Italy - Dolomites - Day #13

Tuesday, August 18th

Travel Day

Coming to you live aboard American Airlines Flight AA2235 - headed to Denver from Dallas, TX.  I’m on my last travel segment of the day.  Things have been smooth so far - hoping this continues until I get home this evening.  

Early start this morning with a 5am wake-up.   We headed out of our hotel at 5:30am and walked 15 minutes to the Belluno rail station.  Our 2-hr train to Venice left at 6:15am.  Maybe 10-minutes delayed - but the ride went great.   

Upon arrival into the Venice Mestre rail station - we grabbed a couple bus tickets to travel the 20-30 minutes to the Venice Marco Polo Airport. We arrived around 9am and I even had to wait about 15 minutes before I could go through security. 

Greg and I parted ways through security - as he is flying back to Raleigh, NC through Philadelphia.  I rested up at the gate and then boarded my 9-hr American flight to Dallas, TX. 

The flight went well - I stayed up hoping to make it to Denver before heading directly to bed tonight.  I watched a few movies and played some games to pass the time.  

I got into Dallas about 4:30pm local time.   Using my Global Entry - I made quick time through Customs and made my way to my final gate - departing to Denver at 6:30pm.  I just boarded my Dallas-Denver flight.   

7:30pm - just landed in Denver.   Nice to be back in the states.  Will take an Uber back to my place - and call it for this trip.   I have some ideas for future travel - but nothing definitively planned as of yet.  

Here’s to great times and great memories!!   

Stay tuned - make it count out there!

Top pics from the Trip!

Italy - Dolomites - Day #12

Monday, August 17th

Refugio Vazzoler to Belluno

1,950’ vertical

10.5 miles

It’s 6pm - I’m resting in our hotel room in Belluno, Italy.  We did it!!   We completed our 8-day trek of the Dolomites!  What an unbelievable trip - so thankful that we made it through with no injuries or sickness.  Total stats - 19,608’ vertical, 63 miles.    There’s so many different routes through the Dolomites on the Alta Via 1 - that stats can vary depending the itinerary.  

Today was another tough day to end the trip.  1,950’ vertical gain - with over 5,500’ descent.  We started the day with a great breakfast - including a couple boiled eggs and yogurt.  We got out early on the hike - hitting the trail around 7:20am. 

The first hour involved a 1,000’ descent down a gravel road.  You really had to watch your footing on loose rocks - very easy to slip and fall on the steeper sections.   After our descent, we started a grueling 1,900’ ascent over some rough, steep terrain - mostly on the side of a mountain slope with some exposure as well.  This area was really beautiful - with the high mountains towering above us.  We hiked this section largely with a couple we’ve come to know the past few days.  We encouraged each other and we helped locate the trail through areas that were a bit overgrown.  

We finally topped out on our climb - and had a chance to rest on this awesome bench - feeling proud/content - knowing we had just finished our final climb of the Alta Via 1. We then proceeded to descend 3,000-4,000’ over steep trail in about 4-5 miles. The first 1-1/2 miles were through the woods and the final 5k was mostly on a paved road.  The quads took a beating - and we were happy to arrive at the Agordo bus station about 1pm.  We had perfect timing - as we were able to get tickets for the 1:10 bus to Belluno.  

We continued to get lucky with our timing - as we checked into our hotel in Belluno at 2pm.  We were informed that all local restaurants generally close down at 2:30pm and usually open again for dinner around 7pm.   We were able to find a local restaurant recommended by the hotel within a 10-minute walk.  We arrived just in time to get our order in.  They allowed us to stay and finish our lunch - even after the closure time.  Perfect!

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around Belluno and finding the train station for our trip tomorrow.   We hung in the hotel room until our celebration dinner at 7pm.  We had dinner on the outside deck of Hotel Astor - overlooking the mountains and river below.   It was an amazing setting for our last dinner in Italy.  

The Dolomites were everything we had hoped when booking this trip over a year ago.   I can’t believe I’ve never been in this area before - and so thankful for this opportunity to experience this place.   It’s such a popular area - and so difficult to get a place at the local Refugios - you usually have to book the season before to secure your reservation.   Well worth the effort and coordination.  

Tomorrow will be a big travel day for us.  We leave Belluno by train at 6:15am - working our way back to Venice - then catching our flights back to the US.  

I’ll check in tomorrow during the down times of my travel.  

Signing out for the last time from the Dolomites!!

Italy - Dolomites - Day #11

Sunday, August 16th

Refugio Coldai to Refugio Vazzoler

1,400’ vertical

6.5 miles

It’s 3pm - I’m currently resting in the bottom bunk of a 4-person dorm in Refugio Vazzoler.  This place is great!!  One of the top 2 Refugios on the entire trip. There’s a bunch of folks here that we have spent some time with over the course of the trip.  Dinner/drinks should be great tonight.  This trip is interesting - as nearly everyone has a different itinerary - so you’re meeting new people all the time - but haven’t spent consistent time with anyone.  Every couple days you end up staying at the same place as someone you met 2 days prior.  

Today was a shorter day for us - so we added another 1.2 miles and 400’ gain to grab some breakfast at Refugio Tissi (about 3 miles into the hike).  The hike overall was rolling hills and we ended the day on a descent - which was a pleasant change from most days on our trip.  

We ended up getting to the Refugio about noon.  We’re getting efficient at chores - as we were checked in, showered, and eating lunch by about 1pm.  This place has an incredible outside seating area - with stunning views.  The mountains are so close - it feels like you can almost reach out and touch them.  

Tomorrow (Monday) is our last hiking day and then we fly back to the US on Tuesday - and I’ll be in the office on Wednesday.  The trip has flown by - but it’s been really incredible.  The Dolomites are a place I could t recommend more.  The vibes are great, the people are friendly, and the views are breathtaking.  

I’ll check in later - dinner is set for 6:30pm.  We’re going to head outside soon to meet up with the crew and just enjoy the night.  

9pm - a great dinner to end our Refugio stays for the Dolomites!   Really nice conversations with a couple from North Carolina, 2 girls from New Zealand, and a couple girls from Philadelphia/New York.  So many different hiking trips - almost nobody has a similar agenda. 

Tomorrow is Greg’s B-Day   Hoping for an excellent hiking day and then we’ll end the day in Belluno - over a perfect celebration dinner.

Good night from the Dolomites!!

Italy - Dolomites - Day #10

Saturday, August 15th

Refugio Croda Lago to Refugio Coldai. 

2,800 vert

11 miles

It’s 5:15pm - I’m currently in the bottom-bunk of a 4-person dormitory room at Refugio Coldai.  I just finished up a 40-minute nap — today was a tough one.  

The Refugio we’re in tonight has an in incredible location - sitting high up on a mountainside.  The Refugio is, however, very remote — and lacks some of the perks found in other Refugio’s we’ve experienced along the way.  (1) - Room size.   The room I’m staying in is very, very tiny - and has 2 bunk beds - so 4 people total.  Each bunk is pushed against a side wall and the back of the room - and you cannot walk between the bunks unless you shuffle sideways.  There is about a 2-3’ space in front of each bunk to move.  I’ve put my backpack in a room downstairs - and only have a couple items with me in the room - sitting with me in the bed.   (2) No electrical outlets anywhere on any of the 2 floors where guests are staying.  In order to plug anything in - there’s a couple plugs in the dining room when you enter the Refugio.   (3). Bathrooms - there are no bathrooms on the 2nd story of the Refugio - we must go down to the 1st floor.  (4). Electricity - there is no lights in the room I’m in.  (5) No wi-fi. — this one happens sometimes - but reliable wi-fi is only found in the dining area.   (6) You have to walk through another person’s room to get to our room.  So - anytime we leave our room - we have to knock to make sure it’s Ok to go through another 6-person dorm room.  It’s a bit odd for sure. 

Honestly - the things I just mentioned aren’t really that bad.  I have a bed to sleep in and they are feeding us later.  It’s all good.  It’s funny how we can get so comfortable with basic conveniences - that when they are taken away - it seems like such a big deal.  

The hike today was the longest mileage hike of the trip - with over 11 miles.  We had a bunch of rolling terrain for the majority of the day.  This held up until the last 2.5 miles - when we were faced with a very steep 1,500’ climb.  It’s weird - I’ve climbed 12 - 14ers just this year in Colorado - where I regularly have 4,000’ ascents.  But here - 1,500-2.000’ ascents seem more difficult.  I think it comes down to me carrying an extra 15-20 pounds in my pack and the fact the temperatures are in the high 80s most days.  High temps are my kryptonite - and it just takes it out of me. 

We finished up the hike at 2pm and were able to get a shower on the 1st floor.  We then grabbed a snack/drink n the dining area for about an hour.  That brings me up to date - and I’ll check in after our 6:30pm dinner.  

8:30pm - I had a really nice dinner tonight   Pork chops, vegetable soup, and yogurt with blueberries   Greg and I talked through the plans for the next couple days since we had dinner on our own tonight.   It’s going to be an early evening for me - I’m a tired feller.  

Good night from the remote Refugio Coldai - in the beautiful Dolomites!