Alpine adventure

We went back to the Alps with the rest of my family. This time however, my brother and I packed a couple of backpacks and headed into the mountains, not to return until the next day at noon at lake Misurina. It was an incredible experience, one that we will both cherish forever. Hiking while being utterly wet and cold, then sleeping in a room with 20 other people is not something that is easily forgettable. Actually, the truth is that even in the hardest moments, we were still ecstatic to be doing the hike and to be experiencing it as we were.

And off we go. When my parents dropped us off, there was an unquestionable, and unspoken, concern about the weather and lack of clothing. Alas, we are young and nothing will get in our way!

We have to reach two "rifugi" (mountain lodges that provide lodging and food for hikers), before we reach the Locatelli, which is the third one and where we will be spending the night. Here is a little sactuary for the Virgin Mary on the way to the first.

Hey, this isn't so bad. Sure it's a little wet but the sun looks like it wants to come out.

We made it to Lavaredo, our first stop on the way to Locatelli. We are so optimistic! (and so naive).

This pair of photos really sums up the course from Lavaredo to Cengia (the second stop). As you can see, the view was less than desireable.

Despite the "nubi" (low clouds), the beauty of the dolomites is undeniable and each moment that the sun broke through they dominated our attention.

We had a map, but it's always nice to see some signage.

Still on the way to Cengia. We are cold and wet. We stopped to have lunch (prosciutto and cheese sandwiches my mom prepared for us, some fruit, and a snack consisting of a spunge cake encased in a thin chocolate coating with a layer of alcohol inside). Hey, we may be cold and wet but we are not barbarians! Actually we are just Italian, there is never a good reason to have a bad meal.

Take it from the top.

Almost there...

And there it is! Our penultimate stop before Locatelli!

We stop in Cengia to warm up a bit and re-energize before our last track of the day. Alex looks pretty beat here eh? I have some hot tea, Alex has a Fanta, and we share a dessert. We have a nice conversation with an Italian couple because we sat at their table but also because everyone else was German. In fact for the entire trip 99% of the people we encountered were german.

This is easy!

We exit Cengia ready for the next phase of the hike. Our optimism is back! Locatelli is within our reach!

It's really hard to see here, but there it is, that speck of white in the top(ish) center is where we will be spending the night!

Breathtaking views continue.

Getting closer.

Taking a short break

And back to work.

We are so close now!

We made it! Locatelli is fairly large lodge that has a dormitory (where Alex and I slept) as well as smaller rooms. After hiking solitarily for a hours, entering Locatelli was like stepping into a tiny city made of transient inhabitants. No one here stays more than one night, everyone is tired and hungry, and every person has a story to share. And so, immediately upon arrival, Alex was quite literally accosted by an American couple who had heard him speak a few words to me in English. We ended up eating, drinking, and chatting with them for the rest of the evening.

After we arrived, we immediately went to the dormitory to change and drop off our stuff on our side by side top bunks.

We had an hour before dinner, so we took a short hike up behind Locatelli to check out some caves (from WWI) that we could see from the lodge.

And here is Locatelli from the caves.

We also fraternized with a group of Germans who'd left their wives and kids at home for a week to hike and drink in the alps. They were a ball and we all got along famously.

Here I am with the Germans (who are drinking red wine by the pitcher).

And here is Alex actually donning one of their group hats. As Drunk #1 (that's how he introduced himself) was putting the hat on Alex he remarked "You haves too much hairz on your head!" Yes, Alex has a solid head of hair.

And here is the view that we woke up to from our dormitory!

The next day was sunny and gorgeous, we were ready to go! We had only a two hour moderate hike ahead of us! Whoppie!!!!

Yup, still good!

We came from "over there".

Alex decided to hike in his PJs.

We are nearly there! We arrived at Auronzo (shortly after I took this shot). From here we caught the bus that would take us back to lake Misurina where our parents were picking us up! What an amazing trip and advenure! We had an amazing time and most of all, we learned what we should have packed for the next time.