After doing a Brenta Dolomites hut to hut hiking & climbing trip for 5 nights in 2014, I wanted to also hike & climb in the “real” Dolomites, but we were interested in staying in hotels rather than huts/refugios. The refugios are super-deluxe compared to huts in the U.S., but sleeping is in bunk beds, sometimes with many other people in the same room, bathrooms down the hall, & noisy climbers getting up in the middle of the night, slamming doors, & flushing toilets

Hut fun in the Brenta Dolomites 2014

We found a British company that offered a 7 night hotel to hotel, guideless hiking trip in the high Dolomites at a very reasonable price (for us). The hotels mostly included breakfast & dinner, & the Brits provided a map & very-detailed instructions for hiking. We started with two-nights in the scenic village of Kaselruth at about 3,500’. Unfortunately, due to a flight delay we over-nighted in Munich, but caught an early train & made it to Bolzano, then took a taxi to Kastelruth, arriving around 2:00 PM. It had been stormy the week before & the clouds were still hanging low over the mountains when we arrived. However our friends Jerry & Angie had arrived on schedule the previous night & had hiked around in the clouds that morning. Heidi & I were content with hiking around the small village, changing some dollars to Euros, buying some local wines in a small grocery at amazingly low prices, & finding a replacement for a trekking pole that broke in transit.

Evening view from our hotel window in Kasteleruth.


Day two, the hotel moved our baggage to our next hotel & we set out for a 3,600 vertical feet, 9 mile hike to the small ski town of Compatsch aka Kompatsch. However, we took a chairlift for the first mile & shortened our vertical gain to about 2,400’.
Fritz, vastly enjoying the chairlift.
It was a steep hike to the Sieser Alm, which is Europe’s largest high-altitude meadow. It was also the start of 5 days of near perfect weather for us, with only an occasional rain cloud sighted.


I try to make friends wherever I go.

Looking back down to Kastelruth from the edge of the plateau.


We arrived above Kompatsch, which sets at about 6,050’ mid-afternoon & enjoyed the sounds of a Germanic Oompah band, as we strolled down to the town. The Dolomites had been part of Austria until WWI & still have a very Germanic culture & feel. We had arrived the day of their annual fall festival & after checking into our nice hotel, we strolled around the venue & of course drank some beer, ate some sausage, & danced a little.

The view down to Compatsch.


Jerry & Angie demonstrated western swing beer-dancing for the local's enjoyment.

The next day, afternoon thunderstorms were predicted, so we did a moderate hike of about 6 -7 miles & around 1,500 vertical feet above town. We were mostly hiking around a large ski area & there were plentiful lodges to stop by for lunch. The thunderstorms never happened & we started using local weather forecasts, rather than Acuweather, which was pessimistic & wrong every day of our trip.




The trails were mostly very-well marked & signed, but every now & then they got a bit obtuse, & we referred to maps.


Day four was another moderate, but somewhat longer hike, that carried us up to some great views, then down to the 3 hotels of Saltria, at about 5,600’. After 3 days of viewing a large but very accessible - looking mountain to our east named the Plattkofel 9,704’, we decided to hike the steep trail up it the next morning.

Sunrise clouds above the Plattkofel 9,704’ from our hotel balcony in Kompatsch.

Fritz & Heidi with the Plattkofel 9,704’ at right.

Hiking down to Saltria.

Our Saltria hotel.


OK! Much more to follow. Will the old folks make it up the mighty Plattkofel 9,704’? Or will a sudden thunderstorm fry our asses with lightning? Or will we just stop at the refugio under it & eat & drink?

Stay tuned!