Month: April 2020

Alta Via 2, Day 9: An Abrupt Ending

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It was a rough night of sleep last night in the rifugio. Even though I was plenty exhausted from the long, hard day yesterday, I had a really hard time falling asleep. We had a private room, but the walls in the dorms were merely suggestions and did not go up all the way to the ceiling, meaning that we could hear everything happening all around us, including the loud snorer right next door and the older American couple on the other side who carried on a conversation at full volume seeming to have no clue that everyone around could hear everything they said. (more…)

Alta Via 2, Day 8: A Roller Coaster Day on the Iron Way

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We wake up in our hotel room in San Martino di Castrozza refreshed and ready to get back on track after all the difficulties with timing and route finding yesterday. We grab breakfast, pay for the hotel and head for the funivia (cable car). To make up for lost time—and to save the legs—we take not one, but two cable cars up into the Pale di San Martino range. Ascending 3200 feet in a matter of minutes, we arrive above Rifugio Rosetta where we had intended on staying last night. The clouds in the early morning sun give the mountains an ethereal, gauzy feel. It’s good to be back on top, baby! (more…)

Alta Via 2, Day 7: Losing Our Way

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It’s hard to believe that one could wake up hungry after last night’s meal, but such is our metabolism after a solid month of hiking that it is true. And, when we go down to breakfast, we are pleased to find all of our dining mates from last night already there, as well as a full spread of breakfast pastries. We are treated to all the usuals as well as homemade bread and butter and even a giant honeycomb.  (more…)

Alta Via 2, Day 6: A Taste of Culinary Nirvana

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Today we stumbled into culinary heaven in a small hamlet in the Dolomites, the finest finish to a day of hiking one could ask for, but I’m getting ahead of myself. We start the day at Rifugio Passo Fedaia with a surprisingly good breakfast buffet, the highlight of which would be gigantic fresh coronetti marmolada, fittingly since we will walk around the famous Marmolada glacier today. (more…)

Alta Via 2, Day 5: The Magnificent Marmolada

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For some reason or another, everyone in the rifugio wakes up at 6 and heads downstairs in a mad dash for breakfast, leaving us all alone upstairs. I don’t mind the early rise because I am wide awake after a terrible night’s sleep. I tap Matt awake in our cosy, little loft above the German family and start getting dressed. What is everyone in such a rush for? Maybe the breakfast is just as good as last night’s dinner?!?!
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Alta Via 2, Day 4: A Daunting Day with a Grand Finale

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Last night, as the sun was setting, I was taking photographs of the hills across the canyon at the end of the valley, one side of which we had walked along at the end of our day. As I packed up my tripod to head back to the rifugio, a German woman started to head back at the same time. She asked where we were heading to today and after hearing my response said, Oh, that’s a long way! It’s right over there, gesturing to a small building on the top of the highest point of the tallest mountain at the edge of the visible horizon. Little did we know how right she was or about what it would take to get ourselves there. But thankfully Day 4 of the AV2 is blessed with spectacular scenery from start to finish, making our journey well worth every hard-earned step! (more…)

Alta Via 2, Day 3: The Real Challenge Begins!

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Breakfast is at 7 at Rifugio Geneva, and, for the first time in all of our rifugio stays this summer, there is a long line of hikers waiting for the buffet. We are on the tail end of the rush and decide to take care of our other chores first. By the time we are finished packing up and visiting the bathroom, there’s hardly a wait. This rifugio has all the breakfast standards plus hard-boiled eggs which provide a little bit of much-needed protein on these trekking days. (more…)