The Mountains Were Calling - Solo Dolomites Adventure - Val Gardena Pt 1

Seceda was a place that I was NOT going to risk missing and it was 2 hours from where I was staying in Misurina. I've dreamt of seeing this mountain in person for years and years and have logged into it's live webcam every single morning for the last month to check the weather and flower situation. So, I woke up at 5:30, skipped breakfast, and drove straight to Ortesei to catch the first gondola up. 

I had to share a gondola cabin with 2 couples from the States - one couple from New York City and one couple from LA. They were the same types of people that come into my shop as tourists and they were absolutely awful...just loudly boasting to one another about what they do for a living and what they've accomplished and how much money they make and it just became a pissing contest. They were executive assistants to CEOs and movie producers and film makers that knew every famous person and I was secretly hoping that they'd ask me what I did for a living so I could tell them that I just work the front desk at an ATV rental company and have them feel super awkward, but they didn't ask so I just sat quietly in my corner and took pictures. Once we got to the top, we unloaded and they went to the restaurant so I was literally the only person on the mountain for about 30 minutes until the next gondola showed up. Even then, everybody seemed to head right down to the more famous "Instagram spots" for pictures and totally bypassed the beautiful little meadow of wildflowers that I'd stumbled upon farther up.  It was heaven. 

I was secretly hoping that there would be some mist (I'd seen a lot of mist recently on the webcam) and I just thought it'd be so beautiful. Well, I was in luck...it was the perfect misty paradise, with clouds rolling up from the valley below. It began to burn off after only about 20 minutes and I was so glad that I'd gotten up early so I could experience it. 

I spotted the famous rocks of Pieralongia and made my way over there. I hadn't had breakfast and hadn't taken my arthritis medicine (I didn't want to take it on an empty stomach) and was worried that I was getting excited and was going to go too far and then would be miserable trying to get back to the gondola. There just happened to be a Refugio right there with food and drinks and donkeys! I stopped for homemade yogurt with jam, apple strudel, and a cappuccino (enough caffeine and sugar to get me through the rest of the hike) and pet the donkeys. 

After a couple of hours of hiking around, I made my way back to the gondola station and stopped for a few more pictures as the clouds had changed and the sun was higher than when I'd first been there. It was quite a bit more crowded...of course with idiots that had climbed over the fences and barricades for the "perfect picture" and managed to really irritate me with their entitled attitudes. It's because of people like that that there are barricades and "No Trespassing" signs everywhere in the first place. I can't help but think that in another 20 years, we won't even be able to go to these places because we're ruining them.

 

I eventually took the gondola back to Ortesei (along with 2 older ladies from Washington DC that were really rude) and then walked around town for a bit and had some gelato. At that point, it was time to head over to my hotel in Santa Cristina and check in for the night. 

The hotel was so cute and cozy and my shower had a remote control! I managed to score one of the 4 free parking spots right out front (otherwise the garage was 40 euros per day) and they provided a free bus pass, so I just left my car there for the duration of my stay and used the bus to get around. I got settled in and then ventured out to explore the little town on foot and find some dinner. 

My TV had a single English channel that played some really great movies, so after dinner and a long hot shower, I cozied up and watched North to Alaska and listened to the thunderstorm outside.