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!
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