Was trying to make my departure work all morning. Was up super early, packed and ready to go but the perspective of quite a bit of rain wasn’t really exciting. On top of that today’s route would have taken me from Passo Pordoi to the Marmolada, one of the most scenic parts of my hike, the Bindelweg (ladinisch: Viel del Pan = Brotweg).
I did not want to miss the views by walking in clouds and rain all day. So I decided to stay another day and explore La Villa a bit more. Go with the flow!
Still felt uneasy about my decision when I headed out. Starting to get a bit antsy, want to get into my last big stretch of mountains I guess. Also nervous about the language barriers and how my reservations are going to work out. Is there going to be space for me in the last mountain accommodations. Procrastinating on one hand but also know now that things can change and spontaneous can be good!
Borrowed the complimentary backpack from my room and headed out. Got back at 4:00pm and never felt one drop of rain. Took one of those yellow cable cars up to Piz La Ila and then hiked over rolling hills for about 2 hours (because I took so many photos again) to the Pralongia Hütte.
Very busy up here with day hikers as it is easy to get up and down, many ways with cable cars or chair lifts. And on every little hill is a restaurant, bar, pizzeria,….
The mountains were hardly visible at first but then the clouds opened up more and more. Still it was a pretty grey day, all day. Also quite windy and chilli up at the top. I was actually wearing all my warm stuff!
Had a Johannisbeerschorle, that is black currant juice with water. You can get it sparkly or still.
All these mountains around La Villa form a protective barrier as they basically surround the valleys here. When horrible thunderstorms happened North and South from here, it was pretty mild around here. Yes, rain and a bit of thunder and lightening but nothing compared to the rest of the Alps. It makes me think that those mountains around protect this place the same way they would have when this was a giant ocean and the mountains would have been ancient tropical atolls of the ancient geography of the Mesozoic period.
Finally caught a glimpse of the Marmolada, the highest peak in the Dolomites. She is mainly composed of limestone and 3343m high (close to 11,000ft), also called the queen of the Dolomites. She is a former atoll from the Triassic period (240-220 million years ago) with lagoons rich in fossils. The name Marmolata refers to the glacier which can be seen from far away (if there are no clouds). Unfortunately like almost all glaciers in the world it is receding heavily. Hoping to get a better view tomorrow!
Then decided to walk down to Corvara. First pretty steep under the chair lift, then very muddy, and then very pleasant through the forest.
Found the path back to La Villa/Stein and got back pretty much at 4:00pm. Sauna next!
Learned about the meaning of La Ciasota, my B&B. It comes from the Ladin language and refers to the tiny huts up on the Alm. Traditionally there would have been 2, a slightly bigger one and a small one. One was used for cooking and the other one for sleeping.
Lovely
Love Dolomites
Tomorrow it will be even more amazing!
Wow, Sibylle. So enjoying this with you.
Thanks David!