day1.md (6273B)
1 <table style="width: 100%; table-layout: fixed;"> <thead> <tr> 2 <th style="text-align: left"> <a href="../preparation">← Preparation</a> </th> 3 <th style="text-align: center"> <a href="../">Alta Via 2</a> </th> 4 <th style="text-align: right"> <a href="../day2">Day 2 →</a> </th> 5 </tr> </thead> </table> 6 7 # Day 1 - The Odles in the rain 8 9 <p align="center"><em>August 20, 2025</em></p> 10 11 ## Route of the day 12 13 <details> 14 <summary><strong>Click to see map</strong></summary> 15 <img src="../img/20-0000-map.png"> 16 </details> 17 18 *Download the [gpx file](../gpx/av2-day1.gpx) or see the route on 19 [outdooractive.com](https://www.outdooractive.com/en/route/hiking-trail/eisacktal/-2025-alta-via-2-day-1/325540727/?share=%7E3zdmcd3i%244ossqbct).* 20 21 ## The road to Kreutztal 22 23 Our first day starts quite early, as we wake up at 5:15. My uncle is 24 giving us a car ride to Kreutztal, which will take a little more than 25 3 hours. We leave at 5:55. 26 27 We drive up the Cordevole valley, a road that reminds me of the 28 many hikes I used to do in the Dolomites, usually starting from the 29 [Falzarego pass](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falzarego_Pass), 30 hiking around the [Tofane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tofane), 31 the [Cinque Torri](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinque_Torri), 32 [Averau](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Averau) and others. 33 But we are not going there this time. 34 35 The road itself is quite scenic. Sorry, I did not 36 take any pictures pictures. Going North, we drive 37 through popular touristic destinations like Arabba and 38 [Corvara](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corvara%2C_South_Tyrol). 39 But these small towns leave a weird impression on me, as they are made 40 up mostly of hotels and a few restaurants and bars - all closed because 41 it is too early for turists to wake up. Are these places just holiday 42 resorts now? 43 44 Just before we reach Kreutztal, our starting point, it starts raining. 45 46 ## The hike begins 47 48  49 50 <p align="center"><em>My dad and I, ready to start hiking.</em></p> 51 52 By the time we reach Kreutztal (2000 meters on sea level), park the car 53 and put on our rain clothes, it is already 9:30. And this is going to 54 be one of the longest days, at least according to our estimates. 55 56 The [Plosehütte](https://www.plosehuette.com/en/) (2447m) is not 57 far, and we reach it pretty quickly. Unfortunately, it is closed for 58 renovations, and we can't even get close enough to take a picture of 59 our first checkpoint. 60 61 At least the view from up there is... something. 62 63  64 65 <p align="center"><em>The <a 66 href="https://www.val-gardena.com/en/dolomites/geisler-mountain-group">Odles</a> 67 surrounded by clouds.</em></p> 68 69 The clouds came and went, but this is pretty much the clearest the 70 skies have been the whole morning. Besides the cold and the rain being 71 unpleasant, the low visibility gave us some technical difficulties: 72 right after passing by the hut, we found ourselves on a grassy slope and 73 we lost the track. In normal conditions we would have been able to look 74 out for the next trail marking, but with this thick fog we were forced 75 to double check our GPS and our maps. 76 77 ## Down through the forest, then up again 78 79 Luckily, it did not take us long to find the right way, and we kept 80 descending in a [larch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larch) forest. 81 82  83 84 <p align="center"><em>A trail in a forest between Plosehütte and 85 Schlüterhütte - Rifugio Genova.</em></p> 86 87 The descent is pleasant. We even manage to catch some break from the 88 heavy rain, and take a few more pictures of the Odles. 89 90  91 92 We reach the Rodella Pass (1867m) at around 13:00, 93 and from there we walk up to [Schlüterhutte - Rifugio 94 Genova](https://www.schlueterhuette.com/en/) (2297m). I did not take 95 many notes of this part of the journey, there was too much rain for me 96 to take out my journal and write. 97 98 As the trail is crossed by a stream of water, we have to pass a short 99 challenging section, where we are forced to climb on the wet rock. 100 The climb itself is not hard, but the trail is not clearly marked at 101 that point, which left us wondering if we were doing the right thing. 102 103 We are then blocked by a more difficult trail feature: cows. 104 105  106 107 <p align="center"><em>Cows are blocking the road. Yes, that little gap is 108 the only way forward.</em></p> 109 110 After overcoming this zoological obstacle, we reached the 111 Schlüterhütte - Rifugio Genova at 16:00 and we stop for a slice of 112 [*Apfelstrudel*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_strudel). 113 114  115 116 <p align="center"><em>Rifugio Genova - Schlüterhütte in the fog.</em></p> 117 118 ## The long descent to the village 119 120 At 6 hours and 30 minutes of hiking, this would have been a good first 121 day. But unfortunately we cannot stop here. At 16:30 we begin the long 122 descent towards Lungiarü (1398m). 123 124  125 126 <p align="center"><em>Down there, that's where we have to go. Do you see 127 it? Me neither.</em></p> 128 129 We walk for two hours in the rain and the fog before reaching the 130 village. Two hours may not sound like much, but it felt like an eternity. 131 132 Just before the village, we pass by a place called 133 [*Val di Morins*](https://www.alta-badia.org/en/highlights/sights/val-di-morins-mill-valley/), 134 which means "Mill Valley" in Ladin. 135 136  137 <p align="center"><em> 138 A watermill. In this area it was common to build half-pipes 139 with larch trunks to lead the water to the mill. 140 </em></p> 141 142 The village of Lungiarü, in [Val 143 Badia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Val_Badia), is quite nice, but we 144 have no energy left for sightseeing. All we can do before falling asleep 145 is a shower, dinner, and trying to dry our clothes for the next day. 146 147 <table style="width: 100%; table-layout: fixed;"> <thead> <tr> 148 <th style="text-align: left"> <a href="../preparation">← Preparation</a> </th> 149 <th style="text-align: center"> <a href="../">Alta Via 2</a> </th> 150 <th style="text-align: right"> <a href="../day2">Day 2 →</a> </th> 151 </tr> </thead> </table> 152 153 154 155 156 157