The Dolomites Italy Durrakopf & Neue Taistner Senn Hutte June 13, 2019

  

As we waited outside for our ride at 8:25am the temperature on the store front read +26 degrees Celsius.  I was already delayering.  I wondered where in this land of paradise would we be venturing to today.  The itinerary stated Tre Cime but we saw that area on Tuesday and it was still snow bound.  Our guide was to do some homework and come up with an alternative.  He met us at 8:30 and declared we were going to Mulder and hike Durrakopf.  On board we hopped and went for a drive up a steep, winding, narrow road to a way the heck back and beyond. 

By 9:00 we were hiking up a steep, rocky & rooty trail huffing & puffing in the heat & humidity.  It was an hour and twenty of this then we popped out of the forest to a forever view.  We reached our first summit where there was a cross and a summit register. A wooden box  was attached to the cross which held the book and pen.  We took a snack break to refuel for the next climb.

After a little down and then a big up, we arrived at the highest summit called Durrakopf. This was a place worthy of an extended visit.  We had front row seats for a prime time viewing of hills and valleys and wildflowers and those Dolomites.  

As if we had not reached enough summits already, we did another down and another up to capture yet another summit experience.  Before reaching this summit, I spied the hutte which would be our next stop.  This time I paired a strudel with my beer.  Once again, here at the hutte we had a front row seat to breathtaking scenery.

It was time to move on down the trail for an hour to where our ride would meet us.  We had wide open views every now and then through the forest that reminded us of still how high up we were. WOW what a day!  

There were loads of signs at this trail head and I captured them all.  

 After the steep climb we arrived to our first wide open view which was amazing.

our first summit of the day

 Our next summit is at the top of that foresty knoll.

You can see the trail going up the middle.

 This summit is not named.

 view as we leave the unnamed summit behind

 That's Durrakopf on the far left with the cross on top.

 feeling all high and mighty on the summit of Durrakopf

 lunch time view

 view to my right as I dine

 the cross on Durrakopf

 descending from Durrakopf

 I spy a hutte off in the center of that meadow.

Before going to the Hutte, we opt for another summit right up the center of that grassy hill.  On the way there I was dropping low to the ground to capture photos with a flower frame on the bottom.  I pointed this idea out and the idea caught on.  A few others performed the same maneuver, some even laying on the ground.  Our guide had this look and made this sound as if to say what the heck as she got them doing! 

 ascending the grassy slope to the final summit

 another summit shot

 bouquet of blue

We descended the trail down to the Neue Taistner Senn Hutte.  

It was time for that well deserved beverage.

 I went for a strudel too!  

 Neue Taistner Senn Hutte

We had a long and winding trail to carry on down along.  

Every now and then the forest opened to display great views and to show we are still high.  

What a day!  It was a feast for our eyes!  What faced us now was another one of those fabulous decadent dinners that goes on and on and on.  These evenings are so enjoyable getting to know each other.  I was the only Canadian and I got to share these days with two American sisters, people from Wales, Australia and England.  There were loads of laughs to fill the evenings, while we filled up on fabulous food and wine.  Each night I went to bed pleasantly depleted and excited for the next day.  

The Dolomites Italy Tour of Villabassa June 12, 2019

Quite nicely placed on this Wednesday is a day to choose to do whatever we please.  All along I thought I would like to do another hike  but then realized with our full days I was not getting the opportunity to explore this little peace of paradise called Villabassa.  So my option for this day was to sleep in, luxuriate a bit, saunter the streets instead of hike the mountains, fill up on a feed of real spaghetti, savour some local wine, nap on a beanbag love seat on my balcony, then do dinner and top my day off with some "Hot Love".

I enjoyed the sweet scenery offered down every little street.  How quaint!  How pristine!  Religious, peaceful, slow pace, laid back, welcoming, comforting, are just some of the words that came to mind as I went about my day.

The streets are winding and narrow and the walkways are of cobblestone.  A river runs through it which is fast and furious right now. The "Tour Italy" cycling race came through Villabassa a couple of weeks ago and I thought that must have been a fast and furious thing too.

I walked for three hours and that was exactly the right amount of time to get a real feel for this place. How sweet it is!

my home away from home

 post office to the left of my hotel and the grocery store is the white building on the right

 that's my hotel behind at the left

 Villabassa fire station

 bikes are a way of life here

 in the center of Villabassa outside my hotel

 that's the train station about a 3 minute walk from my hotel

 outdoor cafe

 view down main street

I went for lunch at the Emma.  I had spaghetti with a glass of wine.  She brought a basket full of different breads and buns which I had to pass on if I wanted to finish the spaghetti.  The spaghetti was a heaping amount which I could only eat half off.  It was the best I ever had! 

 I went for a stroll down a residential street and had this view of a front yard.

 The river that goes through the village is running high and fast.  

This is typical from the snow melt at this time of year.

 The door was wide open to a small church so I entered.

 burial plots

This church can be seen from anywhere in Villabassa.  It is beautiful inside and out.  The grounds are immaculate and of the two times I went, the locals were maintaining the plots.  I did not capture photos from inside the church out of respect of those there praying.  The ceiling was covered in murals.  It was breathtaking.  

 a view of the church

 a view of the village of Villabassa with the Dolomites off in the distance

 along the Nordic walking trail

 along the nordic walking trail

 my desert this evening at a local restaurant, it's called Hot Love

I was appreciative of this free day to somewhat rest my legs knowing the next two days would be big.   

The Dolomites Italy Strudelkopf & Durrenstein Hutte June 11, 2019

Updated with better photos plus chart and map at the end:

Thank goodness today's hike would be accomplished based on a good night sleep. The first two hikes I got through on 7 hours of sleep in 48 hours, adrenaline and an overwhelming sense of excitement which pushed me on.  What transpired for us today, I was thankful to to be truly with it. 

How fortunate for us, right out our front door we have a fountain flowing of perfectly pure cold water to fill our bottles.  Then a few steps away, our ride to paradise awaits.  We are on the road at 8:30 and hiking by 9:10 just after our guide shows us the planned route. 

Right from the get-go the scenery sends signals to my senses and I feel that sensation of being overwhelmed.  Is this for real?  Am I truly here?  It can't get any better than this!  Just wait!  For you my followers, I have a couple of dozen photos to share this time.  They will better depict our day than my words can describe.

There was hardly any snow to contend with today so we were able to complete the plan of attack for the day. The wildflowers were incredible and it is not even full wildflower season yet. The greens could not have been greener, the meadows looked manicured, and the trees looked pruned to perfection but all this was Mother Nature's work of art.  

We enjoyed 360 degree views the entire day and that would explain why I type my story here with a stiff neck. The Dolomites do not disappoint.  Those snow covered prominent peaks seemed so close, it felt like if I stretched my arm out I could touch them. 

We settled down for lunch and I savoured my sandwich and the scenery at the same time.  I was surrounded by Italian style crocuses.  Gosh,  I felt so at home, I knew this was were I belonged today.  We could see the Durrenstein Hutte which would be our beer and strudel stop.  It looked like we would get there soon, but boy was I wrong.  We then carried on after lunch to Strudelkopf.  OH WOW!  Talk about feeling "on top of the world!"  From here we could see Tri Cime di Lavaredo which is to be our Thursday destination, but that won't be happening due to the significant amount of snow still there. 

Next, Durrenstein Hutte! I went for a beer paired with an incredible view, and an order of strudel to go. From here on in, it was downhill for two hours on varied terrain, completing a great big loop.  We arrived  back to our ride and in a matter of 15 minutes we were back to our home away from home with a couple of hours to relax then head downstairs for that fabulous four course dinner accompanied by Tyrolean entertainment. OK now after reliving our day by typing this, I am overwhelmed all over again!

In center court you find the fountain to fill your water bottle.

It's just a mere 30 second walk out our front door to where our ride awaits.  I felt spoiled by this service.  We stowed our packs and poles in the back and sat in a seat of luxury for the ride to the trail head.  The drive and our guide packed out packs onto the bus and removed them for us also.  

Each trail head had a great map of the region and our guide spent a few minutes pointing out where we were and where we would be going.  I did not always pay attention, I was too distracted by the scenery.  

 and we get going

 The first wide open vista!

The scenery was incredible already.  Today the majority of our ascent was spent sitting on the mini bus which meant we arrived right smack in the middle of the alpine meadow surrounded by the Dolomites.  

 So green!  So healthy!  So alive!

 layer upon layer upon layer of dimension

 As you know, I think those ugly scraggly trees are beautiful!

High on life today and I present my mountaineering pose!  

A couple of others posed also with their version of being a mountaineer.

 view of the red in the Dolomites

 We climb higher!

I was thankful for every single stop we took.  I took the opportunities not only to catch my breath but also to capture scenery shots and destination photos.  We were a group of 16 and our guide was excellent at managing our different paces.  All of our hikes paces played out perfectly for me.

 orange star marks the Durrestein Hutte

 a carpet of wildflowers

 lunch spot with a view

 There were loads of crocuses.

 Seeing these made feel like I was home!

 The colorful carpets presented amazing photo opportunities!

 Strudelkopf summit cross

This is my summit shot on Strudelkopf!  I had to brace intently against the wild wind or else I would have blown away off to become one with the Dolomites!  Being here blew my mind!  I made sure to take  a moment to truly give thanks for how fortunate I was to be here.

 Oh the hills are alive!

Like I mentioned before, I like our guides style.  

We descented from the summit via off trail, with some way finding.  

After a big descent, we arrived at Durrenstein Hutte.  This Hutte is known for its strudel.  It almost has to be with Strudelkopf being high above overlooking it.  It was busy here with hikers and bikers.  Some people go up and down the same way.  We got to do a loop.

 view from our table

 my small light beer

 my strudel to go

 view back up to the Hutte as we descended

 We only had to descend down now.  

 one more hutte along the route

We completed the descent to find our ride waiting for us.  It felt good to sit on the soft seat and take a load of my feet.  It was a 30 minute ride to get here and only a 15 minute ride home.  My after hike routine had nicely fallen into place.  We would drop our boots off in the boot room at the back of the hotel then I would head to my room for a shower.  Next get those precious photos shared then do a hand wash of clothing.  Dinner was at 7:30 and was either a four or five course dinner with wine lasting two hours.  Bedtime for me was 10:15 and I was happy when that time came.