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.
Wi-fi very slow - will load pictures later
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