54,000 Steps and Exhausted

Two Amazing Days Hiking the Dolomites

I’ll be honest: I had never heard of the Dolomites until we started researching this trip. A travel agent turned us on to it when we thought we’d be in Venice for a few nights. San Cassiano, where we stayed, is just a few hours drive from Venice. We ended up dropping Venice to see the Cinque Terre, but left the Dolomites on the itinerary. That resulted in some long, out of the way and at times harrowing drives through the mountains…but it was so worth it!

During the First World War, the line between the Italian and Austro-Hungarian forces ran through the Dolomites.  After the war, the region was awarded to Italy, even though most of its inhabitants, and culture, were Austrian. You see that in the architecture, the language, the food. The homes remind you of Bavaria. German is as frequently spoken as Italian. You’re more likely to see Wiener schnitzel on the menu than pizza. Today, the region is both a skiing and hiking mecca, and very family friendly. Sherpa Momma and I have agreed this is one place we will return to for at least a month, when the kids are all off to college. It’s that beautiful. A place to be outdoors and commune with nature. Easily the most relaxing place we’ve been on this adventures, at least in my opinion.

My Fitbit claims we walked over 54,000 steps over the two days we hiked the mountains just outside our window. The pictures do not capture the splendor we saw at every turn. Our home base in San Cassiano placed us a gondola ride away from mountaintop meadows that afforded 360 degree views of the peaks surrounding us. It was just incredible.

The trails are well marked, and connected by a network of “refugios,” or huts. The huts themselves became our destinations. We’d hike for an hour, reach a hut, stop and relax, sometimes with a beer, sometimes a cappuccino. Both days, we enjoyed lunch at one of the refugios (we highly recommend both: Pralongiá and I Tablá). Many of the huts had playgrounds with trampolines and zip lines and farm animals. We even found a foosball table at Il Tabla, which was good for several games with Steve, mountains spread out before us. We used the trail map below, confining our hiking to the area marked in white. You’ll see that when we return the next time, we’ll still have plenty to explore. And we’ll leave at least a few weeks to do it.

The first day, we missed not a single turn. And rain didn’t fall until we were on our way back down to the mountain, and even then, it was but a drizzle. The second day, the Dolomites got the better of our navigation skills, as we missed a turnoff on three different occasions. They turned out to be minor inconveniences though, as we treated each one as an opportunity to explore further afield. Every time we came upon a sign, we simply reoriented and set off on a new path. One time we ended up so far out of the way, we took a very circuitous route to the targeted refugio (only to discover the one refugio we didn’t care for – we had to hike straight uphill to reach it, there was no playground there, and the restaurant was fancier, and more expensive, than what we wanted). Then again, without that detour, we wouldn’t have ended up on the return chair lift, which ended up being a highlight for the kids. And when we went back down the mountain that second day, we missed the trail that would bring us to San Cassiano. Rather than stay on the path to the next village (La Villa), we off-roaded on an unmarked trail through the forest (aka “Daddy shortcut”), that thankfully, eliminated a few of switchbacks and brought us back to the main trail between the two villages. Sherpa Momma was nervous following this shortcut, but I figured if it led downhill and nearer sound of the mountain stream below, we’d eventually end up in the right place!

Upon returning to the hotel at the end of each afternoon, we changed into our bathing suits, and made our way to the indoor pool and spa, to soak in the hot tub and relax our muscles after a long day’s hike. We booked our stay at the Hotel Diamant as half-board, which meant after drying off from the pool, we ambled over to the restaurant for an exquisite 4-course meal, usually followed by more foosball and ping pong before retiring for the evening.

Had we had more time, I would have rented an e-bike. We saw many people zipping around, appreciating the assistance the bike provided climbing the hills. There was also a geocaching trail I think the kids would have enjoyed, but we just ran out of time.

But this definitely makes the ‘must return’ list. Pure relaxation, in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited. Highly recommended!

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Grand Poobah

Master organizer of this grand adventure, and father to this raucous bunch of kids. Armed with camera and a tablet, I aim to capture the memorable moments that will allow this trip to live on forever.