206

CIMA DI BRENT A.

keeping too long beside the water, missed the track.While forcing our way back to it over the slowly decay-ing trunks, and amongst the rich ferns and weeds, wewere tempted for a moment to fancy ourselves in awilder land. Alas! the woodcutter’s axe is alreadybusy on these slopes, and they will not long retain theirrobes of primeval forest.

The path regained, a well-marked zigzag led us totlie broad crest of the ridge dividing Yal Breuta fromthe Vallesinella. There is probably no spot in theneighbourhood—not even excepting Monte Spinale—which commands so general, and at the same time sopicturesque, a view. On three sides the ground fallsrapidly towards Val Nambino and its tributary glens.Full in front of us stood the defiant tower of the CimaTosa, with the two Boccas on either side of it. Wecould trace every step of our ascent to the Bocca deiCamozzi, an expedition in some respects even more sin-gular than the Bocca di Brenta, and one which will intime become well known to travellers. Beyond thevalley rose the comparatively tame forms of the graniterange. Nearest to us was my old conquest, thePresanella, the highest summit of the whole country;further south, the upper snows of the Lares and Lobbiaglaciers spread in a great white curtain between theCare Alto and Adamello . Behind Monte Spinale thecircle of mountains was completed by the dolomitesof Val Selva.

Our path forked on the crest, one branch descendingto a chalet perched on a shelf immedately overlookingthe green plain at the head of Yal Brenta. From thisalp a footpath of some kind leads down to the track ofthe Bocca—a fact to be borne in mind by future travellers