Issue 37: the Dolomites, on foot

The Dolomites are the mountains that look like a set. Pale rock walls standing up out of green meadows as if someone placed them there for the photograph. Walking through them for five days is the point of this letter, and Mei is writing half of it.

The huts

Rifugi. Stone buildings at the passes, run by families, with bunks, blankets, and a kitchen that produces polenta, dumplings and a sort of strudel that we still talk about. Book in spring. They fill.

The days

1. Six hours, one pass, legs complaining.
2. Seven hours, two passes, legs quiet.
3. The long one, with the ladders.
4. The easy one, which we needed.
5. Down, to a town with a bus, and a beer at eleven in the morning that nobody judged.

What to carry

Less than you think. The huts have blankets, food and water. You need boots, layers, a sheet sleeping bag, and cash, because the mountains have not heard of cards.

You do not need a car in the Dolomites. You need a week and a pair of knees.