club , to hom the climbing chapters o f this book (probably the most useful portion) are almost Wholly h due . He as also rendered invaluable assist To din . ance in rea g the proofs my friend , Mr G A . J . Bryant , my thanks are also due for his kindly criticism and help . 5 . H . H . Al ay n o . C ONT ENTS CHA P . P A GE — I . INTRODU CTI ON AREA OF TH E DOLOMITE — R E GI ON MEA N ING OF THE T E RM DI VI S I ON I NT O GROUPS T HE I I . APPROA CH TO T HE D OLOMITE S T OB LACH A ND THE Am pE zzo R OAD T H E A R N VA E — I VE D I AD E I I I . u O zo LL Y P E C OR IV I A E VA . CORT NA ND T HE AMP ZZO LLEY CORTI NA To COLLE D I SAN TA LU CIA T H E NU VOLAU A ND T H E S ACH S END A NK HU T — MON TE P ELMO A ND MON TE C IVETTA VI P IMI E —T HE . R RO AND TH E P ALA GROUP VA L DI CA NALI VI I AN MA I — E E . S RTI NO D CASTROZZA TH R OLL — — P ASS PA N EVE GG I O THE LUS IA P ASS — TH E FASSATHA L V I I I . CAMPITE LLO TH E FEDAJA AND FA SSA PA SSE S THE S E LLA PA SS THE LAN GKOFEL GROUP — T H E GRODEN VALLE Y ST U LR I CH KASTE LRUTH T H E S EIS ER ALP THE SCHLERN ix THE D OLOMITES A E HA P . P G “ H E KARE E— T XI . T H E S CHLERN TO T R S E HE GRASLE ITEN H U T THE VAJOLET T HURME TH E KOLNER H U T THE — KA RER SEE BOTZE N I T HE PE E OF T — T M AND X I . OPL YROL CUS O S HA A TE I TI A C MM DATI C R C R S CS C O O ON , F D ETC . INNS, OO , HE VI A E E MI XI I I . T LL G S OF TH DOLO TES H I T OF P I MIE TI A S ORY R RO , COR N , CAPRILE E MITE - TRA E— ME XIV . T H DOLO N S SS SO T OURS I N T HE DOLOMIT E S V I MBI IN T H E D MITE I — TI X . CL NG OLO S ( ) COR NA GROUP — XVI . CLI MBI NG I N T HE DOLOMITES (I I) SEXTEN MARM LA A GROUP, O T , ETC . 2 I O XV T H E F A F I I . LOR O THE DOLOMITE S T HE XVI I I . GE OLOGY OF T HE DOLOMITES INDEX LIST OF ILLU STRA T IONS ' ' T H E DRE I Z I NN E N F r on tzspzece F A CI NG PA GE MONTE CRI STA LLO AND T H E DURRE N S EE 18 LOOK I NG T OWA RDS MI SURI NA F ROM T HE DREI ZI NN E N A HOUS E I N AU RONzo . T HE C I N QU E TORR I MON TE C IVE TTA AND CAPR I LE T H E CI MON DE LLA PALA T H E P ORD OI SP I TZ E F ROM T H E SE LLA PA SS T H E LANGKOFEL FROM T HE CONVI N BODE N . P EASA NT G I RL O F TH E A u RONzo VA LL EY LOOKI NG BACK TOWA RD S AGORDO T YPI CA L DOLOMITE R OCKS T O FANA FROM T RE CROCI MON TE PELMO A ND COLLE D I SANTA LUCIA MA RMOLAT A FROM TH E SE LLA PA SS — SUNSE T EF FECT A FT ER STORM DR EI ZINN E N D IS TR ICT T H E D O L O M I T E S C H A P T E R I — A REA OF THE DOLOMITE RE G I ON ME ANIN G — OF THE TE RM DIVISIO N INTO G RO UP S T is still not uncommon to meet with com par atively well - educated people who will ask W ar e unblushingly , And here precisely the Dolomites ? It is indeed no t impossible that there still exists that delightful person who declared that she was never quite sure whether The Dolomites was the name o f a range of mountains o r Of a religious sect ; o r that other entertaining person who remarked , ? Ah es The Dolomites , y , I met them last ” year down at Margate . It may be as well , therefore , to state definitely at the outset that by the term Dolomites we do not refer to any sect at THE D OLOMITES u se c all , but it merely as a geographi al term . One cannot even accurately describe the . o f for Dolomites as a range mountains , o f they are rather a series groups or ranges , or more less connected with each other, mainly comprised in the southern part of the Austrian o f province Tyrol , though stretching in places over the border Into Italy . S t i trictly speaking, the erm Dolomite s geological , and should be applied only to a o f c limited number mountain groups , Of whi h Lan ko fel Se m the g , Rosengarten and hle are the chief ; it should not include such mountains as M M Pelm o o r M onte Cristallo , onte onte Antelao w these are , however, generally kno n as the Ampezzo Dolomites , and as there are likewise many other groups habitually spoken ” o f as Dolomites , such as the Fassa Dolo S so mites , the exten Dolomites , and on , it would be pedantic to attempt nowadays to limit the application of the term to those peaks k ar e o f only which , geologically spea ing , strictly dolomite formation . 2 T HE D OLOMITES Marquis of Dolomieu , who took his title from ‘ G Dau hiné a village of renoble in the p Alps . i In 1 8 He first visited these mounta ns 7 9 , and it ul is somewhat sing ar that , while he examined and described the Tyrolese mountains Of this formation , he does not seem to have devoted any attention to the peaks near G o f renoble , which are composed similar rock . r o f . Dolomite is a peculiar fo m limestone , consisting of carbonate of lime and carbonate of magnesia , and is generally described as ” magnesian limestone . The district is still much less visited by English tourists than it deserves , and , indeed , it is only In recent years that it has become at l all popular among travel ers Of any nationality . 80 18 M recently as 73 , iss Amelia Edwards was able to describe her j ourneyings in this region ' as a visit to Untr odd en P eaks and Unfr a qu anted Valleys; she gave ample reason for the comparative isolation which the region then enjoyed : the absence o f roads ; the impossibility Of traversing the heart o f the 4 RO A D S A ND C OMMUN I C A TI O N country except o n mm o r on mule - back ; the tedious postal arrangements ; the want o f r ni teleg aphic commu cation , and the primitive quality Of the accommodation provided for travellers . no w All this , however , is changed , and there are those who fear that the Dolomites may o f S speedily share the fate witzerland , and be over- ru n by the tripper and the peak ” M scalper . uch has been done and is still being done to facilitate transit for the general travel ling public ; good roads have been made , the railway now runs to points from which the district may readily be reached ; telegraphic and even telephonic communication is almost universal , and comfortable accommodation may be met with everywhere . Happily the district is not yet so Over crowded in the holiday season but that o n e may still find unfrequented valleys where o n e meets with homely hospitality and cour tesy , combined with moderate charges and scrupulous cleanliness . A dress suit is not ’ o f yet an essential article one s impedimenta , THE D OLOMITES and a knowledge of German and Italian is undoubtedly useful at times . S the everal magnificent roads , known as ” Dolom iten- str assen , have been recently the constructed , and , for the most part , visitors to this region keep to the ordinary routes which are embraced by these roads ; but the pedestrian who can traverse the passes , K .