Elderhostel Italian Dolomites and Austrian Alps Hiking Trip - May-2005

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DAY 5 – HIKE TO THE MOLIGNON HUT (Mahlknecht Hutte)
ON THE "ALPE DI SIUSI"
Area Relief Map

We returned to Campatsch for today’s hike. considered one of the most scenic areas of the Dolomites range. Our walk to the Molignon hut (also referred to a the Mahlknecht Hutte) takes us through pasturelands and along high-country trails that offer magnificent views of the surrounding mountains. The weather had cleared and the beautiful dolomite peaks surround the shelf on three sides. The famous Schlern pinnacle, Sassolungo peak and Rosengarten monolith were mostly visible with a few clouds skirting around the peaks. The unique geological features and geographic setting combine to make this area especially interesting for geologists and naturalists.


Click to Enlarge	Lost in the Dolomites	Click to Enlarge
From Campatsch we hiked up a relatively gently road. At Panorama Hut we changed to a relatively level trail as we hiked toward the Molignon Hut. Great vistas opened across the alp plateau to mountains in the distance.

For those who are interested in the geology (briefly), we were told that these great dolomite spires that wrap around the Alpe de Siusi are buried coral reefs, now uplifted and exposed by erosion. As one would expect, the atoll type reefs circle a central volcano, later submerged and leveled by erosion. The Puflatsch – Bullaccia plateau that we hiked on Day 2 is made up of volcanic rock representing the core of such an ancient island volcano.

Spring flowers carpeted many of the alpine slopes

Click to Enlarge above Images	We had lunch at the Molignon Hut (6,737 feet) under the shadow of prominent dolomite ridges. Favorite local menu items were bacon dumpling in broth and spinach dumplings. It was the first day the hut was open … what a zoo…but fun.

After we left the hut, the original plan was to hike up the trail for another one mile or so up to the Passo Duron (another 400 vertical feet), but avalanche warnings prohibited that journey. From the hut we looped back down to Saltria were we were met by our own bus and then back to the hotel. The overall climb was not not overly strenuous less than 1,000 vertical feet to the hut and a bit more down to Saltria. Distance about 6.0 miles over about 4 hours