WELCOME TO UNPAVED HAVEN

Distance: 12KM

Total hours: 7hrs

Elevation: +926m -455m

Steps taken: 30,120

Rifugio Staulanza –> Rifugio Coldai –> Col Negro –> Rifugio Tissi

While Day 6 was technically shorter than Day 5, this was one of the harder days because of the elevation gain. And muscles were feeling the KMs that were covered so far.

Rifugio Tissi is only accessible on foot, via trails that have little forest cover, unlike some of the other rifugios we stayed at the previous nights (Staulanza, Cinque Torri, Fodara Velda), so we had to make sure our bodies felt like they were up for it. If the weather forecast is looking grim, we had the option to call Zoldo Bus to skip ahead past Tissi (straight to Forno di Zoldo).

After breakfast – food wise, it is similar to what we have been having this trip so far – we set off. We followed the trail 568 which took us along the road for a bit. We did not take the route with the log archway as it would be a longer route (even though it said AV 1 – Palafavera / Pioda / Coldai) because it is a longer way and the chairlift up to C.ra di Pioda was possibly closed.

After walking along the road, we crossed at a hairpin in the highway and came across the first sign pictured below. This route took us past some construction (piles of wood logs). When we came across the next series of signs, we followed the one that pointed to Malga Vescova, the trail on the left and continued forward, excited for some local cheese. It took us around 40 minutes to get to this malga.

However, because the cheese selection was small and we did not see anything we wanted to try, we continued on. The trail heads up from the buildings at the farm (there was a blue AV-1 triangle on the side of the building). We had planned our water consumption this morning, since the area we would walk through was very open, had no bathrooms, and would be quite busy with hikers, since there is a chairlift close by.

The grassy and relatively flat meadow led to a jeep road, which led to an abandoned-looking building pictured above (4th picture). This marked the start of eroded switchbacks up to Coldai. The views were beautiful and it was busy with day-hikers. The eroded paths and number of inexperienced/unaware hikers made this part of the hike a little more dangerous. It took us approximately 1.5 hours to get up to Rifugio Coldai.

We were a little early (hot food service started at 12:00) so we grabbed a seat and some coffee for a good sit. This was the first place we came across throat lozenges, so we quickly grabbed a pack of Ricola.

We ended up staying at this rifugio for much longer than planned, because the restaurant was so busy and the wait for food was long. During this trip, we definitely came to really appreciate a good minestrone soup and speck. Fellow hikers who shared a table with us shared some of their mushroom dish, which was ok but I didn’t like because it tasted more sour than I had expected.

After we were full, we set off. It was windy up here, especially as we headed towards Forcella Coldai for Lago Coldai. The rest of this route was exposed, so if the weather is looking like it will turn bad, we would have to either stay the night at Coldai or hike back to Palafavera, where there is a small inn.

Lago Coldai was a busy area. The rolling hills were a nice reprieve from what we had done the past few days and what was to come as we re-gained elevation to arrive at Col Negro di Coldai (2203m above sea level).

By this point, we were a little tired of all the elevation gains. The views made the journey slightly less painful. It was also really cool to look back and see Col Negro behind us, after not too long.

It was such a relief to see the Entrata sign to Rifugio Tissi after one last push. It took us approximately 3.5 hours to get there from Col Negro.

Of course it also helped to be greeted by rifugio mascot Niçoise and my cousins! We had some blueberry yogurt to celebrate the finish of a long day.

The area around the rifugio was very scenic. Many of the rifugios we had come across had alpine-climbing inspired decor, with old pitons and axes, which greatly appealed to my assistant.

This was our most rustic stay, with squatty potties and our private room barely fit one table and a bunk bed. A sleep sheet is required. A single-use / disposable sleep sheet can be purchased for €6 at the bar. To shower, we had to purchase a gettone, similar to Rifugio Cinque Torri. Drinking water must be purchased. As of 2022, Tissi is cash only.

From the rifugio, we walked up to the Cime to peer over the edge for a wonder view of the lake and the town below. On the way to the Cime is a large hole that was a window to what was below – steep rock and steep drop.

Something we learned, was that perhaps we should start ordering two primos instead of a primo and a secondo as a part of a set meal. Primos on this trip were generally better than the secondos.

During dinner, we captured the attention of the second Tissi mascot – Peppin. Peppin came to hang out – humans for some reason think it’s a blessing to be chosen by a kitty. I don’t really get it – cats have chased me to get at the food in my beard.

Towards the end of dinner time, we met a latecomer, a German medical student who was doing this trek by himself, following a guidebook. He had completed a lot of the hike that we did in the day, in the dark! What a brave soul. He was happy to be in the rifugio with a pint, some company, and hot food.

It was a bit of a chilly night, but the long day and the meal made it relatively easy to fall asleep.

On to Day 7 to Rifugio Bruto Carestatio!