The morning of July 18th we drove 45 minutes to Lago di Braies for the first hike of the day. But this post isn’t about Lago di Braies because we were face-palmed by authorities blocking entry to the lake at a roundabout (I’m still not sure why…). I was tempted to just keep circling the roundabout and have them keep waving at us to turn around, but instead we just drove the 45 minutes back to Cortina and focused on what to eat for lunch and what to do with our afternoon.
At 2:00 we ventured out for our second 45-minute drive of the day and this time we were successful reaching the trailhead! The Tre Cime (“three peaks”) hike starts at a place called Rifugio Auronzo, which is at an altitude of 7600 feet and is named for the triplet peaks at the center of the circular path. The village where we stayed is about 3600 feet lower, and climbing that elevation in our car meant 45 minutes of constant switchbacks mostly in 2nd gear. After over 2 hours in the car for the day plus all those switchbacks, we couldn’t wait to get out, stem the nausea, and start the hike!
The Tre Cime hike was one of our favorites so far of the trip. The Dolomites are so interesting with how pointy and craggy their peaks are. Being so high we had amazing views of different valleys, and we even got to get fairly up close with some free-roaming cattle. At one point we met a really nice American couple who were hiking with their dog and struck up a conversation with them…it’s pretty odd to come across other Americans in Europe this summer due to travel restrictions (this particular pair is living in Switzerland for work). We ended up finishing the hike with them, which was great because they were so friendly and also because Keegan took a stumble and bumped his head with about 10-15 minutes left in the hike and our new friends lent him a walking stick to use the rest of the way which greatly lifted his spirits! In total the hike took us almost 4 hours, covered 6.8 miles, and included 1,500 feet of elevation gain. We were pretty grateful in the end that our morning lake hike was cancelled because this hike totally drained us!
Dolomites!! You guys made it there! That is one of my dream destinations on my bucket list! I want to hear more about it after you guys come back! Your post reminds of my German friends from a long time ago that they shared with me their hiking in Alps around Germany and Italian borders is one of their childhood memories when they grew up. I’m sure this hiking experience becomes part of beautiful memories of Hartshorn’s children!
I hope you make it someday! It’s really remarkable.