Crystal & Mac decided to head to the Italian Dolomites to hike the Alta Via 1 for there 10th Anniversary trip, and it was a great choice. A truely fabulous trip filled with lots of pastries, beer, wine, mountain views and quite! The kids stayed home to go to school and spent some time with grandma and grandpa cook! Here is a detailed report for future references!
Day 1/2: Portland to Alta Badia
We had a fun morning with the kids on Saturday September 10, breakfast and goodbyes. Crystal had set up a map and daily letters for the kids to open and follow along with us (and candy!) and we introduced them to it. We got a ride to the airport with the whole family and then waved goodby to Grandma / Grandpa Cook and the kids as we got ready to travel. TSA didn't say a single thing about the poles packed in our bags! After a quick flight to Chicago we boarded a 10 hr flight to Brussels. Despite the comfort of the 787 - it wasn't the most restful night we've ever had. We arrived in the mid-morning of Sunday September 11 and breezed through customs / immigration. The Belgian customs officer, once he figured out we were parents, was pretty laid back.
The Brussels airport was relatively non-descript, although A LOT of people were drinking beer for 8am on a Sunday. I know Belgium is famous for beer - but this was a bit excessive. We had about an hour to kill so ate some Belgian waffles with nutella - they were DENSE!!! We caught our connection to Venice and were in Italy!!
We met our driver and took a roughly 2 hour drive to the town of Alta Badia. We stopped along the way at a coffee shop and slept most of the rest of the way. It was a nice multi-passenger Mercedes and while the tunnels / scenery were amazing - we were just exhausted. We then arrived at the Gran Ander Hotel in Alta Badia. It was a very cute and comfortable hotel with a mountain / Bavarian feel and nice finishings. We walked around the town (saw some cows!!) and got a pizza. It was a ski town that converted to a hiking / mountain biking destination in the summer. We then met with our guide at the hotel and went over the course for the trek.
We finished the day with a DELICIOUS dinner. Multi course meal with well done beef and fancy (inexpensive and TASTY) wine. Crystal was so tired by this point she fell asleep while eating Creme Brulee.
Day 3: Lago de Brais to Refugio Fanes
Our first hiking day began early. We had a delicious breakfast at the hotel with yogurt, granola, multiple pastries, home-made bread, fancy coffee and a very friendly cook. Our taxi met us at 7 for the 90 minute drive to Lake Braies. This was the start of the trek and the site of a fancy hotel sitting next to a BEAUTIFUL mountain lake. Even at an early hour, the area was full of day hikers and site seers. We got coffee at the snack shop and took some pictures by the lake. We were under / next to a boat house and the view was just amazing. It was a bit chilly in the morning, but we warmed up quickly with a hike around the lake in the sun and a big climb!!
The first climb out of Lake Braies was probably the biggest single climb of the trip. It was constant and steep. We were pumped to be out hiking and the scenery was just so amazing that the mile flew by. We stopped at Rifugio Biella, just over the top of the climb, for water and a quick snack before continuing down the trail to our lunch stop at Rifugio Sennes.
Sennes was HOPPING!!!!! It was clearly the upper point of a series of mountain bike trails as there were day hikers, AV1 hikers and a whole bunch of bikers who had ridden up on e-mountain bikes. There was even an electric bike charging station!! We had a delicious lunch of soup, bacon dumplings and Radlers before continuing a long and steady descent down to Rifugio Pederu. The last mile or so into Pederu was very steep down and was punishing part of the hike on knees that are no longer as young as they once were. We then continued on a hot steady climb through a mountain valley to our destination.
We were staying the night at Rifugio Fanes, but there were 3-4 smaller refugios before you get to Fanes that all looked nice though smaller. While off the trail a little bit, Uzia Fodara Velda, got great reviews from our hiking companions. It is a family owned former dairy. Hard to tell if Fanes or Fodara Vedla would be superior - but another great option to stay! The other big Refugio in the valley was Lavarella, which holds the claim as the highest brewery in Europe. The beer was ok - but hard to beat drinking beer on a sunny porch as mountain cows wander by, after a long day of hiking. Interestingly - since most of the mountains are grazing land - the ethos of staying on trail that we have in the US just wasn't there.
We then headed over to Fanes, which was modern, clean and inviting. The showers were warm and the food was DELICIOUS. We had a small private room. We had a beer before dinner and then soup / salad / chicken for dinner with chocolate cake for dessert. Pretty much right after dinner - we were out!
Day 4:Refugio Fanes to Rifugio Lagazuoi
We had a delicious breakfast of coffee, cheese, salami and hard boiled eggs at Fanes before setting out. The hike for the day started through a field of cows gently clunky their bells as they wandered around the grazed. It was a quintessential Alps /Dolomites view with steep mountains along each side, while we hiked along a narrow grassy valley. With few / no predators and open range land - we frequently ran into roaming herd of cattle and sheep. We then climbed a big climb up to a steep pass overlooking the climb to Lagazuoi hut. There were a number of other groups making the climb with us, but we were able to keep ahead of them and have the pass pretty much all to ourselves. The descent through this pass and down to Lagazuoi hut was STEEP!! It was so steep that, at the top, it looked like you just went over the edge and fell. The switchbacks were frequent and cut right into the wall of the pass - really an awesome climb down.
At the bottom of the pass was a little lake, Lake Lagazuoi, where we had lunch and enjoyed the sun for a little bit. We then got ready for a long, slow, exposed climb up to the highest refugio of the trip - Rifugio Lagazuoi. The trail up to Lagazoi ran past the Austrian / Italian front lines during WWI and so there were gun emplacements and tunnels built into the rock, overlooking the valley. We were essentially climbing up the Austrian front lines at this point and saw old machine guns, tunnels that the soldiers huddled in and big craters from shells.
The refugio itself was a beautiful view. Situated high and on the edge of a cliff - it had a commanding view of the surrounding mountains and valley and we were there on a sunny and gorgeous afternoon. We had a beer and a snack on the porch before walking around some more at the top of the mountain. There was a little trial that ran up from the hut along a ridge and led to even more impressive views of the Austrian alps in the distance. We then returned for some more dine and to call the kids.
Dinner was AMAZING! The food was marginal, but we shared a table with three older English fellows who had been friends since college. They were HILARIOUS!!! One of them, with a big handlebar moustache, was ex-military and approached the whole trip like a military operation. They were a hoot to spend a dinner with. We then spent our first, and actually only, night in a bunk room as a storm rolled in and people snored. It was warm and we were tired, but it was ok.
Day 5: Refugio Lagazuoi - Via Ferrata - Refugio Averau
We awoke after a fitful night of sleep (snoring) to a striking undercast view of the valley. We were glad to have gotten a view of the mountains and the valley the previous day as it was all socked in with fog this morning. Very alpine and very pretty, though in a different way from the previous day. Breakfast was the standard fare of bread, eggs, cold cuts and coffee. We then bundled up against the cold and headed for an old Italian WW1 tunnel that was the alternative way down from Lagazoi. We were out early to beat the crowds, and meet our guide in the morning. The tunnel was cut during WW1 as the Italians were digging to place a mine under the Austrian front lines. It was dark with windows cut out, overlooking the valley. A steep descent, though with good handholds and great signs - it was a really unique experience.
At the bottom we met Carlo, who was our guide for the Via Ferrata. This is a protected climb up sete lines in the mountains that are pitoned into the rock. We did three pitches up the alpinini -which took us a few hours. It was a super fun climb and we got to practice some rock climbing skills - but with the protection of pitons and solid steel cables. Crystal was a rocket and Mac took a bit more of a sedate pace up - trying not to look over the edge too much. After the hike out and a quick coffee at a road side coffee shop, we started the climb to Rifugio Averau.
While not a long climb, this was a lot of fun. After climbing through, essentially, a ski resort - we ended up at the Cinque Torres, an area of 5 peaks that had great rock climbing routes and was the Italian command post during WW1. There were old trenches and buildings from the great war as well as AMAZING rock formations and some shepards up there with their heard of sheep and goats. We puttered around before making it to the Refugio, right as a howling windstorm rolled in. There were half a doze refugios in the area and Refugio Cinque Torres looked like one to check out next time. Refugio Nuvolau was just up the hill and was supposed to have excellent food - but with a storm on, we left that for later.
We had an AMAZINGLY large room with an en suite bathroom that was certainly a highlight of the trip. The food was excellent and the ambience remarkable. Coupled with the raging storm outside the night was snug, warm, relaxed and fun. We had a large and delicious dinner, excellent wine and a relaxing night's sleep.
Day 6: Refugio Averau to Refugio Staulanza
Up in the moring and the storm kept blowing. Breakfast was as good as dinner with a wide selection of espresso drinks - but a strange egg cooker thing that kept undercooking them (probably user error). With the rain and the wind, we elected to go around the mountain rather than over on an exposed Via Ferrata. This was through a rocky meadow with clouds bowing in and out and dramatic mountain views. It was certainly a fun, if somewhat wet, hike. We had lunch at a pass prior to descending down to Rifugio Citta di Fiume. This was a gradual descent, again, through pasture lands. We were racing a thunderstorm there over the last few minutes and got under cover just as the rain struck. We waited out a thunderstorm with espresso, beer and DELICIOUS strudel and met a woman from Wisconsin traveling alone.
After the rain cleared, we finished our descent to Rifugio Staulanza. It was FANCY and probably more like a hotel than a refugio. A bit more than we were looking for - but we had a quiet and private room. Mac got an extra plate at dinner and that seemed to make everyone laugh.
Day 7: Refugio Staulanza to Refugio Vazzoler
Breakfast was, for how fancy this place way, somewhat underwhelming. There was make your own coffee, however and that was a nice touch. We began the day hiking along a road and then a pasture before turning off and climbing steeply up to Refugio Coldai. This was a very steep climb up a pass, but a BEAUTIFUL refugio. Situated at the head of the valley, it was rustic and had amazing views down into the valley. Definitely a place to stay the next time around and would definitely have pushed from Staulanza to Coldai if we had known. We had a coffee and some chocolate cake prior to taking off up the rest of a steep pass to Lake Coldai. The step headwall up to Lake Coldai then rewarded us with AMAZING views of the high mountains. There were big cliffs along either side and a gently (then steeply) sloping valley up to Refugio Tissi. Maybe a highlight of the trip - Refugio Tissi was situated high on a cliff, overlooking a valley thousands of feet below. It was isolated and rustic and we were the first people up there for the day. We had a delicious venison pasta lunch, beer, strudel and coffee as we enjoyed the sun and made excuses for why we didn't need to leave.
Eventually we did and had a long, slow descent down to Refugio Vazzoler. We, again, just beat the rain into the refugio and chatted with a young couple from Seattle and an older couple from New Jersey as the rain poured down and the thunder crashed. We had a great dinner and a private (though small) room with bunk beds and were warm, dry and happy as the storm raged all night.
Day 8: Refugio Vazzoler to Refugio San Sebastiano
We woke up at Refugio Vazzoler to snow!! There was only a dusting where we were, but apparently at the higher elevations there were several inches! A few people headed up to Refugio Tissi were actually turned around by the depth of the snow and the wayfinding difficulties. Even though Tissi was beautiful, we were really glad to have had lunch there and gotten down prior to the rain and snow.
Breakfast was a bit light, but again standard fare of bread, jam, cheese, ham and hard boiled eggs. We had only a short hike planned for today so we took it easy in the morning as the drizzle passed and the snow melted. The hike today was pretty easy, but dramatic!! We hiked along the edge of a mountain with towering cliffs rising steeply above us. It was cold and there were clouds blowing in and out of the mountain peaks above us, but the trail was clear and dry and the view was amazing! We stopped at Refugio Carestiato for lunch. It was a long, 3-4 beer, lunch with deliciou pasta, lasagne, soup and as we sat out on the sunny porch enjoying the view and the Radlers, an Italian Mountain Rescue squad rolled through on their way up to a training mission in the peaks / Via Ferrata above us. On a future trip, the distance from Vazzoler to Carestiato was not that much and, overall, a pretty easy part of the hike. Carestiato did seem to be somewhat nicer with better food and a better view than Vazzoler, might have be worth pushing past Vazzoler to Carestiato next time.
We finally moved on from lunch and had an easy walk downhill to Passo Durano and Refugio San Sebastian. This was the perfect place to spend the night as we had a private room with warm showers and a common room with central fire place and warm, delicious food for dinner.
Day 9: Refugio San Sebastiano to Pain de Fontana
This is probably the hiking highlight of the trip! We were up early in the morning for a filling but relatively non-descript breakfast and then off onto an AMAZING hike. We were entering into the less populated parts of the hike and had long periods of being alone in the mountains. The morning was rolling hills with views into the valley and towering mountains above, still covered in snow from the night before. We had lunch at Refugio Pamperet with was clearly an Italian day hiking destination as it was FULL of day trippers. A relatively small and rustic Refugio - it really struck as as what the the Refugios would have been like 20-30 years ago. Warm, full of beer and coffee and pretty rustic.
We then started up on a steep climb up an exposed pass. The views were AMAZING!!! The hike was hard, but satisfying and we traded back and forth with the young couple from Colorado. At the peak of the pass there was a knife's edge traverse in 20-30 mph wind. It was pretty safe overall, but exhilarating!!! We crossed the pass from a rocky, exposed, windswept side into the lee of the hill and a VERY steep descent down a forested valle. We kept our eyes open for Chamois, Italian mountain goats, and saw a few well up into the hills. It is hard to do this hike justice in words, it was truly beautiful.
We pulled into Pian de Fontana which, honestly, was probably the highlight of the trip. A smal, rustic Refusio with shared bunk rooms - there was a sunny deck to have beers / snacks on that overlooked a steep, mountain valley! The main building was rustic and warm with plentiful, hearty food. We fell asleep at night to the sounds of Chamois in the hills and a stunning sunset.
Day 10: Refugio Pain de Fontana to Venice
Up in the morning to a stunning sunrise over the valley and cold mountain air. Probably the best and most plentiful coffee of the trip and a breakfast that was all the better as it was our last one in the mountains. We then headed off on a knee crushing descent past Refugio Bianchet, where we got a coffee and chocolate, down out of the hills. We had underestimated exactly how high we were as it was nearly 7 hours of continuous descent in order to get down to the road.
Once getting down to the road we rested in the shade of some trees next to an abandoned building while we called a taxi from Belluno to come and pick us up. Again we shared the taxi with the couple from Colorado and headed right to thet train station in Belluno, where we caught a direct train to Venice, taking about 90 minutes. It was a bit of a shock, going from a morning in a remote mountain Refugio to the middle of downtown Venice in the span of about 8 hours. We caught a water taxi, however and made it to our hotel. We had booked a slightly fancier hotel and were shown to a luxurious ground floor room with chilling proseco and a gold plated bathroom. While we enjoyed the Prosecco and showered, we got a phone call from a VERY embarrassed front desk staffer who informed us that he had put us in the wrong room and we needed to move as the people who were supposed to be there were waiting (!!) As we finished our bottle of Prosecco and moved up to a nicely appointed, but slightly less luxurious, third floor room - we laughed.
That night we explored Venice, drank lattes, had dinner at a small cafe, drank Processo, had gelato and enjoyed the setting sun. Venice is really a beautiful city and we had a blast exploring while slightly (more than slightly?) intoxicated. Plaza San Marco at night is striking and it was nice to reflect upon an amazing trip.
Day 11: Venice to Portland
We were up early to beat the crowds and get a run / shuffle around the city. We got large tracts of the city to ourselves and it was nice to shake it out once more before the flight home. We then showered and had a nice breakfast at our hotel before making it out to buy gifts and catching a water Taxi to the airport for the short flight to Munich and then home to Denver and Portland. After 21.5 hours of flying with no delays (!) we made it home! an amazing trip to be sure!!
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