Start: Pezzé, Ponte Schmied (1150) Finish: Maurerberghütte (2157m) 10km, 1100 up, 5 hours. The book says the ascent from Pfunders to Kreuzwiesen Alm is 1500m, and I still don’t trust myself to be able to do that. So I plot an alternative trail, one that will be ‘only’ 1100m. I will later find that the apps say the original trail was actually only 1200m ascent. It pisses me off, and I’m pissed off that I’m pissed off. I did 1100 anyway, so I could have done the original route,

Der Traumpfad, or "the dream way", is the brain child of a German hiker. Not surprising, considering the physical effort required to...

Start: Geraerhütte (2324m) Finish: Hotel Weisse Lilie in Mühlbach One of the challenges of hiking in the height of the season is hut...

Start: Lizumer Hütte (2019m) Finish: Tuxer-Joch Haus (2313m) Today is a light day, in that it contains no special technical challenges....

Start: Glungezer Hütte (2610m) Finish: Lizumer Hütte (2019m) Last night, after dinner, an employee of the hut makes the rounds, asking...

Start: Hall in Tirol (570m) Finish: Glungezer Hütte (2610m) The internet lied to me. I knew that August 15th can be a challenge. But I...

I was planning on sticking around Torino for a few days before starting the AV, but the itch was too much to ignore. Torino, with its...

I’ve learned this from an American couple I meet two years ago on the TMB. I first noticed the woman, white haired, walking in measured...

There's plenty of Alta Via in Italy, the name simply being "high trail". The Aosta valley, at the top northwest corner of Italy, has two...

Start: Pontboset/Finish: Bard, 6.2km, +173, -587 As I wake up early, I know today's the last day. I can't believe I'm saying goodbye to...

Start: Rifugio Dondena/Finish: Pontboset, 15.7km, +36, -1439 The last days on the trail should take me first into the small village of...

Start: Cogne/Finish: Rifugio Dondena, 21.8km, +1308, -649 I was counting on sleeping at Rifugio Sogno di Berdzè (who's name I don't know...

Start: Rifugio della Marmotte/Finish: Cogne, Bus: Rhemes de Notre Dam to Villenueve, Villenueve to Sarre, Sarre to Cogne I wake up...

Start: Rifugio Chalet L'eppe/Finish: Rifugio delle Marmotte, 9.8, +913, -1140 Today takes me across the range into the next valley, and I...

Start: Planaval/Finish: Rifugio Chalet de L'epée, 15.7km, +867, -43 Planaval is yet another lovely tiny village in a lovely valley, the...

Start: Rifugio Deffeyes/Finish: Hotel Paramont@Planaval, 15.7km, +1207, -2135 Today is the dreaded two-days-rolled-into-one, with two...

Start: La Thuille/Finish: Rifugio Deffayes, 9.5, +1033, -48 If yersterda'ys hike is anything to go by, today should take me 3.5 hours....

Start: Rifugio Elisabetta/Finish: Albergo Rolland, La Thuile, 16.9, +451, -1140 I've made it to the top. More accurately, I've made it to...

Start: Rifugio Maison Vielle/Finish: Rifugio Elisabetta, 10.0, +678, -464 Today my trail overlaps with the Tour de Month Blanc again....

And that's a literal spa. In what is becoming a tradition, today I head out to the Pré Saint Didier thermal spa. I've done this once...