Mount San Daniele from Digon Valley (CAI-165-195-169-165)
.165 Our excursion begins at the share of 1660 m a.s.l by M.ga Melin, or, if we prefer, we can leave the car to Pian della Mola 1420 m a.s.l. The journey to the hut, passes through firing forest and is asphalted until the construction. To date, in some point the road is very rough, especially when you have to cross the Rio Mandrette. In a half hour of climb we travel the whole Val di Melin towards the east and we reach the alpine hut of the same name, where the woods leaves room for the pasture still used.
We proceed in the same direction, passing now on a dirt road with CAI-165 signpost. Soon, going up, the pasture leaves space again on the woods, mixed between fir trees and bushes. Very rich area of water which also has swampy features. Now let’s proceed by gradually turning south; Abetaia never leaves us as long as she begins to mix with the larches and branches out. At this point we are now at the altitude of 2035 m a.s.l of the P.so Palombino, an important crossroads that dominates the Val di Londo and from which you have access to the climb for the M.Palombino through the normal route with CAI-142 signpost, but from which you can also go down to Val Visdende by path with a CAI-167 signpost.
From the pass the Longerin towers observe Severe and very close. We continue for CAI-165 signpost, which now proceeds horizontally along the gravels at the base of the towers. At the east east of the complex, the path carried out to the south and decidedly altitude salt. We climb until we reach a small fork at the turn of the last tower from which we have a unique gash on the whole upper part of the Val Vissada.
Now, paying close attention to the winding of the street, not always clear, we direct towards the other side of the towers, being careful not to slip down, due to the remarkable slope, the presence of grass: which can be slipped in case of rain, and moreover, also the small width of the path. Slowly, it takes south west and, after crossing a small landslide ups and downs, you can easily go down to steep meadows until you cross the path with a CAI-195 signpost which leads straight to Cima Sud of the Crode dei Longerin.
At this point we descend to the F.la Longerin making a small stop at the tunnel in the East tower.
.169-165 From the F.la Longerin, we take for a short time that goes down, the path with a CAI-169 signpost, then, the one that completely crosses the Plans of Vissada and, with some hairpin bends, salt for the Mountain Pines forest to the San Daniele fork, marked by the Cai-165 signpost. At the fork, it descends towards the Col dei Pradetti and then we leave it to embark on a custom path marked with stone signpost.
.cstm Before passing the fork that leads to the Piani di Vissada, we turn 90° and oriented towards the south, we slightly climb the crest of the mountain on the Val Vissada side. After passing the first small scree that climbs, we continue, among the mountain pines, a few more tens of meters. The path without official trail signs is marked by stone cairns, now climbs to the right, steep, until it reaches the ridge and then continues on the other side for gravel.
You pass by climbing the screes that overlook the Valley of Giao Storto helped by some recently installed metal ropes. Still oriented towards the south, we proceed on a stony and no longer demanding path, until we reach a small plateau below the summit. Now turning 90° towards the east, we face the last climb that leads to the summit paying attention to the slope that becomes more challenging.
.Considerations This route has a positive elevation of 556 m, a distance of 6.2 km and a travel time of 4h. The CAI-165 path from M.Ga Melin for Cima San Daniele offers an excellent overview of the area. It starts on not very steep wooded mule track, continues on a gravel path, demanding in the stretch of crossing of the t.ni dei Longerin. The final attack at the top of the top is free of official signpost, it must be taken with a little attention in not losing the road. The descent can be carried out for CAI-165 signpost towards S.la dei Pradetti, or for CAI-169 signpost in the direction of F.la Zovo, and then returns to C.la Tamai, descending along the new cycle path that leads to Aiaredo. The difficulty is EE due to the path little visible during the climb to the top and the inpegnative passage of crossing the Longerin towers.
.the Tunnel In the surroundings of the F.la Longerin, facing The Torrioni, we can descend slightly from the Val di Londo side, along a path half-hidden by the pines. Continuing on a slight slope on gravel, it leads to a tunnel carved into the rock dating back to the First World War. The eventual shelter goes into the Tower for about fifteen meters and ends on the other side, where we find an artillery loophole that offers an unprecedented view of the Val di Londo.
.water The track guarantees a good supply of water, especially the first part of the climb in Val di Melin and up to P.so Palombino. The second part, on the other hand, has few sources of water, which must therefore be taken first.
.bike The climb can also be undertaken by bicycle but only up to P.so Palombino as the road is generally wide. The ascent to San Daniele along the CSTM path and the crossing of the towers for path 165 cannot be undertaken by bicycle. The excursion can continue by descending from the pass and heading towards Val Visdende.
.dog The whole excursion can be accompanied by a dog or more, as long as the animal is accustomed to the altitude and knows how to behave on high mountain trails in the presence of rolling stones. Alternatively, you must proceed with a leash. Generally there are no passages that can put four-legged animals in difficulty.
.shelters The presence of the new Val Vissada bivouac and the Longerin cave guarantees good shelter in bad weather.
