Twelve Chemeketans and affiliated friends hiked the Alta Via 1 in the Italian Dolomites. The Dolomites are the massive limestone remains of an ancient seabed, which was uplifted then eroded into myriad jagged peaks, towering cliffs, and weirdly shaped domes. It’s spectacular, very different from anything here in the northwest.
The route begins in the north at Lago de Braies near Cortina and ends 70 miles later near Belluno. The highest point on the trek is 9,029 ft., with a total elevation gain of 21,833 ft. The trek was scheduled for 10 days but was shortened to 8 days due to rain at a particularly tricky part of the route. The longest day covered 12 miles over rough terrain with 4200 ft. of elevation gain and 6000 ft of elevation loss! Needless to say, everyone but Gregory was exhausted afterwards.
Still clean and ready to go at the trailhead: Gregory Adelman,
Dana Gann, Tammie Statler, Blanka Truneckova, David Anderson,
Becky Engeln, Marian Anderson, Helen Thomas, Kelly Donegan,
Elly Collier, Mary Frazer, Ken Frazer
Sunrise from Rifugio Coldai
On the trail near Rifugio Vazzoler
Each night the group stayed in a different rifugio (often called a “hut” but more like a simple mountain inn). Because the rifugios provided a bed and meals, we did not need to carry backpacking gear, making the trek more like a series of day hikes. Nothing like a cold beer and hot dinner after a big hike!
As might be expected, given that we had been sleeping in dormitories with trekkers from all over Europe, everyone in the group came down with COVID. Though some hikers had lingering effects for a couple of weeks, others were largely asymptomatic, and none were severely sick (in fact most unknowingly had COVID during the hardest hikes of the trek).
The backpacking coordinator is currently looking into treks in Bhutan, Morocco, and Iceland for next year’s international excursion. If you would be interested in participating or have suggestions for a trek, contact David at toodamp@gmail.com.