Italy day 4

Today was the day. We woke up at the crack of 10am to make our way to the Dolomites. We parked our crumpled car at the foot of the mountains and began our adventure. The views were spectacular. Giant pillars of rock jut out of the ground, giving it an almost unnatural feel. There were a lot of tourists, but we managed to solve that problem by taking one of the more difficult tracks around the Tre Cime.

There were a few paths that were dedicated ‘via ferrata’ tracks. We didn’t have the necessary equipment, but it was very easy and simple, so we decided to do it anyway. The views were worth it.

About 4 hours into the hike, John decided to take off his shoes and climb around the side of the mountain. This wasn’t part of the path. There was a solid 800m drop below him as he climbed vertically around the loose limestone. It was terrifying knowing that one small slip could be the end of a friend of mine. As he did it, a crowd of about 50 Italians stopped to witness the horrifying event. I was furious; I had begged him several times not to do it – it wasn’t worth the risk for an Instagram photo. Needless to say, he made it back in one piece, but the mood had changed slightly. A pure sense of tranquillity had been replaced with a nervous energy for a few hours.

However, once things had calmed down a bit, I started appreciating nature in all of its beauty again. We took a long path back and got back to the car just as it started to get dark. Federico purchased us drinks, and we got to see a sunset on the top of the world while sipping on a few beers.