Italy - Dolomites - Day #8

Thursday, August 13th

Refugio Lagazuoi to Refugio Averau

1,500’ vertical

6 miles

It’s 3:45pm - I’m standing in the washing room - in the basement of Refugio Averau.  We’ve hand-washed our clothes thus far on the trip - but we decided to do a load of laundry this evening.  I’m just praying my clothes don’t get damaged - because the instructions are in Italian and a bit complicated.  We based our settings on what another hiker had used earlier.  Greg and I are taking turns monitoring the clothes - as there’s only 1 washer/dryer in the Refugio - and others are waiting.  

Today was another really good day.  Again - not too tough (as we were completed with our hiking by 1:30pm) - even with an add-on we did this afternoon.  

The day started early - 5:30am.  We got up to catch the sunrise and look for meteors - as we were informed a meteor shower was going to follow the eclipse last night into the early morning.   I got some great sunrise pictures - but no meteors.  Because we were up early, we were the first few people at breakfast.  We shared a table with a family from New Zealand - good conversation and a good start to the day.  

We started hiking about 7:30am.  The first part of the hike was actually going down the same hillside we walked yesterday - through the World War 1 bunker area.  We had time - so we walked around inside a few of the bunkers that overlooked the mountainside.  Interesting for sure.  There was an area setup with a chair and machine-gun —- you could close your eyes and almost bring yourself back to the early 1900s.  

The morning started with a 3-mile, 2,500’ descent.  It was not overly technical - but did drain the legs.   At the bottom of the descent we came into a small town where we stopped at a cafe and had a soda/snack and a nice 30-minute break.  The last part of the hike was a grueling 1,200’ climb to our Refugio (Averau).  This section involved some Class 2 hand climbing. We arrived at 11:50am.  There was another Refugio about 3/4 mile up another 300-400’ climb - where we saw hundreds of people hiking.  We decided to make the climb to see the sites.  So glad we did this - as the heightened viewpoint offered incredible scenery.  

We got back to our Refugio about 2pm and grabbed a late lunch.  Following a shower - it was time for laundry.  That brings we up to date right now - I’ll check-in later after dinner. 

Refugio Averau is really great.  The more nights you spend in a Refugio - the more you appreciate the small things.  Like electrical outlets.   The 6-bed dorm room I’m staying in tonight has an electrical outlet by every bed.  This is huge.  Other nights - you have to charge your phone across the room or in the hallway somewhere.   Snacks - this Refugio offers snacks - like chips or candy that can be purchased and used for fuel on daily hikes.  This is key - since we’re carrying everything on our backs - it’s not great carrying 8 days of snacks with you.  So - having options at the Refugio is great.   Multiple showers and toilets.  When everyone is getting ready in the mornings - it’s really nice to have options and not just 1 facility.  Great food/cleanliness — I had the best dinner of the trip tonight.   A great beef/potato stew for the main dish and a ravioli for the appetizer.  Vanilla ice cream with hot raspberries and chocolate sauce for dessert.  This place is high on the ‘Best of the Best’ list.

It’s 9:45pm - time for some rest.  Everybody in my dorm room is already out.   I’m really surprised how almost every night - people are in bed early.  Goes to show you just how challenging the hiking is in the Dolomites.  

Good night from the Italian mountains!!

Italy - Dolomites - Day #7

Wednesday, August 12th

Refugio Fanes to Refugio Lagazuoi

3,622’ vertical

7.8 miles

It’s 5pm - I’m currently resting in the bottom bunk of a 6-bed dormitory room at Refugio Lagazuoi.   Today was another really great day!   Challenging for sure - with a hot climb this afternoon and heavy packs because there wasn’t any fill up locations along the trek. 

The day started with a 6am wake-up.  I slept surprisingly well considering there were 11 people in the dormitory room.  Everybody was super cool and respectful with noise.   

The breakfasts have been good so far.  They serve continental breakfast - including hard-boiled eggs, pastries, ham/cheese, yogurt, cereal, and coffee/tea.   Times start usually at 7am.  We’ve been getting there early - and they’ve been letting us in at 6:45am or so.  I’m a big fan of hitting the trail early - especially when sketchy weather is in the forecast - as was the case today.  

We got on trail about 7:35am.  The course today consisted of some rolling hills early, then 2 big climbs to end the day.   The 1st climb reminded me of the 14er - (Longs Peak).   I’ve never actually climbed Longs - but I’ve watched lots of videos on it.  There is a famous section called the “Keyhole” that hikers pass through on the route to the peak.  Our 1st climb had a keyhole section and looked very similar.  The peak of the climb ended at the keyhole.  Then we descended on the other side down this extremely steep, heavily switch-backed trek - with stunning scenery of this alpine lake below.  This descent offered some of the best photos we’ve had on the trip.  

After descending to the lake, we had a great lunch just lounging around.  I bet there were 100 people sitting next to the lake - some were swimming, others just sunbathing and taking in the incredible views.  

Last part of the day - a brutal 2,000’ climb to our end spot - Refugio Lagazuoi.   The ascent was about as straightforward as you could get however - as we could see the Refugio from the lake below.  Remnants of the Austrian-Italian World War 1 front line were scattered along the hillside we were climbing.  This included many bunkers along the way - really interesting!

We finally made it to the top around 1:30pm.  Awesome!!  We again had some drinks and lunch on the outside balcony overlooking the Dolomites.  There is a gondola here as well which allows people to quickly gain access to this stunning area.  The Refugio was packed with people upon our arrival.  We chilled and rested most of the afternoon.  

It’s nearing 6pm now - and we’re getting ready for dinner - which is set for 6:30pm.  Bonus tonight - there is a solar eclipse scheduled between 8-8:27pm local time.   We’re hoping to finish up dinner and get a good seat on the balcony to enjoy the show.  

Another really solid day in the Dolomites! 

10pm —-  Picture it — Dolomites, Italy.  Standing on the outside balcony of Refugio Lagazuoi - one of the top Refugio’s in the entire Dolomites - positioned at the peak of a big mountain.  Solar eclipse happening before us.  One of the girls we’ve been hiking with (maybe a couple beers into the night) - pulls up Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler on her phone.  We all proceed to “Turn Around” with the music.  Dancing ensued.  Maybe you had to be here - but legendary status for sure!   Unfortunately - the eclipse was mostly blocked by a cloud - but we had fun anyway.  There was a couple professional photographers on the deck - and we got to talk to them a bit and see some of their pictures from comets, milky ways, stars, etc - over the years.   A very, very unique experience.