Hike Day 3: Corvara to Incisa Lodge

A hiking day that starts with a chairlift gets us high. Up we went and then had a short hike to our next hut that is quiet, off the main track, has only 10 beds (and not stacked on top of each other), and gave us a private room. We arrived before lunch and decided to…go hiking! We found a loop trail through hillsides of wildflowers — we couldn't get clover it! No sooner had we finished our trail lunch of pb&j than we found gelato at a restaurant perched with a distant view of the Marmolada glacier that collapsed last summer and killed 11 hikers. No, we are not going that way. Back at our hut, the chef prepared one of the best meals we've had starting with local beer, a charcuterie board, homemade spinach ravioli, grilled pork and polenta and wild mushrooms, apple strudel, and camomile grappa. Tomorrow we will be working that off with a long day of hiking over two mountain passes.

Hike Day 2: Puez Hutte to Corvara

Different trails meet up at huts so everyone seems to be coming and going in different directions. It reminded me of a roundabout. One of the most popular routes is the Alta Via 2 and Puez Hutte was part of that route. Camping in a tent is not allowed in the Alps so the huts make access to the areas possible — as do the chairlifts. Day hikers pop up in remote areas like spandex-clad marmots. The huts are busier than on our previous trips. Advance reservations are pretty much required now, though in the past we just called the night before (blame Instagram and pent-up Covid demand). Today's hike took us back down the mountain to the ski town of Corvara where we had a hotel and a shower. Unlike our bike trip that was way too rushed, our hike route can be done in 7, 9, or 12 days and we wisely selected the longest.

Hike Day 1: Seceda to Puez Hutte

Our first day couldn't have been more spectacular. We launched with a chairlift from Ortisei to Seceda mountain with stunning views of the Puez-Odle area of the Dolomites. We were warned that we'd move at a "photographer's pace" and indeed the 4.5 hour hike took us 7 hours. We scrambled over a rocky pass, did a little via ferrata (climbing with fixed cables), found high mountain meadows with bouquets full of wildflowers including edelweiss, had perfect weather, and ended up at our first hut, Rifugio Puez, for the night. Our bunk room had triple-decker bunks that were as worthy of a via ferrata as the ridge top. To summit up, even the trail number said it all — it was meant 2B a great day.

Viva Italia

We didn't have a bad meal (or miss a meal) in Austria but now in Eataly we can't stop ordering pizza and pasta. Mushroom picking must be good because we've had chanterelles in our pasta and on our pizza. Whole pizzas count as single servings as do sundaes with 3 scoops of gelato. One must cheese the day! They have to eat a lot here because it's exhausting writing and explaining everything in both German and Italian. Alphorn music welcomed us to the tiny town of Kastelruth/Castelrotto (thanks for the suggestion, Celeste) and we prepped for our next adventure, our 12-day hut-to-hut hiking trip across the Dolomites. Stay tuned for the first chapter of Climb and Punishment.

Leaving Austria like the Von Trapps

[For Kristin] Our train ride out of Vienna took us through Salzburg but we couldn't stop for a Sound of Music tour because we had fa, a long long way to run to get to our next stop in Italy. Apparently the real Von Trapps actually took a train from Austria to Italy like us. The Hollywood Von Trapps hiked over the mountains like we plan to do next. You'll be happy to know we've already checked off cream-colored ponies, crisp apple strudels, and whiskers on kittens.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall

Recovering in Vienna, we beat the heat by visiting some of Klimt's works at air conditioned art museums. One museum had a full-length mirror that made me reflect on how much I've eaten. Time for torte reform. It was so hot that we retreated back to the blue Danube for a swim and found an island park with swimming pools and river access on all sides.

Toast mortem report

Note to self: Using a company that handles all the hotel reservations, route info, and luggage transfer service is worth it. We used an Austrian Company, Rad & Reisen. OO Touristik seems to be the parent company and had its name on our bikes and others. EuroCycle was an outfit we saw with a sag wagon and may be a guided tour. Next time look for a trip with no more than 30 miles a day. All our days were 40 to 50+ miles. Though we were on our own and could go at our own pace, we still felt rushed in order get in the miles each day and didn't stop as much as we had hoped. The trips are advertised as 7 days but you are only riding 5 of the 7. I'd look for a 9-day trip that allows you to cycle 7 days. I'd also skip the Krems to Vienna leg and take the train back to Vienna from Krems. Bikes are allowed on the trains. I'd opt for an e-bike next time. The smooth and safe bike path, being alongside the river, visiting places I'd never see otherwise, and moving at a cycling speed was a wheelie fun way to tour.