Hike Day 9: Rifugio Faloria to Rifugio Vandelli/Lake Sorapis

The day's hike started with a traverse and a charade of chamois goats. Then things got tougher when we had to pretend to be mountain goats ourselves and scramble over a steep pass on loose rock. At the top
of the pass, edelweiss and more wildflowers greeted us before we plunged down the mountainside. Our next cliffhanger via ferrata awaited so we couldn't pat ourselves on the back yet (we had to hang on for dear life). Then we faced an even more punishing vertical hike down a rocky trail full of ankle busters and deep knee bends. But in the distance, like a mirage, we saw our next hut and the pale blue glacial waters of Lake Sorapis.

Hike Day 8: Cortina to Rifugio Faloria

Our next hut was at the top of a lift! Unfortunately the lift was closed due to "administrative issues" but they offered us a Jeep ride later in the day. We bumped our way up a 3000 foot gravel road in a 4-wheel-drive adventure. One of the locations for the Sylvester Stallone film "Cliffhanger" was a short hike away and the building that stood in for a Colorado mine truly hangs on the cliff. I am not recommending the film but the location scout deserves an Oscar.

Hike Day 7: Rifugio Pomedes to Cortina

We woke up with our head in the clouds from our skybox hut room. We didn't want to mist any views so we stalled before heading down the mountain to the town of Cortina d'Ampezzo. The afternoon unfolded at the self-serve laundromat when we stripped down to our rain gear so we could wash everything else. Our underwear wasn't quite dry so we hung it on the hotel TV. Arlo asked if we were going to watch undie films. After loads of fun, we deserved pizza and gelato to be ready for the rest of our mountain marathong.

Hike Day 6: Mt Lagazuoi to Rifugio Pomedes

We started an epic day of hiking at the top of Mt Lagazuoi where WWI troops dug tunnels, gun emplacements, and lookouts throughout the mountain. You can even crawl through the tunnels to the top with helmets and headlamps but, hey, there's a gondola! The view from the summit took our breath away. Each day we can't imagine views getting more splendid and then they do. A long line of Italians passed us on a pilgrimage to the cross at the top of the mountain. The nuns wore habits and hiking boots and carried rosaries in their hands. We wished we had rosaries when we ended up on the 404: Trail Not Found.

Hike Day 5: WWI Open Air Museum

A layover day at Rifugio Gallina gave us time to hike to the Cinque Torri rock formations and the World War I Open Air Museum. The Italian Army set up trenches, lookouts, and storehouses for food and weapons in the rocks as they battled the Austro-Hungarian troops. The limestone rocks certainly provided a great vantage point and held strong for them. It still holds for all the rock climbers scaling the towers. They don't take it for granite.

Wildflower Wednesday

Here are some of my favorite Dolomite wildflowers to make your daisy.

1. Black vanilla orchid listed as an endangered species in Italy.
2. Turk's cap lily also known as martagon lily.
3. Hairy alpenrose, a species of rhododendron found widely in the Alps.
4. Spotted orchid.
5. Pink cinquefoil endemic to the Alps and found at 10,000 feet.

Hike Day 4: Incisa Lodge to Rifugio Col Gallina

Today's hike took us across the Pralongia high plateau known as the "amphitheater of the Dolomites." We could look back at the Puez range where we started and see the Marmolada range and the Fanes group. We climbed over the rocky Valparolo pass and then past a gulp-inducing cable car. No sooner had we arrived at our hut than the sky went dark, the wind whipped through the pass, and hail and rain pelted the roof. We were cozy in our private hut room after dinner of penne with gorgonzola and zucchini, pork in plum sauce, and dessert of panna cotta. Arlo tried to take my panna cotta due to my off-pudding remarks but I held my own — custard's last stand.