Week 98-99: Road Trip through The Dolomites

Week 98 ended with our friend Nate flying to Europe and the three of us road-tripping to the Dolomites in Week 99.

“You have to know the past to understand the present”–Carl Sagan

For us to fully appreciate our trip to the Dolomites, and for you to fully understand our recap, it is important to share a few things about the Dolomites–

Today, the Dolomites are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and are considered an outdoor enthusiast’s jungle gym. During WWI (1915-1917), the area was heavily fought between Italy and Austria. The world wars of the 20th century left their mark throughout the north of Italy's Dolomite region and many historical spots have been preserved for adventure and history lovers to explore.

Wedged between the mountains of Austria and the rolling hills of Italy, the Dolomites have contrasting landscapes and weather conditions, and we certainly experienced the various weather conditions.

The Instagram-famous landscape so many tourists come to enjoy today caused so many challenges during WWI. More soldiers died from avalanches and weather-related injuries than from actual war. Austrians and Italians created tunnels throughout the mountains to help survive these harsh climates and today the war tunnels can be accessed by several hikes and via ferratas which were obviously on our itinerary for the week.

From hairpin turns to narrow passes, valleys to villages, meadows to mountain peaks, WWI trenches to tunnels, this is the recap of our adventures in the Dolomites–

September 13

We dropped our animals off at the pet hotel and by 4 PM we were en route to Santa Cristina, a village at the foot of the Sassolungo mountain in Val Gardena on the western side of the Dolomites.

By 8:45 PM, we checked into Hotel Uridl, an old residence from the 17th century converted into one of the first hotels in Val Gardena. The hotel and its restaurant is one of the oldest in the valley known for its good cuisine and art collection. With over two hundred pieces of art by more than thirty Val Gardena artists, the hotel feels like a small museum.

September 14

The alarm going off at 4:45 AM meant it was time to get up and make our way to Alpe Di Suisi, Europe’s largest alpine meadow.

During the research and preparation phase of this trip, I read “there is no better sight on the planet than the rolling meadows of Alpe di Siusi.”

Unfortunately, the morning we chose to hike to the iconic viewpoint was foggy and had zero visibility. Flower-filled meadows and rustic alpine cabins still dotted the landscape for as far as the eyes could see, but this turned out not to be very far due to the fog. Even though it was a disappointing start, there is something about a quiet foggy morning in Italy that still has a little charm to it.

Unless your hotel is on the Seiser Alm, prepare to park and walk an hour for the sunrise because the road to the iconic viewpoint is blocked for daily traffic from 9 AM-5 PM. We arrived at the Compatsch parking lot at 5:40 AM but had to wait 20 minutes for the attendant to arrive so we could pay the fee to park in the lot. 6:00 AM rolled around but the attendant never did, so we risked it, placed a time card in the window, and started the hike. On our way back, we crossed paths with the attendant and he let us leave without having to pay the €20.

The grey fog had a silver lining.

We had breakfast at the hotel and the sun finally started to poke through as we discovered the Santa Cristina village we were staying in was surrounded by cascading waterfalls and rocky peaks making this village a magical location in the Dolomites and one we hope to revisit someday.

25 minutes from the hotel was our first via Ferrata of the trip, “Via Ferrata Forcella del Sassolungo”.

Via Ferratas started in Italy during WWI when soldiers needed a way to move quickly and securely through the mountains. There are over 700 via Ferratas in the Dolomites and over 3,000 globally.

*The parking lot for via Ferrata Forcella del Sassolungo*

From the parking lot to the start of the via Ferrata it took about 50 minutes of uphill hiking.

This Ferrata was added this year. The route takes you up the right edge of the famous five-finger tip so it was a pretty popular one with everyone wanting to try it out.

*Two-thirds done with our first Italian Ferrata*

Because of the crowd, what should have taken an hour or so took over two, but it was a great first Italian climb.

*Finished with our first Italian Ferrata*

*Cable car back down to the parking lot*

By noon, we were descending back down the mountain using the cable car. We could have hiked back down, but going down is usually the toughest part and we were racing against the potential bad weather rolling through.

Around 3:00 PM, we were standing on Seceda Ridge at 8,261 ft. The ridge is a beloved destination in the Dolomites because of its unforgettable view of the Odle/Geisler Peaks.

There are a few ways you can reach the top. We opted for the easiest and fastest, so we took the Ortisei-Furnes-Seceda Cable car which was only 15 minutes from our hotel in Santa Cristina.

Puffy white clouds clung to the ridge and blew away as fast as they blew in which created really cool time-lapse videos.

*Eric and Nate on the Seceda Ridge path*

After an early start and a long first day, it was time for dinner at the hotel which consisted of veggie soup, spinach dumpling, eggplant parmesan, and Austria’s famous Sachertorte. I did not take any photos of our food, but this is one from their website of the spinach dumpling. One of the best meals I’ve ever had.

September 15

We kicked off day 3 with a big breakfast, a walk through the various sports shops in the Selva valley, and then a quick pitstop at a WWI museum, which sadly turned out to be closed when we arrived.

By noon, we were at our main attraction for the day, The Cinque Torri (5 towers) or the “5 Torri front” during the days of WWI. It is one of Italy’s most beautiful natural landmarks and one of Europe’s most iconic travel destinations for breathtaking views and historical interest.

This section of the Dolomites was the most important strategically during the war. Whoever operated this point had a major advantage. Every move could be watched from this point. The Italians took over the Cinque Torri in June 1915.

Italian soldiers immediately began building kilometers of trenches (covered and uncovered), artillery structures, telephone lines, warehouses for food and supplies, and shelters for animals.

Today, the trenches, which have mostly been rebuilt, are a part of the open-air museum for history enthusiasts to explore. The 5 towers are popular among rock climbers and we saw several climbers scaling the walls.

The final cable car from Cinque Torri was at 5:30 PM, so, at 5:00 PM, we headed back down to the car and stopped by a lake a few minutes from the parking lot called “Lago Bai de Dones”. Nothing too special.

We drove 20 minutes to our next hotel, Berghotel Passo Giau. What started as a once wooden shelter transformed into a hotel over the past 50 years.

The Passo Giau winds through dense forests and a high alpine plateau. I would argue this pass is the most beautiful spot in the Dolomites overlooking the most famous peaks, such as the Marmolada, the Tre Cime di Lavaredo and the Sella Group.

*A cabin in the meadow along the Passo Giau and my new all-time favorite picture*

September 16

Our 4th day in the Dolomites marked the 5-year wedding anniversary for Eric and I.

The traditional wedding gift for 5 years is wood. It reflects the strength and durability of your marriage, as well as the strong eternal roots you are putting down. So waking up in a wooden cabin and hiking through wooden WWI trenches the day before was a good way to celebrate, plus the rest of the day’s activities was exactly the kind of celebration we wanted to have.

By 9:30 AM, we stopped in Cortina d’Ampezzo, a very wealthy town on the eastern side of the Dolomites made famous by the 1956 Winter Olympics and supposedly the James Bond’s “For Your Eyes Only” film (per Google).

After a little shopping and a lot of “WOW, this is so expensive” remarks, we continued on to Rifugio Auronzo, a mountain hut at the foot of the “Tre Cime di Lavaredo” or “The Three Peaks of Lavaredo” and our final sleeping accommodation for the trip.

This area was one of the most fiercely-fought battlegrounds during WWI, so we immediately set out for our second Ferrata of the trip, the Innerkofler to explore the tunnels and forts left over.

This is probably the most famous via Ferrata in the Dolomites due to the Three Peaks in the background, the climbing route following along the front line of World War I, and the impressive Paternkofel summit.

We hiked an hour to the start of the via Ferrata from the Rifugio and we began our climb which ended up being a lot of uphill hiking with a pretty easy Ferrata.

*Eric on the Ferrata with WWI barbed wire on the ground*

2 hours later, we summited the Paternkofel.

We were eye height to the Tre Cime and, despite the chilling wind and clouds circling the peaks, the views were epic.

There were two other guys at the top who were from Germany. When you summit a mountain in Germany or Austria there is a traditional phrase you say “Berg Heil“. So they asked us what Americans say when reaching the Summit. We responded, “Finally.”

They laughed and we climbed back down to beat the rain.

After 6 hours of hiking, climbing, navigating the tunnels, and burning 3000+ calories, we arrived back at Rifugio Auronzo and enjoyed a very large and hearty dinner.

Huts are usually much less glamorous than hotels. The shared rooms and bathrooms are not ideal, but the vibe in a mountain hut and the ability to sleep in the mountains is unmatched. Luckily we had a room to ourselves.

September 17

We had every intention of doing one last hike. A hike that everyone who comes to the dolomites does and one that I have saved pictures of from Instagram probably 25 times. A hike to the Cadini di Misurina, with jaw-dropping jagged mountain peaks.

However, Mother Nature had other plans, because we woke up to several inches of snow. We knew it would probably snow a little bit, but we certainly did not expect this much overnight.

We stayed at the hut a little longer than intended, but eventually left and headed back home to Gmunden.