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.