For our tenth wedding annivsarry, Nicole and I set out on a trip that emulated our honeymoon trip through the Swiss Alps. Google search results suggested the Alta Via2 route in the Dolomites, and despite Erik purchasing a guidebook for a *different* Alta Via2 route (in the Italian Alps) we gathered just enough beta, digital maps, and far too much gear, and set out.
We flew from Seattle with the kiddos, dropped them off in NY with grandparents, and continued on to Munich via a red-eye (something we swore we'd never do again). We pretty much didnt sleep at all on the flight, and dropped right into the high energy Munich central train station. Whoah!? Grand Central on steroids. We managed to buy a train ticket from Munich to Brixen, but the salesperson wished us "good luck!" regarding our prospects of finding a seat, and advised standing was not an option. Luckily we happened upon seats, and many people stood in the aisles anyway... so our anxiety was a bit unfounded. Brixen is a cute little town below the large ski area of Plose. We ate food I think, slept a little, and tried in vain to purchase a decent paper map. Instead we purchased a paper map with just roads, no trails... Better than nothing.
Our hotel gave us a "Brixen card" which allowed for free bus and gondola ride to the top of Plose... no more motivation to skip out on 1,000+ meters of climing needed!
Gondola up to Plose summit
At the top it was fairly simple to find the well-marked trail, and we started off across the relatively bare slopes of the ski area. The immediate views were not too special, but large cliffs were off in the distance, beckoning us on to the more wild parts of our journey to come.
Nicole finding the trail... follow the 2!
Despite a few minor navigational errors that added small amounts of distance and climbing to the day, we managed to walk past Rifugio Plose, and then stopped at Rifugio Pfannspitz for lunch. Being our first on the go meal we weren't quite sure what to expect... but it set the tone for the trip. Carbs, spendy water, and deserts galore! We ordered quite too much food, ate it all somehow, talked to a friendly chap next to us from Vienna who was raised in Brixen, and then continued on.
Nicole and our #2 guidepost
The route climbs up to near the top of the ski area before cutting a traverse across increasingly forested ribs, and eventually despositing you on the road. To maximize epicness, this section could have been cut out, but it was still a good warmup for the hiking to come (or for us, a reminder that we still weren't close to being adapted to the time zones yet).
After crossing the road, we entered the first National Park (Puez-Odle), of which we mostly didn't realize ahead of time since our trip prep and research beforehand was far too skimpy. We traversed above grazing areas and eventually climbed up to the Forcella del Pütia. Forcella translates to "fork", which I guess makes sense since often times at the passes labeled "forcella" there are various paths to take. Other translations put it closer to "col"... so... take your pick.
A rare "can you take our photo" on top of Forcella del Pütia
Nicole leading the way towards Rif. Genova
We failed miserably at getting a photo of Rifugio Genova. I think we were just relieved that we would be able to eat there. My preliminary trip planning had consisted of finding out they were full for lodging, and then asking if we could still eat there if we weren't staying there. The response was "no". Which... after being there in person, I think must have been lost in translation. In Italy, it was never really a problem to order food. In fact, we even co-opted the normal 6:30pm dinner for the guests by ordering off the menu and eating quickly before heading out to find a spot to camp. All the rifugios were always willing to cook up food and serve you beer. Oh, and usually sell you water. Overall - an amazing mountain experience.
Sticking to our (soon to be abandonded) plan of camping between rifugios, we wandered out a few minutes along the trail after filling up on dinner, and happened upon some amazing views, and what can only be described as the best tent spot in the world.
Piz du Puez massif from near our campsite
Nicole setting up on the legit campsite
Some details of our views
There was a cool peak just behind camp, Pt 2,486... which of course needed to be climbed. There was a rough trail up it, so was a simple walkup. Views from the top were well worth the extra meters of climbing.
Our campsite and Pt. 2,486 directly behind camp
Sunset vibes from atop Pt 2,486
Sunset pano from top of 2,486
We settled into sleep and did our best to get acclimated to the time zones and recover, but the flapping wind and our anxiety over whether we were really supposed to be camping (still fairly unclear honesetly) led to a pretty poor night out. We'd tweak our plans the next day to tack the trip away from sufferfest and back towards anniversarry fun trip.
Evening Light
Us-ie
The light in the evening was pretty nice, but the sunrise was downright epic. Some folks wandered by our tent in the mornign and gave some perspective to the next knob east of us - thanks friends!
Sunrise view from camp
A better version of the Us-ie
Divine messaging that our campsite was the bees knees
The walk to breakfast
Morning detail from across the valley
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