Loop of Val del Molín de i Frari from Pont del Bus (Pian di Vedoia)

Premise

This route was completed on November 8, 2023, and all subsequent observations and considerations fully apply only to that day.

The reference guide (i.e., ... photocopies in the pocket) cited in the report is "DOLOMITI Nuovi sentieri selvaggi" by Paolo Bonetti, Paolo Lazzarin, and Marco Rocca.

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Ascent from Pont del Bus to Casera del Coston along CAI 515

Given that there is a CAI 515 variant starting from Fortogna, for this loop it is better to start from Pont del Bus along the paved road of the old SS 51 route that exits north from the village of Pian di Vedoia.

From the parking at Pont del Bus, head north until just before the exit onto the new SS 51, where you find the start of a wide path with ENEL markers (indication for pylon 142) ascending the slope on the left.

After a few meters, the path crosses the railway line plane: few trains pass here, but they do, so always pay attention when crossing the tracks.

On the other side of the tracks, the trail continues even wider, and shortly after, 515 markers appear painted on rocks on the ground alongside red ENEL marks on tree trunks.

You cross a debris-net barrier, turn right at a slight fork with a small cairn, and easily reach the "Prone m 725 asl" sign where CAI 515 joins the variant coming up from Fortogna.

From here, a long traverse begins with some ledge-like sections, passing various other locality or valley signs: La Valaẑa, Casera Nantère (a short detour is needed for the casera), Val de le Moneghe (with water flow), and Doerne.

The guide notes the possible presence of newts in a water pool in Val de le Moneghe.

From Doerne you reach the crossing of Val de le Taie, with a double water catchment, the first still with good water flow.

Then continue uphill along a ridge with burned mountain pines but with various cut branches guiding through the confused ground.

Finally, a thinner path along the wooded side leads to the meadows before Casera del Coston.

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From Casera del Coston to the Upper Val del Molín de i Frari stream basin (Rui de i Frari)

From Casera del Coston, continue on CAI 515 towards Forcella Palughet and soon encounter a "mule-back saddle" with cliffs on both sides.

After crossing the saddle, continue uphill about 25 meters of elevation according to my GPS until you reach a "PALUGHET" arrow pointing right for CAI 515 continuation.

Here, leave CAI 515 and go straight on a clear path which is even wider than the CAI continuation at this point.

A few meters later, I saw a small sign on a tree indicating "CLOSED"; however, there was no specific ordinance mentioned and the path simply ends shortly beyond.

The trail narrows while bypassing a small rocky ridge, with a very short partially landslide-affected stretch requiring caution: here I found a cord tied to a large branch but did not hold onto it as the branch underneath did not seem completely safe.

Further on, traversing on now animal trails partially exposed, you reach a point where the wooded slope softens and reveals a possible descent into the Rui de i Frari basin following some small but easy bumps.

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From the upper Val del Molín de i Frari stream basin (Rui de i Frari) to the start of the final continuous path

After "putting my feet in the basin" to take a couple of photos, I began the descent—as specified in the guide—on a nearly flat strip of the left hydrological wooded slope.

The first part gently slopes without any problem, leading to a large cairn preceding a steeper ramp entering a narrower, darker area.

From the large cairn, others are visible guiding the best lines; you brush against a secondary streambed (currently dry) parallel to the main one, continuing to the first mandatory right crossing noted in the guide, just before a cascade rapid (up to this crossing, about 200 meters of elevation loss along Rui de i Frari).

I crossed near the waterfall drop without seeing it from above, but it might be better to anticipate by a few meters for easier ascent on the wooded slope on the other side.

The ascent of a few meters is necessary to bypass a landslide.

Now the descent continues on the right hydrological side according to the guide "... on rough terrain, sometimes steep and slippery, with boulders covered by vegetation...".

More or less so, but going slowly, you find the most walkable lines.

The guide later notes another right crossing, but there cannot be two consecutive right crossings of the same basin, so now there is a very logical left crossing just before unpassable cliff jumps.

Now again on the left hydrological side, continue briefly on a flat trail before entering an inclined slope.

The trail becomes "animal trails," clearly seeing the basin a few meters below.

There is a first small valley leading to the basin edge above a drop which is no good.

Then another leads into the basin some tens of meters before the sharp right turn of the same basin where there is a waterfall to be avoided only by crossing finally to the right once more.

Without continuing on the awkward left slope, I descended over some easy drops to the basin, and with a couple of right-left-right passages, I completed the definitive right crossing on a flat clearing just before the narrow waterfall spot: here I saw a broken-hanging mountain pine branch (not cut) and a debarked stump at human height, certainly not animal work.

I interpreted them as markers and indeed was at the right place.

From the small clearing, you go right around a ridge-band of rocks and in a few meters reach the base of a gravelly gully both low and with a continuous rock slab in the middle-upper part.

There is a consolidated trail crossing the base scree diagonally uphill, and here I saw some "small digs" clearly human passage signs.

You enter a grassy slope with various shrubs and mountain pines where cut branches appear: this slope divides the recently crossed channel at the base from another larger unpassable one on the left uphill direction (or eastward).

Thus, following the cut branches, you climb steeply aiming to traverse just above the head of the left-east channel.

The cut branches end when the ground path begins to bend diagonally left (still at a fair slope); then the trail becomes thinner and reaches a ridge preceding a wooded valley.

You have to cross this valley, and from where I reached, a trail was visible resuming some meters below—from the upper Val del Molín de i Frari bed, I climbed about 130 meters of elevation according to my GPS.

The guide notes that descending this last ridge you should intercept a path (again with cut branches) leading right on a short easy ledge going down to another basin at the base of a waterfall-gorge.

Anyway, after reaching the good trail I saw, I began the descent (with steep sections) towards the guide-indicated path but encountered an area of very tall grass and shifted right to avoid it.

Doing so, however, I crossed the path near its end after a longer off-trail stretch.

At that point, the comfortable final ledge was a few meters away, and shortly, I descended below the waterfall-gorge, called "dark gorge" in the guide: as it is positioned, I don’t know when the sun will ever reach here.

Looking at the maps, this "dark gorge" lies just below the confluence from above of two channels-basins descending east side from Col Mussàc and west side from below Zima de i Tre Mas’ci.

End of orientation problems.

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Descent along the final continuous path on the right hydrological side of the Val del Molín de i Frari

After crossing the basin a few meters downstream from the waterfall, a clear path begins always well accompanied by cut branches where needed.

At the start of the descent... you have to climb, and with several ups and downs you gain about 170 meters of elevation.

You pass a couple of rock bands with dripping water, the second always on a well-marked but exposed trail.

Then you cross a gentle and wide small valley with water flow (today with various salamanders) and shortly after start the definite descent.

After some slightly exposed stretches partially shielded by vegetation, the trail widens greatly when it joins another coming from the right.

Then quite comfortably always, with an equally easy variant possible, until Casera Jode.

From the casera, you enter a more eroded trail which then, for a stretch, becomes narrow with close switchbacks.

Finally, once again comfortable, entering the final ENEL path network, from where with the right turns you reach the railway underpass returning to the paved road just south of the parking.

This underpass is indicated, in the opposite direction, by an arrow "Il cammino delle Dolomiti Digressione M PONTE nelle Alpi - BELLUNO".