Siamo al 27 agosto 1864. Douglas William Freshfield, Melwill Beaachcrof e James Douglas Walker raggiungono la vetta della Presanella. È mezzogiorno. «Non appena passò la prima eccitazione per la vittoria, cominciammo a guardare con interesse la nuova regione alpina che si estendeva ai nostri piedi – testimonia Freshfield –. Il massiccio centrale dell’Adamello era davanti a noi per la prima volta. Era un immenso blocco, grande tanto che sarebbe bastato a fornire materiale per una mezza dozzina di splendide montagne. Ma di fatto era una sola».
Il 4 giugno si aprono le commemorazioni per il 150° anniversario delle prime esplorazioni delle Dolomiti. Fino al 1864 le «terre alte», dall’Adamello al Brenta, erano infatti inesplorate, regno incontrastato della fauna selvatica. Da quell’anno invece è tutta una gara, su e giù per le creste. John Ball, irlandese, primo presidente dell’Alpine Club di Londra, accompagnato da Bonifacio Nicolussi attraversa le guglie della Bocca di Brenta, il valico principale che congiunge le Dolomiti di queste valli, oggi patrimonio Unesco. È il 22 luglio.
Pochi giorni dopo la salita a cima Presanella, 3.558 metri, con Freshfield e i suoi compagni. Ancora poche settimane e il 15 settembre Julius von Payer, boemo, insieme a due guide della val Rendena, Girolamo Botteri e Giovanni Caturani, conquisterà – proprio questo era il sentimento dell’alpinista – il grande Adamello. E il giorno successivo tenterà con Botteri di far sua anche la vetta della Presanella, scoprendo con disappunto di essere stato preceduto. Nelle immagini, la salita alla Presanella dalla cresta Nord/est.
It's the 27th of August 1864, Douglas William Freshfield, Melwill Beaachcrof and James Douglas Walker reach the summit of Presanella. It's midday. "As soon as it passed the first excitation for the conquer, we began to look forward to the new Alpine region that stretched at our feet - testifies Freshfield -. The central massif of the Adamello was in front of us for the first time. It was a huge block, so large that it would be enough to provide material for half a dozen of beautiful mountains. But practically it was just one. "
On June the 4th, the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the first explorations of the Dolomites has opened. Up to 1864 the "highlands" from Adamello to Brenta, were in fact unexplored and undisputed proprety of the wildlife. But from that year on it began to become a whole race up and down the ridges. John Ball, Irish, first president of the Alpine Club of London, accompanied by Bonifacio Nicolussi through the spiers of the Bocca di Brenta, the main mountain pass that connects the valleys of the Dolomites, Unesco heritage today. It's July 22nd.
A few more weeks and on September the 15th Julius von Payer, Bohemian, along with two guides of Val Rendena: Girolamo Botteri and Giovanni Caturani, won the Big Adamello. The next day with Botteri also attempted to make its way to the peak of the Presanella and discovered with dismay that he had been beated.
In the images shows the climb to the North / East ridge of Presanella.
Piergiorgio Vidi
On June the 4th, the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the first explorations of the Dolomites has opened. Up to 1864 the "highlands" from Adamello to Brenta, were in fact unexplored and undisputed proprety of the wildlife. But from that year on it began to become a whole race up and down the ridges. John Ball, Irish, first president of the Alpine Club of London, accompanied by Bonifacio Nicolussi through the spiers of the Bocca di Brenta, the main mountain pass that connects the valleys of the Dolomites, Unesco heritage today. It's July 22nd.
A few more weeks and on September the 15th Julius von Payer, Bohemian, along with two guides of Val Rendena: Girolamo Botteri and Giovanni Caturani, won the Big Adamello. The next day with Botteri also attempted to make its way to the peak of the Presanella and discovered with dismay that he had been beated.
In the images shows the climb to the North / East ridge of Presanella.
Piergiorgio Vidi
