For about a week, Pandabear and Bambi came to visit. It was that pleasant peace that comes in the company of good friends. We decided that one night we should stay at a mountain refugio which turned out to be one of those rare perfect days. Realising the public transport would take us to the Marmolada area in a few too many hours, we opted to rent a car. All peachy and great!
Morning comes and during breakfast we get a phone call. One the phone a woman tells us that the car we booked “doesn’t exists”. On the phone, Bambi asks politely what the lady means, and where she could file a complaint. In expected frustration I exclaim once again: “welcome to Italy”. We proceed to book a new car. Man on the phone tells us to call back to confirm that there is a car. He is not in his office. A bus-ride, a few prayers and only one hour later than expected we pick up Cheesecake with a tiny little car that later just barely manage to take the four of us up the mountain.
Going to an area I had never been to, I was not sure what to expect. Our adventure started in Canazei, Trento, where we after circling around a bit, eventually found a parking spot and got ourselves to the cable car.
As the cable car took us higher and higher, the expectations rise and the beautiful landscape illuminate before us. It is breathtaking. The dolomites are always spectacular but this area really pushed the boundaries of just how amazingly beautiful the region looks. Every other mountain wavy green, every other mountain ragged rock.
After taking some time to take not-nearly-representative-enough photos the hike started and together with a bunch of random strangers in the mood for a walk, we started our way along the hillside. To our right, the still icy Mt. Marmolada branched out with her 3,343 meters, clouds caressing her tips. To our left, the green hillside rose a hundred meters or so next to us.
Not feeling satisfied with our expedition we opted to continue forward rather than to turn down to the refugio that we previously checked out. Instead we blindly followed the signs pointing to another refugio. As we get there we are informed that there are no ‘beds’. It is only a restaurant. The lady running it tells us that 20 minutes vertically, there is a hut in which you can sleep. Saving money and ready for adventure we started the elevation. Not entirely sure what to expect by this “hut” we sent Cheesecake ahead, being the youngest and fittest of us. The hut is beautiful. It is perfect.
Before the night falls, the mountain goats appear and Cheesecake had a rather lengthy conversation with one. Echoing from the mountain back and forth was a “booghughuh” that clearly had significant meaning, we just didn’t know what it meant. Bloody country boy!
As we later went to bed under the hut’s roof, I grasped Cheesecake for all the heat he had, as we both – to the soundtrack of Pandabear’s snoring – grumpily struggled to fall asleep. Autumn had come and on 2500 meters the air gets pretty chilly.
Next morning, before we in borderline panic hiked back to the car, we dove into the darkness of the mountain caves next to the hut to see what if there was a mountain king hiding in the darkness. Spoiler alert, there wasn’t.
