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Hiking the Italian Alps

Welcome to this week’s escape! Rylie is excited to share one of her favorite memories from her recent excursion to Northern Italy. First, I thank you, our readers, for your incredible response to her posts and for growing the blog through your Likes and Comments. Thanks, also, to those of you who recently subscribed to Margarita Moments & Other Escapes. I hope you enjoy your time spent with us.

Getting Ready

Despite the amazing food and picture-perfect landscapes I’d heard about regarding Italy, what got me hooked on the trip were four little words of a brochure headline–Hiking in the Alps. After months of dreaming about it, the day was finally here. Mentally, I was more than ready. Physically, I chose to gulp down pineapple juice and two slices of bread an hour before the event, my hands shaking with excitement. Ever since sustaining an injury during track, I’d been relegated to non-impact workouts, so the extent of my exercise lately had been trudging my overstuffed backpack around campus. Today my new backpack was stuffed with a jacket, my camera, a giant water bottle I bought for a Euro in town, and my wallet. I was stoked to hike the Alps!

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Frizzante?

We began the trek uphill through town, passing small housing developments and farms to get to the start of the trail. There was a moment of panic when my friend and I realized the drink we’d purchased, and thought was water was actually seltzer. (So that’s what ‘frizzante” meant on the label!) Luckily, we were able to refill our water bottles at a restaurant in Dorf Tirol before beginning our climb.

PHOTO CREDIT: Allison Lloyd
PHOTO CREDIT: Allison Lloyd

What sights!

The hike was exhausting, and admittedly painful, but oh so worth it. The trail, for the most part, was on a slight incline, with a wall of stone on our left and a thick forest on our right. Some parts were steep, particularly as we increased in altitude, and several of us skidded on pebbles on the way down. Between the clusters of trees we could often catch a glimpse of narrow waterfalls etched into the mountainside, plummeting into the brook below. The Austrian Alps peeked out from behind the forest and hills, their snow-capped peaks nearly invisible in the morning sunlight.

Can you see the Austrian Alps?
Can you see the Austrian Alps?

Our destination was a farm about midway up the mountain, and we rested briefly at the little restaurant on property to have a beer and the most delicious cranberry-cake dessert I’ve ever tasted. If you read last week’s post, you know how much I love my food and beverages.

PHOTO CREDIT: Allison Lloyd
PHOTO CREDIT: Allison Lloyd

I regretted chugging the rest of my beer when I tripped rather spectacularly over a small boulder on our way down. In spite of shooting pain in my ankles and knees at every step, I ended the hike out-of-breath and itching to do it all over again. I mean, who can resist climbing a mountain to have the chance to swirl around, pretending to be a character from one of the best movies of all time!

The Sound of Music…

I was Maria!
I was Maria!

Now it’s your turn. What’s an outdoor activity you enjoy best, or wish you could do more often?

9 comments on “Hiking the Italian Alps

  1. What an incredible adventure for you, Rylie. Your pictures are spectacular! I especially enjoyed the Sound of Music photo….I love that movie! I also enjoy hiking or walking on the beach for miles. After reading your wonderful post and seeing your photos, I’m dying to go for a hike in the Alps!

    1. Thank you Jill! We had a blast recreating that movie scene, though the farmer seemed a bit confused as to why we were running around his property 🙂 I really hope you get to go – it was definitely the highlight of the trip!

  2. Beautiful photos Rylie. I’m glad the hike was worth. It’s a blessing that were able to experience such an adventure. Thanks for sharing it with us.

    1. Thank you! I’m in the process of writing up the next post, so hopefully it’ll be up soon 🙂

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