The long and short of it

Walking in the Sud Tirol series links: Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

Thursday 22st Sept 2011 - Sud Tirol walking day 4

Today we caught the bus up to Prettau again although we got off a stop or two earlier than the previous day. We knew we were doing the longest walk of the week and had all brought packed lunches from the hotel although it turns out I'd forgotten to bring one for the walking guide. I say forgotten but in actual fact I knew nothing about it - this would be an ongoing joke all day. Fortunately we all had enough spare to support Kristini and her fantastic appetite.

We were all aching today after adding muscles onto muscles over the previous few days but there was no sympathy as we were thrust immediately into some steep track walking before settling into a long gentle incline.

We started at 1460m and within two hours we were already at a record-breaking (for us) 2000m - after 2 hours 40 minutes we'd walked 4 miles and had reached a breath-taking 2100m.

Looking back down to Prettau or 'Predoi'

A quick break at a closed restaurant.
Meet the gang (l-r):
Nancy, me, Kristina, Aveline,
John & Cindy, Jenny and Ron



We didn't stop at this point and pushed down and around a long sweeping bend, exposed to the elements, before starting up the next section where Kristina had planned a surprise break. I'd jokingly challenged her to a race to the top (she's older but much much fitter than me) which she accepted so I took a risk and ran the first 30m. She complained I'd cheated but I managed to just hold on to my lead despite struggling to breathe and finding walking through the snow phenomenally hard work. "The tortoise and the hare" was praying on my mind the entire time.

At our peak of 2150m (7,053 feet!) Kristina stopped us all and pulled out a hip-flask of Schnapps from which we all had to knock back a glug. I was very reluctant as I don't mix with spirits, plus the alcohol saps energy from my muscles immediately, but I wasn't allowed any excuses so did the deed to cheers and photos.

Thirty minutes later we stopped for a proper lunch break at some huts. Kristina took off her boots and cooled her feet in a natural spring (with a tap). I dipped my boots in, to cool down, to groans from all who don't realise they're completely waterproof.

We shared sandwiches and snack bars and soaked up the burning sun. I reapplied my suncream and refilled my waterbag - I'd already drunk 1.5 litres.

Then we began the long, long descent back to the valley floor.

On a typical day walking downhill is the thing which makes me struggle the most - by this time you're often running out of energy and your knees begin to ache with fighting gravity but today, for some reason, I was completely full of beans and happily skipping down the shortcut paths which we used to cut long distances from the winding roads.

As we descended the sun seemed to get hotter and hotter but I was fighting fit and had plenty of suncream, water and my cap. In fact when the walk ended at the bus stop I realised there was only fractionally over a mile back to the hotel along the road - I thought it cheating somewhat, with being so close, so I asked around if others wanted to join me but ended up walking back along the road on my own - surprisingly actually beating them all back as the bus turned up 5 minutes later than planned.

An angled plot of our walk -
we started on the right hand side.

This plot is taken from directly above
and North is at 12 o'clock.
My extra mile is in darker yellow.












An altitude plot of our 700m ascent,
peaking at a whopping
2150m/over 7000ft.



Back at the hotel we all stopped at the bar for lemonade and teas and to reflect back on our 11.5 miles before retiring to our rooms for showers and a rest. I felt wonderful and really thought I could have walked for another few miles.

How wrong I was...

The restaurant at the end of the valley

Walking in the Sud Tirol series links: Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

Wednesday 21st Sept 2011 - Sud Tirol walking day 3

Today we caught the public bus up to Predoi to start a walk right up to the end of the valley. I say we caught the bus but it's all a lie. Just as the bus arrived I realised I'd not got my GPS and not wanting to lose it I vowed to get the next bus (30 minutes) and catch them up. The GPS was in my room (not lost at all) so while waiting for the bus I asked the hotelier for our walking guide's phone number just in case I couldn't locate them.

Just on my way to the bus stop and the hotelier's husband pulls up in his Merc - jump in, I'll take you! What incredible service, they really are amazing people and a real loss to the industry as they retired the week we left.

Pulling up at Predoi the group were waiting for me - I was lost for words and genuinely touched by them enduring me being such a numpty.

We set off up the hill and walked through the woods, the day looked like it was going to be a scorcher.

Out of the woods and looking down
the valley towards our start

Never take a picture into the sun -
rubbish; this one looks great!

I admit it - I'm trying to get a
photo in the brochure

A snow fuelled river

Everywhere you look there's a photo
that needs to be taken

Having driven up the valley before we even started I was soon surprised to notice that our altitude was higher than I'd managed to achieve on my hard-work solo walk the day before.

This was an easy walk, we were simply following a gravel road alongside a stream up the bottom of the valley. I detoured off on my own immediately after the church pictured above to go and find a cache ("Italy North") about 40m up a couple of fields. This turned out to be quite a scramble with the sun really beating down on me. It was a tricky find, helped along by a noisy but soft-as-a-brush dog from the nearby farm, which took me a good 10 minutes to locate. I signed the log, stopped for a rest, water and some suncream, before descending back to the road and then pushing myself to catch up with the group.

Nancy leading the way



Easy going as we head toward the
end of the valley

We walked about four miles to the end of the valley where I was surprised to discover a restaurant - this probably explains the good condition of the track/road. Here we were at an altitude of 1850m - the highest I'd been so far but even this would be dwarfed the next day.

We rested a while before returning back the way we'd come and then stopping at a restaurant a couple of miles further along where we all had excellent food.

Starting the walk back



Almost back to the start



The total for today was 9.3 miles with a steady altitude gain of 326m. An easy walk but nevertheless a beautiful one which I heartily recommend to all.



Our route today.
North is about 10 o'clock.



He'll be walking round the mountain

Walking in the Sud Tirol series links: Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

Tuesday 20th Sept 2011 - Sud Tirol walking day 2





The view from my room...



...and again











Today was a free day and I'd resolved to get up 'when I was ready' and try to get to the nearest cache to the hotel; one which I knew was quite a way up a mountain.

More snow had fallen overnight and from my estimates the snow level had lowered from a normal 1800m down to about 1600m. Of course I didn't really know this at the time and altitudes/snow lines meant nothing to me as I'd not left the bottom of the valley - I could see some rather big 'hills' all around, with snow 'further up' but it was all lost in the distance, the vastness, the epic scale of the landscape.



St. Jacob (I think) - the next village









Despite a few fizzy pops in the gasthof bar the evening before (my last real drink of the week) I was up bright and early and after a slow breakfast and taking my time to get ready I was all set to go by 10am.

Following the arrow on my GPS I set off on the adventure of a lifetime! I walked a short way up a road leading to another Gasthof and then diverted onto a farmers track and up a fantastically steep path. I say path, but it turned out to be flattened grass where water and sticks had cascaded down the hill during the rain. Eventually I arrived at a road barrier and I was back onto a mountain road - if only I'd walked around!

I stuck to this road for a mile, working my way up the mountain, and taking in my first views from altitude.

I was heading to a cache located near a monument to an aeroplane that had crashed in the Second World War, with loss of half the crew. It was a nice thoughtful place to stop and I actually saw a couple of deer very close by but didn't have my camera handy.

The well kept cache was quickly found and I left a decent length log thanking them for it. It hadn't been found for several months which surprised me - I know it's a little out of the way but I figured the area would be popular with tourist walkers.

I kept walking up the mountain, eventually hitting the snow level and losing all signs of paths or trails. The air was clean, the sun was burning and aside from streams and the wind it was utterly peaceful. I'd not seen a soul for two and a half hours and could easily have been the only person alive.

At this point I had to stop - an altitude of 1790m. Although the snow was very cold underfoot (of course), the sun was baking hot and causing it to melt quite quickly. Consequently the going was treacherous because the grass, under the snow, was very wet and slippery. I didn't want to risk an accident especially with being out on my own.

Incidentally, according to my GPS, at this point I had been out for 2.5 hours, with 1 hour stopping time (rest, food, photos, refill water bag) yet frustratingly I was still only 1 mile from the hotel! I had actually walked 2.8 miles - a testament to the gradient I was walking.

I started to descend along the same route for a while and then diverted along a bridleway heading west.

Dropping down, down and further down, out of the snow the sun once again became more apparent. 



I patiently waited here for the
tractor to return on his loop







So today I'd had an adventure of my own. I'd found a cache, walked 7.1 miles and climbed 600m.

Best. Day. Ever.

The route I walked. North is about 2 o'clock.

Rotated a little, here I've added a red line showing
roughly where the snow level really was.

An elevation map of my route.