The goal of getting to Lago di Sorapis could have been planned better if I’m honest.  We really wanted to get there, as the pictures we had seen were absolutely stunning. 

First of all, I have to say that Lake Misurina is stunning and the view you get depends greatly on the weather. We were lucky, as the mountains behind the old hotel were constantly changing, as the clouds were fast moving and the blue skies added to the scene

Even when we entered the forest, it was still quite a distance before we began the climb.  When it did start, you definitely knew.  One right turn and bingo, there it is.  Out of breath in about 30 seconds. 

We started from Lake Missurina, headed along the roadside and then onto a very well-manicured pathways at the side of a stream towards the forest.  The path went down, down and even further down, which meant an inevitable climb on the way back.  With hindsight, we should have found somewhere a little closer to start the walk.

It was over 5 miles until we started to see any type of climb.

You don’t get stunning views like this standing at the bottom of a hill, so all the hard work was worth it.  We met people who were coming down, people younger than us, who said it was a struggle.  They were not wrong.  Not only is it steep, but there are rocks to climb over, which was difficult enough going up and slightly concerning for the descend, as they were damp and slippery.

We reached XX ft and although the lake was not too far away, the climb was getting steeper by the step and we decided to relax and be content with the views we had.  Seeing Lake Sorapis in personal would have to wait for another day.