Better than backcountry: Dolomites Alta Via 2

Tales from a 9-day, 100-mile trek through northern Italy

With aching feet and sore legs, I’m proud to say that I’ve completed the Alta Via 2. When my friend Aulden floated the idea of a 172-km, 9-day trek in the Dolomites I was intrigued, but little did either of us know what a doozy we were in for. Normally hikers trek the AV2 in 13 days (one stage per day), but we’re just lucky our bodies and joints were able to put up with our naive ambition. Let youth not be wasted on the young.

I’ll leave mostly photos to follow, but in case at least one person is reading this and wants to attempt the AV2 in 9 days, I’ll also break down how we combined the stages into 9 days (mostly pictures and captions), what my tips are, and what I would’ve done differently.

Our distinct stages of before, during, and after this doozy of a trek.

Day 0: Setting up in Bressanone

We stayed at the swanky Hotel Fischer in preparation for the more basic mountain huts to come.

Day 1: Bressanone to Gampenalm

Plose is a dream destination for mountain bikers and… dairy cows.

Already so many views on just our first day!

We took a wrong turn and ended up hiking 17 miles. Pasta saved the day.

Day 2: Gampenalm to Passo Gardena

Barn yoga before hitting the trail.

Meandering through monoliths.

Day 3: Passo Gardena to Castiglione Marmolada

The beginning of some gnarly “via ferrata,” or literally “iron route” with cables and footholds.

More ferrata and an alpine lake.

Reaching up into a lunar landscape, with some views of the lush green mountains beneath. We gained some serious elevation!

Day 4: Castiglione Marmolada to Passo Valles

We started below the Marmolada Glacier and took a bus to the start of a shorter hike over the pass and into Passo Valles.

Passo Valles had the best food out of all the rifugios, hands-down.

Day 5: Passo Valles to Rifugio Mulaz

Frolicking among the wildflowers.

Yet more ferrata in this crazy rock garden of a place.

Day 6: Rifugio Mulaz to Rifugio Pradidale

We thought this was the coolest location for a mountain hut. | This hike provided the most epic ferrata of the whole trek.

More lunar landscapes.

These crazy yellow poppies will grow anywhere!

Day 7: Rifugio Pradidale to Passo Cereda

Sunrise at Rifugio Pradidale. | Mysterious pinnacles on the long, painful descent into Passo Cereda.

Goat spotting helped tide us through the beginning of our hike. | Wild mushrooms at the base of the descent. | Fresh homemade cheese from the rifugio.

Day 8: Passo Cereda to Rifugio Boz

This was the steepest and most ridiculous ascent of the trek — proud of us for making it through and earning some more awesome nature sights.

After cresting the mountain, the rest of the hike was mostly in the fog. | The butterfly whisperer is here!

Day 9: Rifugio Boz to Croce d’Aune

Rifugio Boz, the last rifugio of the trip. | Butterflies and wildflowers everywhere. | Looking back at one of the last stretches of the hike.

Fun fact: Italians don’t cut their pizza because one person usually eats the whole thing. | RIP my hiking boots. | Glorious after earning our Alta Via 2 badges.

Tips

• Use your resources: Trekking in the Dolomites by Gillian Price, tabacchi maps, and the Mapy.cz app all proved indispensable in helping us (mostly) stay on the trail and know what to expect from each stage.
• Be sure to bring plenty of cash, since many rifugios don’t accept card and there aren’t any ATMs along the route unless you take a detour into a town.
• Do your research ahead of time on what you need to bring (and what you don’t). We stayed in mountain huts (rifugios in Italian) which offered “half board” including dinner and breakfast — so we didn’t need any camping or cooking equipment, or much food besides energy/protein bars.

Rookie mistakes (aka what I would’ve done differently)

• Pack lighter. On most trips, a heavy bag is annoying at worst. On a trek, a heavy backpack can lead to excessive stress and injury. You seriously only need two hiking outfits: the one you’re washing and the one you’re wearing. And always pack heavy items towards the bottom of your bag — the physics really matter!
• Buy a hiking stick or two. Ski poles also work if you have them. I was a skeptic on days 1 and 2 and a convert by day 3. The hiking stick I ended up buying helped me improve my stability and safety and relieve stress otherwise supported only by my legs and feet. If it weren’t for the hiking stick, I would’ve blown out a knee (and I don’t even normally have knee problems).
• Embrace the rest day! Aulden and I both felt noticeably better after shortcutting two of our hikes by taking buses. It’s honestly how we survived 9 days with as many as 17 miles on one day and 5,500 feet of elevation gain on another. In hindsight, we also could have added an extra day to our trek and not had to take any buses.

Big thanks to Aulden for planning the trek of a lifetime, reserving everything in advance, and being the perfect sister/mom/bestie/OG college roomie.