Hiking in the Dolomites

Dolomites Part 2

Tommy and Emmaline in Italy

The second part of my Italian adventure was to meet up with my friend Emmaline while we were both in the Alps! We met up in Bolzano and found a cute hotel/hostel called Schwarze Katz which was right on the bus lines to all the hikes we were thinking of doing. The staff wete a quaint combination of kind and helpful but not super warm or enthusiastic. I got the impression that they had been running this place for at least a decade or two…

Hike 1: Seiser Alm Bahn

After so many days of lots of elevation, I was hoping to find a hike with more rolling hills. Fortunately Emmaline had done a lot of research and had just the hike in mind. After a few hiccups with public transit we settled on taking the expensive gondola up to an area of meadow/farmland called Seiser Alm Bahn.

We made a lovely loop through the various farms, up and down through the rolling pastures. My friend and I spend the hike catching up and taking in the views. The contrast of rolling fields in the foreground and jagged rocks in the background was absolutely stunning.

Hike 2: Seceda

This day I was up for a bit more elevation after an easier day. Just as we started the hike we met some folks from Seattle who had moved to Europe and had a summer apartment in the area. They kindly gave us some recommendations about our route (since there were many options) and we went on our way.

The hike started with a big climb through the woods and soon we emerged into alpine meadow. We were grateful for the cool air and shade as our legs burned from the ascent. After a morning of relatively peaceful hiking we joined the more popular zone of the valley.

There were several peaks and rock formations that people had come to see and photograph. There was even one path to a popular photo spot that cost a few euros to enter (!!!). We shared a moment of disbelief with a fellow hiker before skipping that trail.

The path in the upper left of this photo was the one you had to pay for…

The rest of the hike was a meandering descent through a stunning valley full of farms and huts. We took our time enjoying the different perspectives on the peaks towering above us and the valley spreading out below us.

We spotted, atop this impressive rock, a group of people getting their photo taken from below. Too wholesome…

And of course cows, living the life…

Finally, as a reward for our hard work, we stopped to get cake–our Seattle friends from earlier had raved about these cakes. They did not disappoint.