Day 1

Lago di Braies - Rifugio Sennes
870m ascent
60m descent
7.5km

Next morning, the trek was to begin. We woke up at 6.45, for a 7am breakfast. We were on the first of two local buses up into the Dolomites at 8am. We had to stop off in a place called Dobbaccio for 10min, before being scooped up and driven to the official start of the Alta via 1 - Lago Di Braies. The lake itself is worth the bus trip. It apparently freezes over after November, but at this time of year it sits still as glass and as reflective as a gem, and to be honest, didn’t feel too cold. We took our obligatory start of trek photo which proved difficult with backpacks on, and then it begun. We headed around the western edge of the lake, and almost immediately straight up, a 900 meter climb. We started on a scree river, winding up through a central gulley, before hitting the pine tree line where we entered some sort of magical paradise. The ground was a carpet of wildflowers in blue, pink, white and purple, the air was moist and clean, the greens were lush and vibrant. It made me realise just ho much I love this and just how much I’ve missed it. We continued to wind up and up, my quads starting to feel the pinch after nearly a year off. 

About 3/4 of the way up we reached a rocky cliff edge that had been dressed with a series of metal cables. The weather had progressively gotten a little worse throughout the day making the rocks nice and slippery for our fist cable climb. It wasn’t too bad though.

We saw the most amazing rock formation here, appropriately named the onion. Layer on layer of thinly sliced rock stacked on top of each other, millions of years old. Coming out of this gulley known as ‘Il forno’ (the oven), the path weaves through giant boulders at the foot of Monte Muro, before working its way up the moment you wait for. I always know it’s coming when I hear Daniels voice ahead of me say ‘oh shit, this is amazing!’ It trulywas. An expansive view of the Dolomite peaks, jutting out all around us. Below we could see the lonely Rifugio Biella, built from the same rock that surrounded it. Feeling quite light footed and energetic, we decided to push on to our Rifugio for the night, another hour on. The weather was beginning to turn from grey to purpleand we were getting a little worried about these famous afternoon thunderstorms. The wind picked up and just as I reached around the back of my pack for my jacket, I realised it was gone. Not only was it my only sourc of warmth up here, but there are a whole lot of memories attached to that Patagonia jacket! It’s walked a lot of miles! Daniel ran off back from there we had come, hoping I had dropped it only a little way back. He couldn’t see anything and I resigned myself to its departure, just as a man came over the peak waving his arms! He had it! And had picked it up probably over an hour ago somewhere at the start of ‘il forno’. 

We picked up the pace along the jeep tracks, which have been there since WW1 and headed for our home for the night.

Sennes is probably the most luxurious mountain hut we have ever seen - we were expecting Nepal style, but were greeted with more of a ski cabin vibe. We wandered around the area, meeting the cows and watching the marmots, before napping and reading the afternoon away. Dinner included beer, pasta and strudel. The perfect clash of cultures. 

Day 2

Rifugio Sennes - Rifugio Lavarella
630m ascent
870m descent
12.5km

Today stared off beautifully; we had sunshine and a cool breeze as we walked along the airstrip at Sennes and out over the cliff face into the glacial shaped valley below. It was a big descent, but nothing compared to Ghorepani last year. We took a little detour and discovered one of the abandoned wartime pulley huts, left to rust on the side of the cliff. The huge Dolomite mountains were lit up by the sun. We eventually reached Rifugio Pedaru which we knew marked the end of the descent and signalled the beginning of the climb. We could see little dots of coloured jackets in the distance, highlighting the path as it wove up through the pine and along side a crater shaped drop. Up and up we went, Daniel, as a standard, always 100 meters or so in front of me. We met a few cute dogs along the way including Leo, a black Labrador obediently following his German Parents along the trail. I was also delighted to receive a couple of inquisitive licks from a local cow. We rounded a bend and could see the beginning of a cluster of Rifugios, set beside a bustling stream and lush green meadows. We made a few more cow friends on the path in discovering that they all had names; Gloria, Mozart, Milka.  

Rifugio Lavarella is just as fancy as Sennes. A warm honey pine interior, taxidermy decorating doorways and corners, old family photographs in handmade frames and friendly faces welcoming you in. As well as a giant show drying rack! We sat down to a lunch of tasty vegetable soup, chocolate and coffee. We discovered that people here belong to a minority group called the Ladin people; an ancient group of people with their own language, cultures and traditions. They speak Italian, German, English and Ladin. 

We spent the afternoon wandering the green hills surrounding the Rifugio to the chorus of cow bells. One of my favourite things about trekking is the interesting people you meet. We spent the evening chatting to Yohan and Jasmine - a British couple living in Dundee, Scotland. Late into the night we went to sleep in club 20, the cosy dorm room set in the attic ceiling space of the building. 

Day 3

Rifugio Lavarella - Rifugio Col Gallina
1180m ascent
670m descent
12.5km

This morning we were dressed fed and ready by 7.35am. We knew we had a big day ahead of us and wanted to get the majority of it done under the protection of the morning mist. The sunlight made the edges of a horse herd sparkle, as we climbed up through the pine forest and into the white rocky terrain. The path traversing along the valley was undulating and easy, the perfect start to the day. We walked past a million year old landslide, gigantic boulders strewn across the valley finally gathering moss and trees in their resting place. We had to climb the first section of the day, up to Forcella del Lago (2486m). The view from the top was amazing. Right over Lagazuoi lake and in the very distance we could see our destination, Rifugio Lagazuoi. Before that though, we had to climb down the pass, tight switchbacks cut helpfully into the rocky ground. Daniel added to quite a few rock piles along the way, using the stones in a tight balance. We passed through the site of the most fierce and ferocious fighting in WW1 - you could see old wooden structures rotting into the ground, and the beginnings of a whole lot of tunnels as we climbed higher and higher. We had another few hours of trekking and climbing before we reached the last set of switch backs. It took us half an hour under the recommended time which I was quite proud of. The views from the top were as you would expect, 360 degrees, clear, mountainous landscape. We had a drink and a sit down before the cold winds forced us to take refuge in the funicular - which we took down the mountain to our rifugio for the night - Col Gallina. We were super happy to discover a room all to ourselves, even with a private bathroom. Dinner was a delicious tagliatelle, chickpea soup, margarita pizza and grilled veggies. 

Day 4

Rifugio Col Gallina - Rifugio Nuovalau
510 m ascent
850m descent
16 km

We started the day with a wonderful breakfast before waiting for the first funicular run at 9am. It was quite strange starting a trekking day so late. 

Back on the trail, we cut through the valley behind Lagazuoi, setting out across rocky slopes dotted with the remains of WWI; gun ramparts, trenches and officers’ quarters. Since my days of studying Italian, I have to admit that my vocabulary is not what it used to be. But there is one word that I will not forget and that is ‘pericoloso’, meaning ‘dangerous’. After walking around a few of the old wartime structures, we came across a fork in the trail, one direction pointing towards a short cut through the forest to Nuovalau, the other pointing to a trail traversing the Tofana des Rozes. Pasted under this was a sign saying ‘Pericoloso’ and something about avoid or use an alternate route. We, of course, didn’t want a short cut, so decided to semi ignore the warning and give it a go. There were a few hairy moments, needless to say. 

Although this day was probably one of the longest, it was absolutely beautiful and worth every step. As soon as we reached the bottom of the valley, we had to climb up and out of it again, passing the Cinque Torre and climbing the rocky slopes up to the crowing jewel, Rifugio Nuovolau. We were greeting by the smiling faces of Yohan and Jasmine, and spent the evening chatting over beers and getting to know a few more trekkers; Kris and Reka, Bridget and Brooke. These 6 people really made this trek for us, and Nuovalau was the beginning of the journey for our little group. We shared such amazing conversation and they all inspired us in unique ways. 

Day 5

Rifugio Nuvolau - Rifugio Città di Fiume
345m ascent
850m descent 
15km

Today we lucked out in a few ways. The first was the epic morning light and sunrise. The second was an unsure decision to stay at Nuvolau for breakfast. An unusually late start time of 9am meant all of our friends had opted to get an early decent from our rocky perch, and stop along the trail for food. We decided to wait it out, and head off a little later than usual. It paid off for us in the end, as only an hour after we left, we overtook our mates waiting out the front of a Rifugio, not opening until 10am! (They obviously enjoy a sleep-in in these parts).

The highlights from the walk today included beautiful carpets of wildflowers, inquisitive cows and muddy roads - making out boots feel more like skates than shoes. 

We arrived at Citta di Fiume in the early afternoon, happy to find a menu full of pasta and beer. Our friends were a few hours behind us, popping over the hills in rain coats and boots held together with tape and shoelaces. 

We spent the evening grouped together in a corner, engaged in conversations, reading and sharing. We shared dinner at a large central table before heading off to a dorm together - just like school camp.

Day 6

Rifugio Città di Fiume - Rifugio Coldai
350m ascent
135m descent
9km 

This morning we bid farewell to Yohan and Jasmine; they were heading back to the UK but not before running across a few more scree rivers and dolomite peaks off the beaten track.

Our path took us along a more common route - through the most beautiful woodland forest before spitting us out on a main road. Our final climb of the day was laid out before us as we followed a track beside a dairy farm and winter ski field. Again, the wildflowers were just beautiful. Rifugio Coldai was a nice and easy climb, placed on the top of a peak with amazing views. 

Arriving early, we had the joy of watching all our friends catch up at various stages throughout the afternoon. 

Day 7

Rifugio Coldai - Rifugio Passo Duran
580m ascent 
730m descent 
18km

After breakfast we set out on trails that felt a lot more remote than the day before. We could see Tissi far off in the distance and the Venetian plain below. We had to cross a pass straight out of the valley which was a nice wake up. The rest of the day was long and kid of tough - probably the hardest yet. Out of verdant farm lands, we dropped down low into a pine valley before climbing up and out, surrounded by waterfalls and screefalls. It was just out of the forest that we caught up with Kris and Reka, Bridgette and Brooke. They welcomed us with some chocolate and encouraging words as we overtook them to tackle the scariest part of the climb, another pass called Forcella di Col Rean This one was slippery and narrow - the most thrilling combination. It was at this point that it also started to rain a little. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly the weather changes from one side of a pass to the other. On the other side, it was sunny and green, and I got chased by a cow. 

We walked on and on, a seemingly never-ending path horseshoeing around the peaks before finally ending at Rifugio Vazzoler. I would probably advise the stay here. It looked cosy, they had great pasta and it saves you the extra half hour down the hill to Passo Duran. Which was super basic to say the least. This was the last night we got to spend with out new walking buddies - and we celebrated as expected, with hearty conversations, nice food, and an early night. 

Day 8 

Rifugio Passo Duran - Rifugio Pian de Fontana 
850m ascent 
820m descent 
16km

Feeling a little sore this morning, it made it worse that we had to say goodbye. We parted ways in the warm morning sun - this first photo captures it perfectly. What an amazing bunch of people to have had the chance to meet. 

Today was the big one - we had been dreading it a little, and questioning out ability to do 2 stages in one day. But one last push took us up and over the most scenic trails of the trek, via Forcella del Moschesin (1950m) and up the rocky western slopes of the Cima de Zita. It was quiet and remote up there. A combination of sun, grass, snow, ice, rock and wind. We had to climb on all fours to make it to the very top - always the absolute best feeling. 

From this point, it was a sharp descent down to Pain de Fontana, where we met a cute puppy and her mum, some interesting locals, and some German trekkers who had walked all the way from Munich. 

It was also at this point that I decided to pop my blister - a traumatic event to say the least. 

Day 9

Rifugio Pian de Fontana - Belluno
250m ascent 
1250m descent 
14km

The final day of the Alta Via involves a climb out of the Pain de Fontana valley, followed by a long descent out of the national park and the Dolomite mountain range. We contemplated doing the dramatic three-hour descent on almost unbroken via ferrata - but instead, opted for the woodland route, which led us to the highway at La Muda where we hailed down a bus back into town. 

It’s always so strange to be back in a city after an adventure. Belluno is such a beautiful little place, and we had fortunately booked a lovely apartment overlooking the main square that had a washing machine, shower and drying rack - everything we needed post trek. We went for a wander around town once we had washed and organised ourselves - swapping out boots for slides. Probably the best thing about finishing the Alta Via 1 was the badge we got to collect from the tourist office. 

The next day we headed back to Treviso, hoping to catch a plane back to London at 9pm that night. With a day to kill - we found the best gallery we could and hung out there. London, though, wasn’t meant to be - Ryanair cancelled on us after making us wait around for about 5 hours. It descended into chaos at the airport; a plane full of angry and tired travellers pushing and shoving to rebook/reroute a journey home. We were all shipped off to a hotel at about 2am, where Daniel and I decided to figure out our plan first thing in the morning. The best we could do was 3pm Thursday. It was Tuesday. And the fight would leave from Pisa. The other side of the country. 

And so, the adventure continued. The next day, we organised 3 x trains to get to Pisa. Treviso - Venice, Venice - Florence, Florence to Pisa. We got a glimpse of Bruneschelli’s dome from the station as we ran to catch a connecting train. We finally arrived as the sun was hanging low on the horizon, making the streets a golden yellow. We spent our 24 hours here seeing all the sites and eating as much pizza as possible.  Not better way to end 2 weeks in Italy.