8 Days On the Alta Via 1

The towering spires, alpine lakes, wildflowers, and beautiful Rifugios seemed like a far away dream. The 75-mile point-to-point trail lived in the back of my mind. Finally, after a winter and spring of hiking constantly, starting a new job where I was happier, with colleagues who were understanding of my love for the outdoors, I began to plan to make my dream a reality.

Planning

If you know me, I’m the friend who will text you, “I have a wild idea, would you want to join?." I had two friends who jumped at the chance to come along, and so the hike planning began! This was truly the hardest part of our journey. The Dolomites are a World Heritage Site, and backcountry camping is not allowed. With over 1,000 Rifugios spread across the Dolomites, I knew this would be quite the undertaking. I scoured the internet for information and eventually made a list of Rifugios and accompanying mileage per day. In early November, I spent weeks trying to plan out a route that would work for us. Some Rifugios had openings, others didn’t. Some didn’t open for booking until 2025. With a very expensive flight purchase looming and with one open two-week window at work, we opted to use a booking agency. The booking agency we used was expensive, but not much more expensive than booking ourselves. I wanted the security that came from someone else tracking reservation window openings, and not having to wait, with breath held, over the course of three months while we tried to book for ourselves. While I saw several couples and individuals who had successfully booked itineraries for themselves, we saw an even greater number who relied upon companies to book. 

Training

I started training for the AV1 as I would any other hike, with tons of time on my feet! I was crushing 18-mile day hikes, 35-mile weekend backpacking trips, and was getting tons of elevation gain and loss in the process. Right around two months out from our hike, I was on a work trip. I started to run to grab something from a car, and heard a popping noise coming from my calf. I could immediately tell that something was wrong, and upon standing up, my suspicions were confirmed. After seeing a doctor, I discovered that I had a grade two calf tear, and recovery could take up to eight weeks. He reassured me that I should be fine in time for my trip, but my ability to train would be incredibly limited. In the time that I would’ve normally been spending my summer in the alpine, instead I was swimming for as long as I could, riding my bike for as many miles as I could bear, and weeks later, trying to squeeze in a mile or two of hiking.

I knew training for the AV1 would make or break my trip. While I was hopeful that my body could do the hike, I also knew that this could dictate how enjoyable (or not enjoyable) my trip would be. 

Getting There

With my packing done, our departure date quickly crept up, and before we knew it, we had started our long journey from Denver to Italy. Taking the most direct route, we flew from Denver, to Dulles, and into Venice. Upon arriving in Venice, we spent a day recovering from jet lag, and then hopped on a bus to Cortina d’Ampezzo. 

As one of the host cities for the 2026 Winter Olympics, we knew there would be a ton of construction in Cortina. Our two-hour-long bus ride turned to three, but construction and traffic aside, Cortina was beautiful. I had heard that Cortina was like the Aspen of Italy, and I can say that it lives up to this descriptor. There were huge mountains looming in the distance, charming hotels, lovely restaurants, and this was the perfect place for us to enjoy some downtime before eight days of hiking. We ate beautiful dinners, walked around town, and picked up a few last-minute items for our hike. 

After not being able to train for the previous two months, I had serious doubts about my ability to finish, let alone start, the AV1. My friends Chelsea, Elle, and I sat at our hotel, looking at possible exit points, mapping out different scenarios, plans, and methods for communication, in case I wasn’t able to finish the hike. The night before we were scheduled to start, I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned in bed for hours before calling my boyfriend, crying. I’m used to self-doubt and nerves, but feeling like I had yet to test my calf in a meaningful way before we left (for fear of re-injuring it), I couldn’t stop wondering if my body would let me down and what I could’ve done differently. 

The Hike

I woke up groggy, after three hours of sleep, and frantically packed before  our 6:00 AM taxi to the bus station. After a quick bus ride, we started our Alta Via 1 hike from Lago di Braies on a rainy Thursday. While we pictured an idyllic and sunny start, Lago di Braies was certainly still beautiful in the rain. Even with clouds looming over the lake, the water was as perfectly turquoise as every photo I had seen on the internet. With a 10:30 am start, and just under ten miles to cover, we didn’t have time to reflect on the journey that was to come- we dove in headfirst. 

Our first few days were some of our most strenuous- and I told myself that if I could make it through the first four days, I’d be able to finish the rest of the trail. While we had hours of rain on our first day, our second, third, and fourth days were beautiful. With highs around 60-70°F, the weather truly helped with making the 36 miles with 12,000 feet of elevation gain bearable. Each day, we walked through beautiful Dolomite spires and magical forests; sometimes on gravel paths, sometimes directly up a mountain, often gaining 1,000 feet or more in our first mile of the day. This trail is challenging. While I didn’t have to carry a tent, sleeping bag, or pad, I could truly feel my lack of training. While others were moving quickly uphill, I was having a hard time, but I wasn’t the only one. We saw several people leave, taking the exit routes that Elle, Chelsea, and I had discussed days before. 

We settled into the rhythm of the AV1, began to make friends, and establishedroutines. The trail itself was incredibly busy. With plenty of entry and exit points, there were no shortages of hikers. With this came the most consistently smooth rocks I’ve ever hiked on. Footwear has always played such a huge role in my hikes. I’ve gotten blisters andhad arch pain before, so keeping my feet healthy has always been a priority. I took the Oboz Katabatic LT low, and they performed very well. Just breathable enough for my feet to dry quickly after rain, and responsive in demanding terrain, they were a great choice.

There were (almost) always Rifiugios to stop at for lunch, or snacks during the day. Beautiful views made me feelso incredibly lucky to be hiking such an amazing trail. The days began to flow: Wake up at 7 am for breakfast, on the trail by 8 am, and then over to the next Rifugio to check in and eat dinner by 3 pm. I genuinely felt like I could do this forever!

The food on the AV1 was impressive and was such a highlight of the trip. When I hike, I get HUNGRY- and a huge concern I had was not having enough food, getting hangry, or being sad and hungry. While our breakfasts were lovely and just enough to fuel me through our first climbs, our dinners were incredible. Each evening included a different three-course meal, always a pasta dish first, a protein dish, and a dessert. Our meals were exactly what my body needed to replenish itself and recover from our strenuous days of hiking. 

Our fifth and sixth days were lovely. Hiking just under 20 miles in two days, we still found time for card games on the porch at Rifugio Carestiato. Here we sat in the sun, drank lemon sodas, reflected on how hard our seemingly easy day ended up being, and laughed with some of our new friends. This was truly one of my favorite times on the trail.

On our seventh day, we encountered a major decision point. At the beginning of our day, we had planned an 8.5-mile route, with 2,300 feet of gain. This would beeasy compared to several of our other days. We got to our endpoint, Rifugio Pamperet at 1:00 pm, and were quickly greeted by a slew of decisions to be made. The Rifugio hosts had let us know that it was supposed to rain the following day, making the pass we would go over unsafe and impassable. This would potentially render us unable to complete the remainder of the AV1. Our options were to stay and hike down the road to catch a bus the following day, or push on to make it to a rifugio over the pass. Mentally, this was one of the toughest days we had. Without much time (or lunch), we decided to push the extra seven miles to Rifugio Bianchet. While seven miles might not seem like a lot, we had another 2,650 feet of elevation gain, and the most exposure we’d see on the trail. The rest of the day was a slog. With sunset creeping in, an hour of absolutely dumping rain, and our phones on the brink of dying, we pushed through another four hours of hiking. We arrived at Rifugio Bianchet at 8:00 pm, soaked and cold, but happy. With a four-mile hike out the next day, we had essentially done it. We were greeted with cheers as many of the people around us knew how far we had come that day. While the actual end of our hike was rather anticlimactic, this felt like victory. 

Final Thoughts

While I am ultimately surprised that my body allowed me to finish this hike, it wasn’t without cost! My knees and quads were screaming from the descents, my back was as tight as it’s ever been from my constant reliance on trekking poles, and I was almost certainly dehydrated for several days after. That being said, I learned a ton, and I’d do it all again. While the scenery was breathtaking, one of my favorite parts of doing multi-day hikes has always been the time spent with friends and the people we meet. This hike was no exception. At each Rifugio we’d share tables for breakfast and dinner, laugh over glasses of wine, and reflect on the hardest and best parts of our days. It’s this camaraderie and these bonds that keep me coming back, and I can’t recommend hiking the Alta Via 1 enough!