July 18, 2022
Cortina to Canazei.
Passo Giau and Passo Fedaia
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Getting out in nature for long walks is something humans need. We are both convinced of it. It gives one's self the time to decompress and get away from the 'business' that often occupies our minds. It provides us with time to process and think; or not think at all for that matter, and it rejuvenates the heart and soul. It can also be a conduit for self reflection, problem solving and putting oneself back into some state of equilibrium. Ask anyone who has ever been for a walk in the forest, or in a field, or a stroll by a body of water and they will tell you the same thing. No one has ever felt worse after a walk in nature. That's a fact. Go try it yourself, and you'll see.
During our hike yesterday, Sue and I both thought and reflected upon today's big cycling day. Sue was a little anxious about the whole thing, and questioned if she was up to the physical effort required to get over Passo Giau and Fadaia with fully loaded bikes. I never doubted that she could do it. She's one tough cookie. In fact, she already had; in 2016 for that matter. We have cycled over both of these passes before. Giau with fully loaded bikes and Fedaia without gear. But, that was then.
But, like I said earlier, sometimes being in nature allows you to think outside the box and problem solve. So, Sue posed the following question amidst walking in the alpine flowers: "I wonder if we can get our panniers transported to our next destination in Canazei so we don't have to carry them?" As, you have probably already deduced, Sue is the brighter, more thoughtful, and more logical one of the two of us, and I was immediately on board for this simple idea.
This 'aha moment' set into motion an immediate plan of action. The obvious questions arose: How and by what method are we going to be able to make this happen?
First, we went to the bike tour companies to see if they could transport our luggage. No luck. Then, we thought about DHS courier services, but this would take at least a couple of days since it was Sunday. Finally, we went to the local taxi company. That was it. We got a price, arranged a pickup time the next morning, and, 'Voila'; we are baggage free for this big ride. And, writing this now after the fact, it was money well spent.
All went to plan. The taxi driver arrived at 8:30am, we loaded our bags and noticed the confused expression on his face when neither of us got into the vehicle. Somehow this may have been lost in translation, but it didn't phase him. We provided him with the hotel address of our destination and that was it. We were luggage free.
Our time in Cortina has come to an end, for now. Who knows if we will be ever back this way again some day? As we climbed out of the valley we took one final glance back and bid arrivederci to Cortina.
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We brought only the essentials on this climb. A rain jacket, a windbreaker and a warmer layer; and, of course, the essential tools for repairing a flat. Even though the weather was perfect, you never can really predict what the weather is going to do in the mountains. Besides, once above 2000m it can be quite chilly, even though in the valley today the temperatures were 30+ degrees. It is much better to be prepared than to be stuck. As a side note, so many foolish people venture off into the North Shore mountains where we live who are utterly unprepared for the weather and changing conditions in the mountains, and some of them lose their lives because of it. Our amazing volunteers at North Shore Search and Rescue are overworked and their resources are stretched because people fail to take the essentials when venturing off into these areas. And, this seems to be happening with increasing frequency, sadly.
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To provide some perspective, the climb to Passo Giau from the Cortina side of the valley is 15.8km long and gains 1061 vertical meters with an average gradient of 6.7%. This is quite a nice and manageable little climb. Sue and I love the 5-7% climbs. Anything getting above 9-10% gets tough. And, anything above 12% is downright miserable.
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What we love about the mountain passes in Europe is that you will always find a refugio at the top. All of these places serve food and drinks, and many of them are also small inns or hotels where you can stay.
It was time to get out those layers. It was downright chilly, with a cold wind blowing from the opposite side of the pass. We didn't linger too long. Our thoughts were occupied by the next big task of the day. Passo Fedaia.
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Once back down to an elevation of 1000m in Caprille, the heat became downright oppressive. Sue coyly and playfully expressed the sentiment that she was done for the day; it was too hot for climbing mountains, and can't we just stop here? I replied: "Look on the bright side. Once we get back up to above 2000m, we'll be nice and cool again." And, with a sneer coming from her direction, we set off to climb Fadaia.
Passo Fedaia is a more serious climb. It kind of lulls you into thinking it's going to be fine, until it's not. The climb out of Caprille begins innocently enough with the first 8kms having an average grade of about 6-7%. It's the last 4 kms that are of the miserable sort, whereby the gradient never dips below 12%.
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We made it to the craziness of Canazei, and were surprised at the volume of traffic and the amount of people. Looks to be a happening little place and a popular tourist destination. I'll report back tomorrow and let you know all about it. Well. That's all I'm going to write for now. Time for food, and a nap. A big day. But, a great one.
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