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Dolomites Trek Underway
Rich mountain culture, savory Italian food, and scenic walking
The beginning of our days in the Dolomites began with a bit of weather excitement. Meeting Friday evening for steins of Austrian beer and polenta lakeside the tranquil Lago Misurina we prepared to shake off the jet lag of flights in from Innsbruck and Venice with casual strolls around the lake and a morning gear and snack check before catching transport up to the high eastern pass for our first day out on the trails.
The weather gods decided they’d take over instead. Torrents of rain predicted Friday night and all day Saturday into our first weekend.
But this hardly bunch of Wisconsinites and Himalayan motorcyclists weren’t to be phased.
Stuffing a few spare pairs of socks and pants we set off on our first taste of Dolomites Alta Via trails. In this case, a 900 foot climb to the pass of Mont Colesi for a view of the Dolomite ampitheater down into the remote Popera range.
Here we descended down for a peaceful lunch at the Lunelli hut before our afternoon climb to the Berti Hutte perched incredibly on the cliff wall overlooking the valley.
![Dolomites trekking alps](https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomites-trekking-alps.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1833&q=80&w=2200&s=ea653ea24941f81b2dca71e081204341 2200w 1833h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomites-trekking-alps.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1667&q=80&w=2000&s=d593cbc3c78d0da2cc7d74ca4460081d 2000w 1667h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomites-trekking-alps.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1500&q=80&w=1800&s=08c2a07dee88a9639e04b90d933c0acb 1800w 1500h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomites-trekking-alps.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1333&q=80&w=1600&s=cf688e5ccde1c706bca6b3524a68aa74 1600w 1333h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomites-trekking-alps.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1167&q=80&w=1400&s=3826abf1f863f889c39d5637225abbe5 1400w 1167h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomites-trekking-alps.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1000&q=80&w=1200&s=b8a8c7de1c46137e3953d14756a6f4c4 1200w 1000h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomites-trekking-alps.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=833&q=80&w=1000&s=c270b95aea8e344390f02c6176906914 1000w 833h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomites-trekking-alps.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=667&q=80&w=800&s=f62fbc3af8a5dbd526dfab89cf16bb0a 800w 667h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomites-trekking-alps.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=500&q=80&w=600&s=d70faa51d568047826a3ffd2d06ea856 600w 500h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomites-trekking-alps.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=333&q=80&w=400&s=acbd087bf4c102c79030ad3ecfab15df 400w 333h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomites-trekking-alps.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=167&q=80&w=200&s=587a1e0056c7a24cc644c76d89f6a48d 200w 167h)
![Dolomites trek](https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomites-trek.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1833&q=80&w=2200&s=0e92ea324d5ce6dcf6d489d475ff9ccb 2200w 1833h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomites-trek.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1667&q=80&w=2000&s=d45c7e46c509c185d8d20c182c6b5b75 2000w 1667h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomites-trek.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1500&q=80&w=1800&s=cdc4ae258c40f4e25c19579a18890bbd 1800w 1500h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomites-trek.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1333&q=80&w=1600&s=e466c3c1845e5e675fdf89afde5d6d26 1600w 1333h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomites-trek.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1167&q=80&w=1400&s=80406cfb278d2521921a151c7f9c8893 1400w 1167h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomites-trek.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1000&q=80&w=1200&s=7294173db0c7469240b9dab150270796 1200w 1000h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomites-trek.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=833&q=80&w=1000&s=c8e5655912072dc102d7833add1f5560 1000w 833h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomites-trek.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=667&q=80&w=800&s=f6b08cb79f212905176298b4c624befa 800w 667h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomites-trek.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=500&q=80&w=600&s=bf88d0ab005f596b997e557838393900 600w 500h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomites-trek.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=333&q=80&w=400&s=921d72659e10efae44c7c0231be4cc60 400w 333h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomites-trek.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=167&q=80&w=200&s=dfa95fece92c017a5391564a69ddbedd 200w 167h)
![Italian dolomites trekking](https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italian-dolomites-trekking.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1833&q=80&w=2200&s=12e712cf41846f66d464f90e1db48ad3 2200w 1833h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italian-dolomites-trekking.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1667&q=80&w=2000&s=2407d86b3bee85375216e5bbf0657755 2000w 1667h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italian-dolomites-trekking.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1500&q=80&w=1800&s=fb4aad8df0881578dccc2c379d064a74 1800w 1500h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italian-dolomites-trekking.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1333&q=80&w=1600&s=d9af6c1246da751d5d8e6a7bab6b42ed 1600w 1333h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italian-dolomites-trekking.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1167&q=80&w=1400&s=4e6bae0cce16510c03390800cfbbb9fc 1400w 1167h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italian-dolomites-trekking.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1000&q=80&w=1200&s=884371a6aaad83f06e0d0f2b8af13e87 1200w 1000h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italian-dolomites-trekking.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=833&q=80&w=1000&s=3212a9604c8fa71305b922442a9cddee 1000w 833h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italian-dolomites-trekking.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=667&q=80&w=800&s=271bacc69902a329432a3dc97563c51c 800w 667h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italian-dolomites-trekking.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=500&q=80&w=600&s=33e231e785bb244090b48c67d45a0891 600w 500h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italian-dolomites-trekking.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=333&q=80&w=400&s=f8e5ca4982df37ce9fe4789499101eca 400w 333h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italian-dolomites-trekking.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=167&q=80&w=200&s=a40db84842659713cf9d232bda0daae0 200w 167h)
The local husband and wife team of Rita and Bruno welcomed our drenched and smiling faces with plenty of options to dry out kit before descending to a toasty fire and an evening of cards. These hit guardians have been up on the hills welcoming trekkers and climbers for over 40 years; setting an incredible warmth to our first night up high.
And then, the rains tore through! Our next day was more Scottish than Italian and we zipped our way down and back over relics of old war military roads back out of the storm and around the ‘relatively’ sunnier southern stretches of the Tre Cime range.
![Italy trekking](https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italy-trekking.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1833&q=80&w=2200&s=d7092f3c7260f3d44e0328f8e45d51b1 2200w 1833h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italy-trekking.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1667&q=80&w=2000&s=beae6eb060eb221d24a620fa945af9fe 2000w 1667h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italy-trekking.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1500&q=80&w=1800&s=74e576505e71e531c360e1fadc764233 1800w 1500h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italy-trekking.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1333&q=80&w=1600&s=025dc24538680672cefbdbbe0f3a2277 1600w 1333h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italy-trekking.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1167&q=80&w=1400&s=6c85e69e64418f2b42673ba9405ffdb0 1400w 1167h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italy-trekking.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1000&q=80&w=1200&s=19fb7e2ec972cdaf2c10c8015776ba72 1200w 1000h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italy-trekking.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=833&q=80&w=1000&s=4316c09c0bacfef6c0fca0e8eb1f1b44 1000w 833h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italy-trekking.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=667&q=80&w=800&s=1b29bd66ead272b1a2fa6432b91ac133 800w 667h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italy-trekking.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=500&q=80&w=600&s=550ff4fde401f6e320fc0b4880dcbeb3 600w 500h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italy-trekking.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=333&q=80&w=400&s=3735cab182832b41ae248104dfa15f45 400w 333h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italy-trekking.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=167&q=80&w=200&s=ddfb777ca6986f12253905b51bff6ec5 200w 167h)
![Italian food](https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italian-food.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1833&q=80&w=2200&s=2b486b56deb04c69a070a7c5ed2dae4a 2200w 1833h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italian-food.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1667&q=80&w=2000&s=60758fdccb314af16fc6fd2b407eb162 2000w 1667h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italian-food.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1500&q=80&w=1800&s=f660a08f10cbd698fab9dc59f27bacf6 1800w 1500h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italian-food.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1333&q=80&w=1600&s=81cedfec0ed20823443d9b65edd538d5 1600w 1333h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italian-food.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1167&q=80&w=1400&s=d6d66c623d58cdfe7158142d74c8a6f6 1400w 1167h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italian-food.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1000&q=80&w=1200&s=4c4eaad19f3a62ef3949cb46d6f729f9 1200w 1000h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italian-food.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=833&q=80&w=1000&s=c1fcb235bdef70d19907515fd293dd30 1000w 833h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italian-food.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=667&q=80&w=800&s=776cdcefea9e9eed31e17e2556ff5542 800w 667h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italian-food.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=500&q=80&w=600&s=5706e956cd73c15329ecc2df597d929e 600w 500h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italian-food.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=333&q=80&w=400&s=b4a7635898acfbacf104d045fa00f352 400w 333h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/italian-food.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=167&q=80&w=200&s=0fd59b6b5df429dd3fb4ea702d7ad4bd 200w 167h)
![Dolomite huts](https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomite-huts.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1833&q=80&w=2200&s=5656aa0039074e845a46b027a505fc00 2200w 1833h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomite-huts.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1667&q=80&w=2000&s=e8dcd47c75a410aaa0d7ec8a15680f15 2000w 1667h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomite-huts.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1500&q=80&w=1800&s=58dd39a1f1721b24b0823eeb4044bc73 1800w 1500h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomite-huts.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1333&q=80&w=1600&s=a0fa9d3df0bdd2a3dd954cfb054ae0b8 1600w 1333h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomite-huts.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1167&q=80&w=1400&s=f0db6807d974136097c36c1c5ee4458c 1400w 1167h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomite-huts.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1000&q=80&w=1200&s=3bda46d68985bea4ec7df3529fd56c45 1200w 1000h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomite-huts.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=833&q=80&w=1000&s=ed7dd134f364ee15cc020372bcf55024 1000w 833h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomite-huts.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=667&q=80&w=800&s=a84dcbd51a56ae5848bc4870c03386dd 800w 667h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomite-huts.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=500&q=80&w=600&s=a2b4e751ad54d014ecb577f1f81ea1d2 600w 500h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomite-huts.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=333&q=80&w=400&s=c6ebdf0be02159b752a8c77e1bce4910 400w 333h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/dolomite-huts.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=167&q=80&w=200&s=8b2506a4503d91c598f02c578d001130 200w 167h)
Here the team made swift timing reaching the spectacular Locatelli hit at the heart of the world famous Tre Cime ménage just in time for dinner. Our longest and wildest day by far swapping from plan A to B to C and finally D in escaping this memorable weather system.
Not till days later when we hit civilization did we read about Slovenian emergency flood relief just in the Julian Alps next door. It was a welcome relief our itinerary wasn’t based on hanging off via Ferrara chains climbing up and over 9000 foot passes.