Running around the Tre Cime di Lavaredo

It’s the ninth day on the mountain, and the ninth day with perfect weather. And even though all the days really full we haven’t reached our saturation after a couple of months in the flat lands around Berlin. Days have passed since we’ve spent our last day in a camping, and we’ve spent in high places before, or doing wild camping. Even though it is technically not allowed in the Dolomites, if you keen an eye open for good spots and if you don’t bother anyone you should be ok.

It’s really fascinating how fast the body changes when you send time in the mountains. The mountain hardens you without knowing it, and it really doesn’t matter what you do, and just the effort of climbing a peak is sometimes enough. If you add mountain running or climbing the effect is greatly amplified. And with each day gone by, you become more adapted to the place where you spend your time.

You can do the same thing while living in flat place, but at least when doing things in the mountains the effect is an added effect, as your also having a lot of fun in the process. Each time your running on a trail, or when your sitting in a belay waiting for your climbing partner your eyes and your soul are free to wander as they please.

We’re going to take a day off at one point, but not today. We’re really close to the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, and I want to go with Mihaela on a running trip around them. The temperatures for today are as hot as ever and we plan our trip so that we’re going to spend the hottest part of the day above 2000 meters. I take a longer round to the Cime, running on a high ridge with comes from the south, and after meeting up at the base of the impressive walls we spend some time in the shade watching teams climbing and young children bathing in the small ponds at the base of the towers.

Unfortunately the air wasn’t really clear, and the the normal way around the towers is packed with people, a world away from yesterday’s trekk through Marmarole where we’ve met just one person in beautiful Saturday.

We descend on the Rienza valley, leaving the classic tourist trail behind, and after a 1000 meter descend we get back to the car on another small valley which leads to the place where the tax road to the Cime starts.

Covered in salt after a really hot day I find one of the nicest bathing places I’ve found up until now in the mountains, and I end the day with a refreshing bath in the cold stream. One one hand there is the crystal clear blueish water of the stream, the lush green of the surrounding grass, and the white walls of the Cadini di Misurina, one couldn’t wish for a better setting.

After an uninspired climb to the Sella towers, hoping for an evening climb we spend the night wild camping. Somwhere around Tofana di Rose.