Dolomites... You're Too Gorgeous

Yep... The Dolomites are more magical than I ever could have imagined. 

Disclaimer: these cell phone photos could never do this place justice. I only hope they suffice to convince you to someday visit. 

Our first stop on this leg of the journey was near San Martin de Tor in Naturpark Puez-Geisler. After talking to a nice lady at the information center we settled on a hike that would take us to the peak of Mt. Peitlerkofel. It supposedly had a via ferrata at the end of the hike so we were excited. 

The hike was incredible. In every direction we were treated with mind-numbingly beautiful views. The via ferrata at the end was way easier than expected and we didn't even need to put our harnesses on. 

At the top, Camille's first priority was to take a nap. The elevation gain was definitely new for both of us. 

Way too wide of a panorama, but merely to show you as much of the view as possible. 

Our log book entries were immature and facetious. We giggled. The French says something like "an elevator would be nice too". 

Next stop was climbing focused (as are most of the stops). We decided to live laveshly and book a site at a campground for a couple nights. We were looking forward to some showers and the campground was at the base of the climbing. 

The wall we checked out was nice!

Near the crag we saw some people setting up for a festival. Upon inquiry we found out it was a new festival centered on health and wellness. We returned later that night to enjoy a bonfire and talk to some local people. T'was a nice night and our first time really getting to know some local people in Italy. 

The next day we drove further down the road to check out another climbing spot. Set higher in the mountains the views didn't even seem real. It had to have been one of the most beautiful places I've climbed at so far this trip. 

The actual wall we climbed is in the bottom right corner of this photo. 

Single pitch sport climbing in the Dolomites: all the comfort of sport climbing with the beauty of the Alpine setting. 

Camille was excited to have lead every route that day (without fear or hesitation) and I was psyched to have tried some super fun and technical harder routes on awesome limestone. 

Back at camp we enjoyed dinner with this view from our site. 

We then headed back to the festival for some live music, slacklining and a much bigger bonfire. I got all nerdy with some local Brewers who made a damn fine American Pale Ale. 

Our next destination was Tre Cime National Park, a little farther East. Set even higher up, we were starting to get colder than we liked. Camille took charge and made a fire for us that night. 

Our free site for the night once again had a decent view. 

Clouds and mountains in the morning. 

As we drove to Tre Cime we hit a toll plaza along with hundreds of other tourists. The 25 Euro toll and hoards of people were quite discouraging. Figuring both were justified we carried on and tried to find the hardest or most obscure hike so as to avoid most people. We found a nice looking hike/via ferrata combo. 

The hike was a bit busy but the views were incredible. We then reached the start of the via ferrata which was actually a series of tunnels; remnants of a past war. 

The views just got better and better. 

Some ice and snow kept us focused on the trail. 

And the summit! Tre Cime (3 summits) can be seen in the distance. 

I think this is the 2nd or 3rd photo we took of us together? She was happy to be taller than me. 

A day that started off discouraging turned into an awesome adventure that will certainly be remembered. 

From Arco To The Dolomites

Northern Italy is pretty great. Per Olie's recommendation we made our way to Arco, a quaint city nestled in a valley in the Provence of Trento. It's an awesome area with climbing everywhere!

This is the first climbing area we explored. Some fun and short single pitch routes with plenty of shade to keep us from overheating. 

Ignoring the "No camping" signs, we found a great pullout to spend the night with an epic view. Can't complain about this spot...

This is the wall we decided to climb in the morning. We found a slew of fun routes at all sorts of grades and styles. A successful day at the crag indeed (didn't take any photos though, too busy being a safe belayer). 

It was quite hot and we decided an hour at the lake was necessary for comfort and cleanliness. 

The next day was a rest day as we were both climbing pretty hard. As planned, I absolutely had to try the pizza while in Italy. We found a decent place by the lake. 

Uh oh! Another food photo... What is this? Instagram??? The pizza was decent. 

The next morning we decided to move on. It was so hot and humid the sleep wasn't very easy to obtain. Plus we were both eager to see the dolomites. 

We stopped along the way for some sightseeing. In Bolzano we stopped at the archeological museum that was home to the world famous "Ice Man"; the preserved remains of a 5,000 year old man that was found nearby in the mountains in 1991. 

This is merely a recreation although we actually got to see the real remains, which felt a bit voyeuristic and weird. A fun and educational stop though!

And another Gothic Church in case you haven't seen enough yet. 

AAAAANNNNDD... The Dolomites!

(Well, at least the start of the Dolomites)

Once again... A decent place to spend the night...

Today we wanted to find a nice hike. By time we got to town, did some research, picked a hike, and starting hiking, it began raining. We tolerated 20 minutes of windy raining hiking before heading back to the car and eventually into town where I could order a cold beer and Camille could draw and paint. 

Tomorrow should have better weather and we hope to do a nice via ferrata that should end in some nice views of the region. 

Switzerland: the Land of Knives, Watches and Cheese With Holes

Camille and I continued our journey onward. Our next stop was to see (and maybe climb) Mont Aiguille in Vercors. Our camping spot was quite nice and we were treated with a splendid sunset. We were joined by a man (by the name of Patrick) who moved to Sweden but sometimes drives back to France for work. It was Patrick's birthday and we were happy to provide him with some company and share a few drinks. We ended the night by setting off a Chinese lantern. 

The next day it was raining on and off so we decided not to climb Mont Aiguille. Patrick provided us with information on a nice hike nearby. It was absolutely splendid! In the photo you can see Mont Aiguille in the distance (the really cool looking spire/plateau). 

Our campsite the following night also provided us with an astonishing sunset. 

We then stopped in Annecy. Initially it was to see Camille's cousin but she was sick. However, her friend from Paris happened to be there (the wonders of social media) and they were able to catch up which was nice. Annecy was a really nice city. 

We then headed through Chamonix and into Switzerland! Mt. Blanc was stunning!

Through a mix of planning and coincidences we met up with my friends Oliver and Franzi (who I met in New Zealand and then saw them again in Australia). We decided to climb together in Locarno Switzerland. A bit of a resort city, but surrounded by beautiful mountains and adjacent to a nice lake. 

The rock surrounding Locarno is comprised of gneiss which is the same as what we have in Massachusetts. I haven't climbed on gneiss since I was home 5 months ago and the reminiscence was warmly welcomed. 

Camille got a shot of me trying a super fun 7a+ (5.12a). After a rest I was able to nab the send on my second try. As it was my last climb in Switzerland, I was sufficiently psyched. 

To end our visit with Oliver and Franzi we shared some drinks by the lake. It was really great seeing them again and I look forward to the next random encounter. 

Camille and I are now across the Italian border making our way to Arco for more awesome climbing, per recommendation by Oliver. Looking forward to tasting some pizza and pasta! 

(P.S. love you Mom)