Lunch Run

Evening Ice Skate ⛸️

Afternoon Run

Morning Run

Another fun day on the trails, including the first 8mi with our new friend Ben, then a big climb up to Coldai, where we were rewarded with an incredible view. Lots of good convos! 😀

I woke up at 7:15am and ate breakfast at the hut with Ben who we met last night at dinner. He happens to be from central Jersey and also lives in NYC, which I guess I shouldn't even be surprised by. Young techies are everywhere these days.

Today was a lazier morning and after breakfast, I took a walk around Lago Fedèra and took some pictures while Angela waited for her clothes to dry. We also did a mini photoshoot. 📸 After yesterday's longer, rainy day, we decided today should be more chill with the lesser mileage and better weather. We finally headed out from Rifugio Croda da Lago at around 10:30am.

Angela, Ben, and I hiked together for the first 8 miles and the views were once again gorgeous. It was amazing to see the views of Cortina from above. We again mixed it up between hiking and trail running as we desired, and also saw some impressive mountain bikers. A light drizzle started as we approached Rifugio Citta di Fiume at 12:30pm, where we decided to stop for lunch.

I had a good chat today with an older couple from Ann Arbor who had stayed at our same hut the previous night. The man had ran the Boston Marathon six times already and the woman talked about how the two of them had started their trail adventures in their twenties and raised their kids to do the same. This AV1 hike was a family trip for the four of them (the younger son was my age). The man told me about how he and his son had just done a hike together in the Pyrenees (between Spain and France). I hope I can still do the stuff they're doing when I reach their age.

Lunch (gnocchi al ragù) was yummy and Angela, Ben, and I had a convo about the meaning of life. The Linzer torte dessert was good too. Afterwards, we set back out on the trail, where the weather had turned favorable again. We enjoyed more great views until we dropped Ben off at Rifugio Staulanza at around 3:20pm. It was fun making a new trail friend. Thanks Ben for all the good chats! 🙂

Afterwards, Angela and I had a choice to make between proceeding on the main road or climbing up the trail. We decided on the trail and it was mostly pleasant until we hit another tough muddy downhill stretch. It was slippery and annoying, but we made it through and ended up back on the road at Palafavera, where we also saw a ski lift. It would be fun to visit here again in the winter (in fact the 2026 Winter Olympics will be in Cortina!).

Finally, after the road, we made one last climb up to our hut at Coldai. The sun came out again, so we reapplied sunscreen, and also ran into the same guy we saw in the rain yesterday (selfie attached). The last climb up to the rifugio was among the steepest we've trekked so far, but the view was just incredible. Hard to describe with words, you have to come here to see it with your own eyes. We arrived at Rifugio Coldai just before 6pm and took some quick showers (5€ each).

Dinner was supposed to be served at 6:30pm, but actual food only came out at 7:20pm (which was unfortunate because I was hungry). We had a fun chat with a German woman (originally from Bielefeld -- aka the most boring city in Germany -- but who had also lived in Paris, New York, and Rome before now living in Florence) and her Italian son who just started his bachelor's program in Berlin. We talked about AI, Europe vs. America, pasta, and he told me about the Italian phrase "la dolce far niente" or "the sweetness of doing nothing". I feel like I am a very go-go-go person in NY, so it was cool to hear his perspective on Italian culture. It's always cool to exchange cultures when meeting people from other backgrounds while traveling. 😄 We also ran into the Aussies, Oscar and Emma, again after dinner who we might see more of in the next two days.

Overall, it was another fun day out on the trails. I feel like we had a lot of good convos today, which I really enjoyed. Maybe that's what life is all about. Anyways, that's all for today. Another day, another opportunity!

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Frank Lin

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