Trailheads, Canals, Waffles and Bicycles

Ah, you haven't lived until you've relieved yourself under a full moon high atop the Italian Alps (at least that's what Kevin said).  We awoke to the last day on the trail.  The fake Dave Grohl allowed Siena and us to leave on the premise that we would square up our account via the very confusing Italian Swift Transfer system.  I'm still working on it, but will make it right.  We bid ciao to Siena and Marco and adieu to the Frenchies and headed up.  Today we would climb 700 meters, followed by a 2000+ meters descent to the bus stop.  If our knees survived, could be avoid the bends?

Kevin and Tim getting high, would this happen again in a couple days?

Then we descended into the valley of doom

We stopped for an early lunch, hearing the Frenchies leaving as we arrived.  They were discussing the parallels between 16th Century French Impressionism and the 7th season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta.  After that stop, we made our very last climb of the hike, about 200 meters up, before raising our tray tables and putting our seats in an upright position.

Above our morning stop

The very last stop, yes, the Frenchies were there, discussing the contrasts between the reign of Louis XVI and Ron Washington's coaching tenure w the Rangers

As we neared the La Pissa bus stop, we caught the Frenchies and rain began to fall, perfect timing.  They actually helped us by flagging down the bus, as we didn't know it was ours, Mucho Gracias Frenchies!  We arrived in Belluno, grabbed a celebratory beer and waited for our ride.

That night, we vaped into Venice, during an intense thunderstorm, braving the angry waters.  Venice had a special greeting for one of our traveling party!  Upon return at midnight, the cab line was about 40 people long with cabs arriving at the pace of a three legged Albanian sloth.  We got to bed about 1am, rising at 5AM for our flight to the land of waffles, sprouts, chocolate and beer.

Friday was spent dodging rain, seeking food and trying as many Belgian beers as possible.  Amsterdam and Brussels were similar in the fact that they don't have an discernible national food, so we were left to seek out providers from other regions of Europe, S. America and Asia.  We hit the Belgian trifecta of beer, chocolate and waffles, but didn't find any sprouts.  Brussels' leading tourist attraction is Mannekin Pis, this Piss Boy.  We found a great spot to work our way through many Belgian beers while watching the Piss Boy's corner.  Thousands came by for pics, a band came by to honor him and they had the ceremony to change him out of his outfit.   And you thought Arlington was the "City of Bits"??  Beer presentation rocks, exclusive glasses for every beer and distinctive pouring.  Beer and Piss, a natural combo, harmoniously existing in Brussels.  That city can party, when we got up at 6:30 to catch our train, that last stragglers were clearing the streets.

A pleasant train ride left us in Amsterdam to close out the trip.  This was a HIGHlight of the trip for some of us.  The Amsterdam baked goods are a must sample.    Its really impossible to convey the bike culture in Amsterdam, there are 3 bike for every person and parking structures like this at the train station.  We sat for a couple hours at this curve, the confluence point for thousands of bikes, public transportation and a few cars, only one mishap despite the volume.  Everyone rides - fashionably dressed Dutch hotties, parents toting kids, Uber eats, the Clergy and tourists, the scariest of all.   Kevin and Tim aquacruised the canals, while I embarked on foot, hitting a few cheese shops, galleries and some interesting Karaoke.  We did of course make a crowded stroll through the Disneyland of prostitution, the Red Light district.   Its such a tourist spot now that it holds no seedy allure.  The girls hang out in the windows, dressed in skimpy outfits, while thousands parade by in curiosity.  Surprisingly, Walmart hasn't tried to open a mega-dildo store right in the middle of it.   I'm sure if you did wanted to transact business, it would be quite stressful picking a girl (or guy, or both) while thousands looked on and critiqued your choice.  Hence, the trip was a wrap, another great adventure, thanks for coming along.

A lot of things dry up in the 2nd half of the Journey

With LDD's snoring and the Frenchies' non-stop oration still ringing in our ears, we started the first of three long days to finish our the hike.  LDD was still in sight leaving Citta, so we followed him and of course, he led us astray, as the path we took dumped out into a parking lot.  Luckily, our error was easily rectified and we were back on our way.  We stopped at Kevin's uncle's house for the 11AM changing of the goats, then straight up hill (again) towards our lunch rifugio at 2400 meters.

The whole gang was at lunch, LDD had been there for an hour (ending his hike for the day??), Uta soon appeared and joined us, the Frenchies were no doubt discussing options in dealing with North Korea or home remedies for STDs and even Carrot Top and his charges popped in, looking a little hung over.  Uta got a picture of Tim and me, as she didn't want a pic of the annoying American snoring machine.  One thing I haven't mentioned, the oft encountered floor toilet.  Many rifugios have ground, porcelain toilets.  Yep, a nice hole to aim at, fine for most men at most times, but a tremendous quad workout at others.  Sorry, didn't get any pics.  In my mind, the next scenic overlook we hit was one of the best.

Followed by one of the worst

Shortly after this, we encountered a British couple and Ghenghis the Springer, a retired working dog with his own Facebook page and an owner who likes really short shorts.  Then, the dreaded encounter with chatty, let me practice my English, Italian guy.  He made various points - he only had hazelnuts and cheese (looking for handout), the States are not lucky enough to have a variety of cheese options (guess he's not familiar with CM or Whole Foods or the import business and that every Italian soldier has a pic of a different American actress????).  We actually changed our route to escape.  During this stretch, there were many monuments to those that perished on the trail (gulp). 

Soon after, we descended toward our lodging for the night.  It was warm, so beers were enjoyed in the shadows of the mountains.  Siena and Marco were there, the Canadians reappeared with their new Irish buddy and of course the Frenchies Filibuster was in full force as they pulled in.  Fun was starting Vazzoler, as the fake Italian Tom Green told us our reservation had lapsed since we didn't confirm.  Luckily, we still had room and were given LUSH accommodations.  The food was really good, the wine flowed and we enjoyed our evening.

Day 6 started with the drying up of our cash supply, as RiVazz didn't take credit cards.  Oops.  Guess we needed that extra 300E.  They had terrible wireless, 1960s board games and beer, but couldn't take credit cards??  We gave them all we had and promised to wire the rest (right).  On the trail, we discussed our dilemma with an American couple, but after he lectured us on not being prepared, we decided buying Euros from him would be done only after knocking over the next 7-11 we passed.  At lunch, we tried for a cash advance, but that was shot down faster my fashion choices.  LDD showed up, hiking about twice as much as we had, already!!!  He was nice enough to sell us Euros for American $$, but only about $100, despite being Canadian.  We at least had bus money. 

We also encountered the amazing Chamois, mountain deer.  While we struggle to just hike across the skree fields of rock torn from the mountains over time, the Chamois could jumped down 30 feet in the air, maintain their footing and run straight downhill at about 25 mph.  Wish we had video.

The afternoon was a very tough hike.  About 500 meters down, followed by 800 meters up to our last rifugio.  Although it did have one shower, which the Frenchies shared while Tim waited outside for them, it was another "rustic" location.  I doubt they did much, as they never stopped talking.  We drank and dined with Siena and Marco.  Pasta aglio e olio was awesome, as was hot cobbler.  They had something labeled cumin schnapps that the fake Italian Dave Grohl planned on letting us sample.  But, they were short staffed and had a few more people then expected, so he was busy helping cobble together a dinner menu that seemed to evolve before our very eyes. 

Lights out at 10, literally, then the last day on the trail.   Random cool scenery pics:

What hikes up, must hike down?

We awoke on day 3 with trepidation and nine of our closest friends.  No bunk beds had collapsed and 12 bodies were in 12 beds, a boring reality show.  The question now was how do we get from 9500 feet to about 8000 feet, through 8+ inches of snow?

The plan was to make it down to the WW1 tunnels near where Tim is standing, then take them through the mountain.  We questionably stumbled through knee high snow, hoping we were going in the right direction until we met up with a 15 foot snow mound.  Scuffling over it with a 1500 foot drop on the right side wasn't an option.  Plan B - go back the way we came, taking a roundabout way to the next rifugio.   The wind was 30-40 mph on that side of the mountain and the path was covered, not a safe option.  So, we did what all the others were doing and took the Gondola down on the non-windy side.  While in line, we met LDD, aka Speedy who was on basically the same schedule as us.  He would be regular player for the next few days.  Hopefully, the icicle protruding from his left nostril would melt, as it was quite distracting during conversation.  After the Gondola ride, we set out on a shortened itinerary.   After looking back up from whence we came, I think we made the right call.

We set out for Nuvolao, our next Rifugio after giving a knowing nod to Carrot Top and his gang and checking directions with the Blue Man Group.  While the trail was slushy, it was a clear day and temps were warming.  Our spirits were warming as well, Tim led us in a round of Happy Trails.  We had to get creative on this section.

Soon we could see Nuvolao, right on top of Pride Rock, well, you have to squint to see it.  We're coming home Simba and Rafiki.  Just have to climb through the snow and ice.  Later, Kevin dangled me over the edge while the other hikers proclaimed the spectacle.

This was a great, well run rifugio.  No frills, great food and people, no shower.  LDD was already there when we arrived, sipping on his half liter of wine and entertaining the masses with his many hiking exploits, as he hikes 30 days every six months (and is married).  Carrot Top brought his group up, but I think they opted for more plush digs below Pride Rock.  We landed a private room, with a bunk bed and one single, so things were all good.  The views were insane.  Here are a couple, the second being sunrise.

The next morning's hike brought some big challenges off the bat, hiking via Ferrata, using cable and ladders to make it down part of the mountain where there isn't a path.  Luckily, the sun was out early, so there was no ice, so we were able to get through it.  Actually was fun.

The rest of the day went well, LDD who had left before us, but taken a wrong turn came flying by us a couple hours later.  Talked briefly with a local bovine with a number of piercings.  We hit another great peak, seeing we were about to leave the snow behind us.  We headed back down a long descent to Citta di Fiume, our stop for the night.  It was in the shadows of an incredible set of peaks (I've said that many times before in my life). 

We enjoyed a couple beers with Uta, the feisty German woman who, while listening to just that, exclaimed, "you like to give each other shit".  Line of the day.  Uta was our roommate for the night, along with LDD who outsnored the whole room.  Uta blamed Kevin and I don't think she ever got past it.  Siena was there, but had found a new hiking buddy in Marco, the diminutive, fit Italiano with a strange grasp of the English language.  We had dinner with the Frenchies, who never stopped talking to each other the whole night.  After three days on the trail, they seemed to be locked into very involved, never ending conversations.  A fun night at Citta di Fiume, we were glad to be done with snow and looked forward to the rest of the week.

If I wanted a blizzard, I'm have gone to Dairy Queen

With the potential for a nasty weather day on the trail hanging over us like a balloon filled with rancid peanut butter and militant grasshoppers, we put on slightly damp boots like a Frenchman taking a cigarette before his execution.  Due to the potential conditions, we dressed to the max.  This was one of the longer days, so we got out early, starting with a sharp descent of about 500 meters on a windy, rocky road.  In this situation, the downhill is not your friend, but an annoying pest, pounding at your joints and booby trapping your every step.

After leveling off, we grabbed some chocolate for the trip and looked for an ATM, again unsuccessfully to give us financial flexibility.  There is an extreme shortage of such machines in these parts, so if you are the entrepreneurial type this may be your opportunity.  As often is the case, a steep downhill is followed by, yep, a steep uphill, so we headed out of the valley back up to about the same elevation we started.  A bridge between the two would have saved a lot of time and energy.  The weather was continuing in our favor, a nice day, warm enough to shed a layer.  We hit our first stop right on target, grabbing a quick bite and a refreshing Coca-Cola (intentional product placement) at Fanes, which I would recommend strongly for all your Rifugio needs.

After Fanes, the walk was very nice.  We first met one of the recurring characters in our playlet, we'll call him Siena.  A pleasant Italian solo hiking at a strong pace, we'll come back to him later.  Then we ran into this guy.  Obviously, was dropped off some time ago and never picked up.

This path led to a great valley, surrounded by majestic mountains, lots of animals including a very boisterous mountain goat who had just either a) broken up with his girlfriend or b) lost a lot of money in the Italian stock market.  He wasn't happy.  The Canadians, a nice couple that we encountered a few times, one of which was a poor man's Annette Bening, took this pic.  We seem so happy, little did we know.

After bidding farewell to the Canadians, for now, we headed back up.  A tough rocky climb of about 500M, passing the remnants of Nuovo Kids on da Bloc, the failed Italian boy band including the requisite man bun and one hiking in sandals??  At this point, we could see our goal, the gap in the mountain but visibility was declining and clouds were rolling in.  But, it was still dry.  This climb was one of the toughest of the week, calling for chocolate and hydration breaks at regular intervals. 

We made it to the peak, but were unable to see the lake below that is a highlight of this segment.  The descent was of equal size and very challenging, luckily, it was still dry.  Eventually, the lake appeared as we got about half way and we made it down with no issues.

At this point, we had about three hours and a 700 meter climb to the Rifugio.  That's when we started to hear thunder rumbling in the distance.  About the same time, Kevin discovered he had misjudged his water supply and he was out of water.  For a man that flows sweat at a rate only slightly lower than Niagara falls, this is not a good thing.  Lightening was closing in, but we were in the middle of nowhere, so we pressed forward.  Tim and I glanced back to see Kevin kneeling at a puddle, hydrating.  Desperate times.  At this point, with lightening close, we got the added bonus of 30-40 mph winds and stinging sleet.  While I like a good exfoliation as much as the next guy, I prefer it in a more controlled environment.  We considered seeking shelter, but there really weren't any good options.  The Blue Man group, a German family of three, all with blue jackets, huddled against a rock, singing 99 Luft balloons to try and keep calm.  The piercing sleet became snow as we ascended, but, the lightening persisted.  We came to a crossing that was not well marked, probably due to the snow obscuring some markings on rocks.  After much debate, we decided up and right was the correct path.  Estimating that we were 30-45 minutes from a yet unseen Rifugio.

As we ascended, we saw some markings confirming that we were on track.  There was a cave on the left, so we sought shelter for a brief respite.  Funny, during this time, Kevin got a call from his daughter after she dominated her track event.  Yes, you are never out of contact with AT&T.  Deciding to go with climbing over hypothermia, we went back out and continued up.  Kevin was alleviating his hydration issues by eating snow.  In 20-25 minutes, we could barely make out our rifugio.  The snow was up to about 3-4 inches, cold, too.  We plowed forward and made it. 

We were rewarded with timed showers ($3.50 E for four minutes) and a 12 bed, six bunk bed dormitory with 9 of our friends, including the Blue Man group that pulled in an hour later.  Snoring was minimal, with the girl across from me maintaining a low, consistent snore that was almost comforting.  NKOTB made it as well and the dude in sandals' feet were OK, just a bit blue.  His boots had broken and that was his only option.  We enjoyed ample wine and conversation that evening, flanked by Carrot Top the guide and his six American charges and a solitary German, Bauer who LOVED to talk.  The next morning we heard him telling the exact same stories to a woman who was pouring lighter fluid over herself and asking for matches.  It was quite a day, we were safe, but not really sure what tomorrow would bring.