Hiking the Alta Via 1: Day 8

 Rifugio Vazzoler to Rifugio Duran. 4 hours

    Here's today's journal entry:

    "How can I differentiate today's hike to Rifugio Carestiato, then to Rifugio Duran, from the other days' hikes? Up one mountain, down another…. Today, we continued down the gravel road we had taken to Vazzoler yesterday—already such a long descent!—and now on down we went until the trail left the road and turned towards the cliffs, climbing steadily, through forest and then becoming more rocky. We had a fun little bit of via ferrata on this part of the trail, helping us on a narrow path at the base of a rock wall.

Me negotiating a via ferrata. Photo by Margaret Della Santina

Margaret coming after me.    Photo by Diana Coogle

Up and up, across and across. Up and up and across and across, those remarkable spires to our left keeping us in shade.

                                        Photo by Margaret Della Santina

It wasn't difficult, but it was steady—up and up and across and across, always climbing. Sometimes boulder-hopping.

William on the boulders. Photo by Margaret Della Santina

Sometimes over red-mud trail. On and on, up and up, across and across,

                                    Photo by Margaret Della Santina
William waiting for me at what looked like the top. 

until finally we could see Rifugio Carestiato ahead on a cliff. We stopped there for a snack (or for lunch, depending on the appetite)."

                                            Photo by Margaret Della Santina
On the porch at Rif. Carestiato.
(Note that I have taken my boots off.)

    The porch of Rifugio Carestiato, in the sun, as well as the indoor dining room, was crowded with hikers. A family with two small children sat across the room from us. It wasn't the first family we had seen, but I marveled that they could take such small children on such a strenuous hike. 

    The descent from there to Rifugio Passo Duran C. Tomé was fairly easy, ending with a walk through cows grazing on the hillside. I was dismayed to see, as the rifugio came into view, a large number of cars and motorcycles in the parking lot. However, to my relief, most of the crowd had left by dinner time.

William hiking down to the rifugio.  Photo by Margaret Della Santina

        Because the rifugio was full, the wonderful young man at check-in, a student working there for the summer who wanted to live in the US for a year after graduation, told us he had given us the room he and his co-worker usually slept in.

                                                                            Photo by William della Santina
Our room is in the back, around the corner from the animals.

They would be fine in the trailer just off the porch, he said. "Oh, and don't be alarmed if you hear a donkey in the night," he added. "We keep them fenced in just outside your window during the night to keep the wolves from getting them." (I raised an eyebrow, but apparently there really are wolves in the Dolomites.) There was a bathroom with a wonderful shower for us to use, but "try not to use too much the hot water," he said.

    Margaret, William, and I took advantage of hot water and a clothesline to wash out underwear and socks, being careful not to use too much the hot water. It wasn't always possible to do a laundry at a rifugio (not enough time, no place to hang wet socks), so it was always good when we could.

    As we enjoyed an afternoon beer inside the now empty rifugio, we discussed plans for the next two days. The original itinerary was to do a six-hour day tomorrow, to Rifugio Pian di Fontana, but that would entail what seemed to be a treacherous descent at the end of the day, an especially bad idea if the thunderstorm William said was predicted materialized. We thought the better idea would be to stay at Rifugio Pramparet instead, which was closer to us than Pian di Fontana. That would mean a very long last day, but it seemed worth it for an easier and less dangerous day tomorrow.

    It seemed like a good plan for us, and, as it turned out, it would also be a good plan for a young German couple, Emma and Moritz, who were hiking from Innsbruck to Venice. They had wanted to stay at Pian di Fontana the next night but couldn't get reservations because the rifugio was full. We discussed the situation over dinner with them. If Pramparet had room for us, we could give our reservations at Pian di Fontana to them, and everyone would have a better hike.

    Miraculously, it all worked. Margaret contacted the two rifugios and was able to make reservations for us at Pramparet and to determine that Emma and Moritz could take our places at Rifugio Pian di Fontana. William, Margaret, and I would only hike as far as Rifugio Pramparet tomorrow, avoiding the thunderstorm, and the two young hikers would stay at Pian di Fontana, giving them more time to hike out the next day. Everyone was pleased.

    We didn't hear any donkeys that night, but the next morning we were delighted to make their acquaintance.

                                                 Photo by William della Santina