Dolomites Hike Day Four: 17km

Day 4: Pederü → Fanes plateau via Lech de Limo, Gran Fanes, Col de Locia and Capanna Alpina → Sciaré/ San Cassiano

Distance: 17 kilometres

More perfect weather for another wonderful hiking day - a lot of steep gradients (sometimes leading to a scramble up the slopes) and a lot of equally steep descents. I definitely have a new understanding of the benefits (when the path is wide enough) of zigzagging (on descent) back and forth. Zigzagging eases the strain on the knees and legs and toes when it can be managed. One of our group was particularly good at this type of descent - Jack Rabbit and Mountain Goat superlatives were employed!

Many of the Dolomite hiking tracks are made up of white rock in the form of gravel (or pebble size), but the rocks increased in size to fist sized rocks and larger. Gravel tends to move down the mountain with you, so it can be difficult to grip wearing hiking books. Not for the first time, the idea of having pairs of walking shoes and also boots (with Birkenstocks for lunch breaks) has been appealing.

Fun fact: Water bottles. Mr Darcy (when hiking, also fondly known as ‘the camel’) brings a lot of water. I have a particularly small water bottle which I fill (from Mr Darcy’s supplies or at other spots along the way). Many, including some in our party, have ‘bladders’ they keep in their backpacks so they can suck as they go. I think of the regular water stop when hiking like an old fashioned water cooler in an office building (before the time when people started taking 2 litre bottles into their offices). On a hike, a water stop is a time (when one stops puffing) to converse and reflect (Why are we doing this again? How much further? Can I burn my pack when I get home? Why are my feet on fire?). And if your companions don’t have bladders and rubber hoses to suck on, it is also an opportunity to hand them their water bottle from the side of their pack (because that shoulder turn is a killer) before putting it back again.