August 31, 2024

August 31, 2024

After breakfast we checked out of our hotel, put the luggage in the car, and took the bus into nearby Ortisei, Italy. We signed up for a hiking adventure into the mountains above us and we need a trial run. We only get to pack once and we don’t know what weather to expect at higher elevation. 

In Ortisei we bought pricey cable car tickets that whisk us quickly some 3000 feet above the valley to the Seceda Ridgeline. Despite facing the opposite direction as yesterday it seems the sun again is foiling my photos. There also seems to be a haze in the air. We make the final hike to the top and then along the ridge. The photos get a little better as we go. We are also surprised at the temperature. It is warm and not nearly as cold as we expected. We over-packed bringing thick shirts and a fleece jacket. I am quite comfortable in my thin shirt.

From the top we hike along and down the ridgeline. As we progress the view changes dramatically and the air seems to clear making the mountains pop. Humorously there are cows grazing in the fields and they all are wearing noisy bells.

The hike is easy but it is continuously downhill putting constant pressure on our knees and feet. The big advantage of hiking in Europe is that we are never far from civilization. Scattered throughout the Alps are mountain huts in spectacular locations waiting to satisfy our thirst and hunger. After a long hike the beer tastes great. I tried practicing the couple words of Italian and German I know to our waitress at Rifugio Firenze, but she informed me her native tongue is Ladin, an obscure Romance language indigenous to remote parts of the Dolomite mountains.

At the end of our lunch, it starts to rain. We don our raincoats and march on. Fortunately after about thirty minutes we find another cable car and we ride it back down to the valley floor. Surprisingly it is dry at the bottom. We take a bus back to our car and then drive to our next accommodation in Selva. It is much more rustic but our room has a balcony with an awesome view.